I haven't even tried Windows on it, but the handheld mode for 11 that was leaked a while back very much feels like Microsoft seeing the success of SteamOS on the Deck and all the x86-based handhelds coning out, and panicking a little.

Which is kinda ironic, because Windows 10 used to have a Tablet Mode, which was coincidentally also a pretty decent interface for a controller, as far as the start menu was concerned.

Personally, I will wait and see.

When Discord actually starts implementing paywalls for existing features, I will definitely look into Matrix more, but I mainly see this as Discord reacting to server owners using Patreon and bots to locking content and roles behind a paywall.

So it's LineageOS.

If you put Michelin tires on a Ferrari, and sell it in that configuration, then it doesn't turn the tires themself into a sportscar.

...why is MicroG mentioned? It's not a custom ROM, it's a GApps replacement for custom roms.

Also, MIUI is not a public custom ROM, it's the official one for Xiaomi's devices, also it does feature bloatware, and I don't think that it's especially privacy-focussed either.

The article itself says it was a DDoS attack, not a hack.

I have been using the Debian-based Open Media Vault on my home server for... probably four, five years now, at first just for a cheap dumb "NAS", which has slowly featurecrept itself into being my personal replacement for damn near everything except E-Mail.

On my daily driver(s) though... tough to say, because I was distribution-hopping for a while. But currently, I seem to have found my home on Arch. I had tried Ubuntu, Linux Mint and a few others every now and then, but at the time always went back to Windows for one reason or another.

But... ironically, since I am now working for a Microsoft Partner and thus play a lot less games and no longer have to send out applications or use specific tools for vocational school or uni or something, I am no longer bound to Windows in my time off, so I have been using Manjaro for a few months at first, before I reinstalled and went to Arch proper.

My absolute favorite parts of the deck are the bang for your buck and the input options.

The Deck might not be the most powerful gaming device out there - heck, not even the most powerful x86-based gaming handheld - but it is suprisingly performant nonetheless. Part of that is the 1280x800 screen, which sounds small if you are used to 1080p or even 4k screens, but allowed Valve to use a less powerhungry APU, which resulted in the battery lasting a bit longer.

And frankly, the part where the Deck absolutely shines is the fact that they gave it trackpads with haptic feedback, gyro controls and a touchscreen plus the four extra triggers on the back. The gyro is perfect for shooters, and the touchpads for games that would normally need long mouse movements, or assigning them to radial menus or whatever. And you can just remap everything on a game-by-game basis.

The only flaws in my mind - nitpicks, really - are twofold:

It has the USB-C port at the top, so you cannot just slot the Deck into a dock and be done with it. As someone coming from a Switch, it is a slight loss of convenience.

You cannot use external GPUs*, so if docked, the Deck might struggle to play games on 4k. I think the ROG Ally had the right idea by allowing you to use a dock with a GPU in it, which gives you greater portability on the go and a beefy GPU when docked. I wish the Steam Deck could do the same thing.

Another thing that depends on the user is that with the stock Steam OS, some games will not work despite Proton because of anticheat software or DRM that is incompatible, but that one can be easily mitigated by installing Windows, if you absolutely have to. Personally, I strongly recommend sticking with Steam OS though, but that's from the perspective of someone who usually plays singleplayer games anyway.

• Yes, I know, you can do a hardware mod that replaces I think the SSD with a GPU, but it's still not as easy as plugging in a USB-C cable and be done with it.

Not in terms of the recommendations, but if you want a client for Subsonic or Jellyfin that is close to the Spotify UI, then I can recommend Sonixd.

Bubble Bobble Intro, but RPG

::: spoiler Hint: You can Smash the punny skeleton :::