u/Auster — Auster

_This isn't even my final form._

As an alternative for the Apple/Google duopoly, I'd be curious. As a gaming machine, having tried playing PC games on Android, I'd say a lot of work is still needed.

Unfamiliar with Battle.net, but the problem sounds like a case of DRM and the solution sounds like the installer tries to normalize launchers and you are able to leverage it.

Adding to that, iirc the user needs to change the EXE on Steam after the install, else Steam will keep trying to open the installer.

If you must get something from Steam, I'd get something with great time by price ratio, like Terraria, Starbound and Stardew Valley. Or also JRPGs like Final Fantasy XII.

But from your picks, Elden Ring is the one I'd go for, mostly because it's the one that picks my attention the most.

Otherwise, maybe you'd want to follow giveaway communities and alert profiles, e.g. here on the fediverse?

As a replacement for this community or the proposed expansion, I am against. Either the Steam hardware side would be eclipsed, or the other devices would. Also, I interpret that such a Linux handhelds community could include Linux phones, which would stray even further from the original Steam Deck proposal from here.

Now, as a new community, I wouldn't be against.

The problem can also be a positive, so that communities for more specific niches can be created, or to have alternatives for already existing ones with different management philosophies.

Personally, I like the idea of becoming more of a "Steam Hardwares" community, as them being all kinda niche but close in scope, they shouldn't conflict with each other nor turn the community into a too generalist one.

Though I have yet to get a Deck for myself, I'd probably use it a lot to read comics. Having used the Vita a lot for that, being able to control the comics with a physical controller was fantastic, and the far greater processing power of the Deck should also avoid pages taking a long while to load (loading Humble Bundle's ebooks in measly 512 MB of RAM _is an experience_).