Sony may be looking to get back into the dedicated portable space with a new PS5 handheld.
“portable” aka microsofts wet dream, everything requires internet and thus useless outside. Be better, be like steamdeck. But then why not just getting a steamdeck.
The steam deck that runs steam? The steam that essentially requires an Internet connection at all times to work properly?
My pc is barely ever online and Steam works fine. Steam has had offline mode for years.
I know that it has an offline mode. The fact alone that you have to tell it to be offline now it’s telling, as that’s not the default mode of operation. We took it to a camping trip where we had long periods of being disconnected and e.g. switching between the family’s profiles just doesn’t work if you’re offline.
You don’t have to change to offline mode ever anymore. When you’re not connected you’re just offline. And when you’re back on the Internet Steam automatically goes back to online. I know, i do it all the time because my home Internet is just when i decide to hot spot from my phone. Which is rare.
Switching profiles i can see being a hassle though. I’ve never done that, so idk.
We are a family of five and share devices. The tablet has profiles that just switch locally. The switch asks before you start a game which profile to use. The steam deck not only doesn’t properly separate profiles, so you end up accidentally overwriting each other’s save files, it also goes through that whole login process every time you switch them, which doesn’t work if you’re disconnected. So yeah, the deck doesn’t work as well as other devices if it’s disconnected. It’s not that out doesn’t work at all, I know, but profiles and iirc achievements as well just don’t properly do their thing.
Gotcha. Yeah that’d be pretty frustrating.
I’ve taken it on many flights with no Internet and played my games at 30,000ft
I’ve taken it to a camping trip and the experience was horrible. There’s all kinds of features that just don’t work properly when being offline, most of all profile switching, which we rely heavily on. It’s great that you had a better experience, but I can’t confirm that.
also steam deck is a linux pc.
you are not limited to steam.
I’ve literally used it on a boat in the middle of the sea with no connection of any kind.
The deck, and steam, pretty much just keep working without internet where any installed games are concerned. Even if you don’t activate “offline mode” in advance.
Tried handing it to a family member that then wants to switch to their profile?
