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Steam deck or micro ATX or looong HDMI cord? (lemmy.world)
submitted 1 day ago by Suck_on_my_Presence@lemmy.world to c/casualconversation@lemm.ee
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Hiya Lemmy, I'm stuck on a dilemma.

I have a nice PC but I don't like being stuck at a desk all day and would like to game from my couch without having to lug the tower back and forth. It's a whole thing and that bitch is heavy.

So I have some options.

A) getting a looong HDMI cable to somehow run from my PC to the TV.

  • this is the cheapest option, for sure. But my controller doesn't pair well with my PC for whatever reason, so that doesn't really help a whole lot. I do have a looong usbC cable, but it's not my favorite option. Especially with cats.

B) build or buy a micro ATX. Something with tiny(relatively) form factor that doesn't need to be anywhere near top of the line to play what I usually play. So I could probably build something decent for 1200 USD? Maybe 1500. Or buy a pre built and save some heartache.

  • it's the most expensive option, but it will last me forever and it'll be a portable PC basically. Just not as portable as a steam deck.

C) buy a steam deck. I don't need the OLED or anything. I don't usually travel with gaming things, so I'm not worried about all that.

  • middle price option. While portability isn't a huge concern, it could really come in handy. I really liked steam OS and the ability to just boot as a PC. I could see myself using an emulator to play some older games. But my biggest concern with the steam deck is that the other one I borrowed from a friend couldn't really play rocket league. It just didn't have the juice to run the game? And I'm pretty sure I turned down all the graphics and everything.

Anyhow. This is a long post of thoughts. Anyone been in this situation? What did you choose? How are you feeling about your choice?

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[-] d00ery@lemmy.world 2 points 15 hours ago* (last edited 15 hours ago)

I've tried all on these except buying another pc ..

option c) Check out protondb to see other users experience with game performance on Steam deck. Sadly it looks like Rocket League has just lost native Linux support. https://www.protondb.com/app/252950

Option D) I have network cables running from pc upstairs to living room (just clipped to the skirting boards and run under rugs) and have used a Pi4 with steam link/moonlight and it works fine. There are some compression artifacts but overall it's hardly noticeable and quite playable.

Option E) Another way was using my Samsung tablet or phone with a usb to hdmi adapter which will mirror the game on the TV and I've used steam link that way (with controller connected to tablet via Bluetooth)

Option A) And just finally to note I also have a TV in the office with the PC and use a 4m long hdmi cable with that sometimes too which works perfectly, though it was hard to find a good quality hdmi cable that worked.

[-] Suck_on_my_Presence@lemmy.world 1 points 14 hours ago

Oh what the heck? I didn't know RL lost Linux support. I run Mint on my desktop so hrm. Will have to look into that more.

But good to know about the rest, thanks!

[-] KuroiKaze@lemmy.world 2 points 17 hours ago

We do option A Since the PC is only one room over and we have a long USB cable and a tiny keyboard and mouse remote controller. Gives you the most options but is the least elegant solution.

[-] jodawznev@sh.itjust.works 20 points 1 day ago

If it helps, there's also option D: RaspberryPi with Steam Link. Cheap, functional, and flexible.

That's what I set up at home and it's working great. If you play with a controller, note that some games work better than others or have weird requirements to get the controller to work (e.g. for Space Marine 2 I have to keep a wired controller plugged into my main tower for the Steam link wireless controller to work).

RaspPi also gives you the opportunity to set up and play old-school emulated games if that's interesting to you.

[-] happydoors@lemm.ee 3 points 17 hours ago

Just jumping in that if OP has a streaming stick, there’s a chance that all he has to do is download the steam link app and every issue he has is gone! Similar to setting the pi up

[-] Shadow@lemmy.ca 13 points 1 day ago

I've heard good things about https://moonlight-stream.org/ too.

[-] themoken@startrek.website 7 points 1 day ago

Not sure it's really relevant to OP, but I'll vouch for Moonlight. I use it to stream from my beefy desktop to my laptop/Linux tablet that both have weak little integrated GPUs. It's not perfect, need a strong internet connection, but it's 100x better than Steam's integrated version and for remote desktop access too.

A handy tip is that you can fake second monitors without any extra hardware so you don't have to give up a connected screen either.

[-] d00ery@lemmy.world 2 points 15 hours ago

That fake second monitor is a fantastic idea, didn't even know that was a thing!

[-] Suck_on_my_Presence@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago

Do they still sell steam links? Or is that moreso using the pi to stream via steam?

I had a physical steam link way back and it was pretty great on games where lag didn't matter.

[-] thermal_shock@lemmy.world 3 points 21 hours ago

Many android devices like Nvidia shield will run steam link or sunshine perfectly well. My kid and I play some couch games this way

[-] jodawznev@sh.itjust.works 6 points 1 day ago

No, they're not sold anymore. But the RaspPi acts just like the original hardware once the software is installed and configured. If you like tinkering, it's a nice afternoon project. And since Pis are so versatile, it opens up a bunch of possibilities for other projects (I recommend a PiHole for example) even if this application doesn't fit your needs.

[-] samus12345@lemm.ee 5 points 1 day ago

The Steam Deck can also act as a Steam Link, if you want something with more versatility over the cheapest option.

[-] Gerudo@lemm.ee 7 points 1 day ago

Another vote for moonlight/sunshine. I run it on my Xbox and it works flawless.

[-] thermal_shock@lemmy.world 3 points 21 hours ago

Steam link still works too. Been using that lately, but I have sunshine/moonlight setup as well.

[-] Shadow@lemmy.ca 11 points 1 day ago

I love my steam deck, but it's underpowered and I don't use it for intensive games.

Personally I just have a long hdmi cable to my tv and USB cable to a hub on my couch. I plug my dongles in right next to me.

[-] morbidcactus@lemmy.ca 2 points 22 hours ago

I use moonlight a lot on my deck for more intense stuff, gets way better battery life that way too. Ended up using the deck a lot more than I expected I would.

[-] Lightor@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago

Same, fiber optic HDMI can actually push 120fps 4K pretty far. Then just an RF adapter and you can use your wireless Xbox controller. Then I just have a wireless keyboard with mouse pad to type or click if need be.

[-] nullPointer@programming.dev 6 points 1 day ago

see if you can find a used "steamlink" online.

[-] Dudewitbow@lemmy.zip 5 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

is there a reason why you cant buy like a walmart onn box, install steam link and stream your pc over your local network. you get the benefit of accessing your pc games on tour tv, and a dedicated streaming box which you can install adfree versions of popular apps. (i should probably mention i think its the onn 4k pro with built in ethernet but its 100 Mbit, fine for 4k60 but you might want faster if you're going past that.)

as long as both the PC and streaming box is wired by ethernet, you should have a more than stable enough network connection

[-] Suck_on_my_Presence@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago

No reason why not. I just didn't think about it :D

[-] tal@lemmy.today 5 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Especially with cats.

There are cable pet shields.

https://www.amazon.com/Protector-Protects-Insulated-2mx0-01m-FUNZON/dp/B07FR722S8

getting a looong HDMI cable to somehow run from my PC to the TV.

My experience has been that if you run copper HDMI too far, you'll get occasional drop-outs. Maybe more shielding or lower bandwidth would help.

You can get an (expensive) fiber optic USB cable, which doesn't have the length constraints that copper USB does.

https://www.amazon.com/Fiber-Distance-Transmission-10Gbps-Laptop/dp/B09NBXSNXW

This sort of thing.

Can probably also do fiber-optic HDMI, but I figure that if you're running cable, might as well use USB, since then you can just stick a powered USB hub at the other end and you can plug in your other peripherals: headphones, gamepads, trackballs, keyboards, whatever.

[-] rikudou@lemmings.world 4 points 1 day ago

I usually use Moonlight and stream the game from my PC to the TV directly. Avoids all cables and the latency is negligible unless you have a shitty router.

[-] Drathro@sh.itjust.works 4 points 1 day ago

Do you own where you live? I ran a long HDMI and an ethernet through my attic from my office to my living room. The HDMI does display for my gaming rig in my office, and I have each end of the Ethernet plugged into an "AV Access" brand usb-ethernet-extender. Works perfectly to make my PC a console-like experience in the living room. Only downside is needing to go into the office to turn it on.

[-] Suck_on_my_Presence@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago

Ohhh that's awesome! Unfortunately I'm renting right now, but I figured I could run it under my couch and a rug and be okay

[-] Drathro@sh.itjust.works 3 points 1 day ago

Oh, well that all still works fine then as long as you aren't tripping over the cabling. The USB over ethernet adapter is like $50-60 in the US. A one-way long fiber optic HDMI will probably be similar in cost, and ethernet is super cheap. Way lower latency than trying to use moonlight/nvidia streaming or steamlink over wifi.

[-] tal@lemmy.today 1 points 1 day ago

The USB over ethernet adapter is like $50-60 in the US.

I don't use a Steam Deck, but I do have a USB-over-fiber-optic cable which permits for longer cable lengths than copper USB.

[-] ButWhatDoesItAllMean@sh.itjust.works 3 points 1 day ago

I use a loooong HDMI cable and a controller with dongle. Ive tried steam link app in the past but found I'd get hiccups with my wifi network and it only supported lower resolutions. I wanted to game at 4k resolution and the streaming only let me do 1080p, plus I couldn't get surround sound streaming to work. The HDMI cable solved both those issues.

[-] Suck_on_my_Presence@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago

Which controller do you have that goes well with a dongle?

[-] ButWhatDoesItAllMean@sh.itjust.works 3 points 1 day ago

Believe it or not I use the old Steam Controller that they don't make anymore. I love it and found a few used on Facebook marketplace and bought them as spares. I've even had some parts 3D printed to replace broken parts 🤣

this post was submitted on 28 May 2025
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