this post was submitted on 20 Jul 2024
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Everyone who games should own a laptop or desktop of some kind. Even if its not the latest and greatest, it makes things like mods far easier and allows you to check out all the latest new indie games that might not be available on consoles.
For ~$650 you can probably get around PS5 performance if you build the PC yourself. I mostly play old 360/ps3 era games, so my crappy 8th gen laptop already does the job. If you own a PC already that isn't being used for gaming, try running some older stuff on it. You might be surprised by the performance, and it might be possible to upgrade things.
If you buy everything on steam, you'll most of the time have 0 issue just buying the game, downloading, plugging a controller in and gaming (wired 360, Xbone, and series X controllers work best). If you want to pirate stuff, you might have to tinker, but you'll save a lot of money. Consider also, if you buy a game on steam, you have it forever. You won't have to buy the game again when you build a new pc, unlike with buying a new console.
I'd say a steam deck type device is more useful than a gaming laptop unless you are regularly playing games that are very dependent on keyboard and mouse.
Desktop PC is best because it can be upgraded piecemeal and I value low weight and great battery life in a laptop anyway.
It should be mentioned that there are some annoying extra hurdles to playing pirated games on steam deck, though. If you need a portable device and game prices are unrealistic in your region, I could see a gaming laptop being worth it.
Or get used to attaching a keyboard and mouse to the steam deck via a USB hub, because that makes the piracy process easier. Or have a Bluetooth mouse and keyboard.
To add to this: you can save a ton by getting a secondhand cpu and gpu from ebay. I used to be worried i'd get worn out or mistreated stuff but then i learned there are a few easy tests you can run for peace of mind, and oftentimes if the thing still works at all then it's 100% fine.