the only way to know for certain that my kid won't skyrocket the yearly energy bill

SO, I did a simple test with various distros, installing Antimicrox (via apt, dnf or pacman) to check if the controller is detected as such.
lsusb list it as Valve Software Steam Deck Controller but not all distros recognised the controller as a gamepad out of the box.

Those that didn't detected the gamepad:
Live MX Linux 23 with KDE and 6.1.0-10
Live Linux Mint 21 Cinammon with 5.15.0-41
Fedora 38 KDE with 6.2.9-300
Installed Linux Mint 21 on a sd card to upgrade the kernel to 6.2.* version, still a no go

The ones tested that detected the controller as a gamepad just fine:
Live Bodhi Linux 7 with 6.4.7 kernel
Live Manjaro 23 with KDE and 6.5.1-1 kernel
Live MX Linux 23.1 ahs with XFCE and 6.5.0 kernel

It seems that kernels older than, say, version 6.2 lack the kernel driver for the gamepad, although, everything still works as a keyboard input just fine.
Note that I did the tests while doing some other stuff, it's very likely I made some mistakes as wasn't pay a lot of attention.

I'm sure there's some driver for the gamepad somewhere but would be awsome if anyone did a standalone control panel for the controller, similar to what Valve provides in Steam, able to assign various functions to the buttons and touchpads.
I personally use the right touchpad to control mouse movement and left click, while the left touchpad is assigned to scroll and right mouse click. The lack of personalisation is the reason why I stopped using Linux Mint at all.

Depending on what he is in to. I'd put Linux on a Pi, then put Atari800 on it, and have it boot as a 8bit computer and have him play with BASIC. That won't eat a lot of power.

Could also do it on a old laptop...

The curiosity got the best of me and using the last live USB pen drive with MX Linux 23.1 with 6.5.0 kernel, I installed two games, Brigador and Wonder Boy, both didn't recognise the gamepad although antimicro did. That made me a little puzzled.
Decided to test a couple of gamepads and the 8bitdo Ultimate C wasn't recognised by the games as well but interestingly, antimicro listed the gamepad while in MxLinux older version (have it installed on a pc) didn't. Note that this gamepad doesn't use Xinput, uses a new protocol wich Microsoft calls Game Input Protocol.
The 8bitdo pro+ gampepad wich used Xinput works fine on games.

After a bit of digging, it seems xone is a driver for newer protocol gamepads but is already on the system.
Running out of time for the moment, let's hope it's easy to solve.

I bought a switch ;O)

Appreciate your effort. But one thing I came across is something that makes me not want to purchase a steamdeck is bad power control. It seems people who are testing out their device with the battery disconnected, the Deck will shutdown or restart under load. So any real world usage (gaming?), will be not possible

This problem seems common with cheap quality power control components. I have the same problem on another device. Once the battery is removed, the entire device becomes inoperable.

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I have been using GPD devices for years before the Valve jumped onto the bandwagon, so I don't care for your pro-valve propaganda. I speak from personal experience, having owned several Windows handhelds, as well as the stupid steam deck.

Steam Deck gave me nothing but problems. Their custom distro is horrendous, while Windows handhelds just work. I only ever had one problem with one of my GPD devices and that was the fingerprint reader. GPD sent me a new reader for free and I replaced it without issues.

Drop the smug attitude with your skill comments. I know how to use the stupid proton and how to navigate its stupid sandboxed fake windows directories. That doesn't make it any less tedious, when one requires tinkering, while another just works with a simple double click.

It also doesn't help that the stupid Dolphin (File manager) sometimes decides to lie about not having writing permissions to my NAS, when using the only account present on the NAS with full permissions. It worked two days ago and all Windows handhelds can still write to my NAS using the same credentials.

Whatever paranoia you have about Windows, can easily be tweaked, whereas linux requires you to tweak absolutely everything just to get the basics running. I like the idea of linux, but it is incredibly poorly implemented in practice and Steam OS is one of the worst distros I have ever used.

The only advantage the Steam Deck has is its price and ease of use, as long as you stick to Steam alone.

Anyway I don't know why I'm bothering to reply, when your reply to the other user above clearly indicates that you are here to troll.

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You keep bringing up hardware specs and then dismiss them as irrelevant, yet I've not mentioned hardware specs. You're arguing with yourself lol.

I don't care what some random mainstream reviewer says. I have been using PC handhelds for years, before Valve made it cool. I own 6 handhelds, including the Steam Deck. I have formed my own opinion. I prefer having a physical keyboard and a hardware switch between controller and mouse inputs, rather than relying on stupid software, especially cumbersome and slow-to-start software like Steam. The fact that the Steam client has to restart when entering desktop mode, doesn't make this any better. GPD devices saves custom mapping to firmware, which then works without any software on any OS or pre-boot environment.

I know that I have to tinker a lot on Steam OS. I have to set up symlinks and all that crap, if I wish to run a GOG game on Steam OS, while maintaining Galaxy achievement functionality. At the same time, there are plenty of games that don't run, or don't run well. Alice Madness returns blacks out completely when using shrink vision. It can be fixed by disabling post-processing, but that eliminates far too many visual effects. Steam OS also lacks many video codecs. Never Alone fails to play cutscenes, due to lacking codecs. If games ran flawlessly on Steam OS, there would be no need to have a compatibility rating lol. Everything just works on my Windows handhelds without any tinkering.

It's funny how you trash Chinese devices, yet many PC parts, including Steam Deck's fan, come from China lol. My favourite handheld brand, GPD, have been making PC handhelds since before the Switch was even a thing. They took all the risks, they proved the form factor to be viable and then Valve came in, once the viability was proven, to cash in and plaster their ads all over Steam.

The Switch is not better than any PC handheld, because it is a stupid console with a walled garden and limited functionality. I don't care about any console for the same reason. I am a PC gamer and when I shop for a handheld PC, I am looking for a portable PC, with a PC OS, capable of multitasking. I am not looking for a console.

Valve isn't losing sales to GOG, regardless of the Steam Deck, because most people do not care about owning their games. This includes many Linux users too. I always found it funny how some Linux fans trash Microsoft and complain about their alleged lack of control over their own PCs, yet they love Valve and are completely fine with Valve holding their games hostage. I'll enjoy watching the drama that will unfold once GabeN is eventually replaced.

Those who want to be happy with their Steam Deck will be happy, no matter what. And they will badmouth all the rest.

While the SteamDeck certainly is not a bad device, there are by far better options.

The one thing it really does better than the others is the Steam integration.

The pads are a nice addition, but I don't intend to play shooters on a handheld and for strategy games or city builders resolution and screen are too small. For all the rest where a mouse could come in handy the touch screen built into other devices will do it's job just fine (as most devices have integrated anyway).


One difference between Steamdesk users and Windows based handheld users? The latter don't complain about missing Linux support.

The battery technology is still insufficient for me... i hope they make advancement on this spot. In worst case, even the "best" Steam Deck barely can exceed 2h, this is simply to less for serious gamers.

Not much different from EV... in the worst case it can barely exceed 200 km, so every gasoline or diesel car is still way better except city-mode... this is the only place any EV is actually recommended°°. But why to use a huge car in a city anyway? Rather use some smaller rolling device... so it makes few sense. °°Or if someone got a power-dock at home and at the work place and able to load all the time at parking... a raw business car but never a traveler car.

As for gaming, the only situation where a handheld may be okay is with "low demand games", not stressing the hardware to much with no more than 5 W consumption (the critical line is 10+ h gameplay time, for a NEW battery). So, in fact only a full scale PC can truly handle everything, non stop, so... true gaming is still "at home" for me... no other place.

But who knows, maybe in the far future... 2030, handhelds may get a new supreme battery technology and 8 TB of SSD space... in such a case, they are finally fully mature and could handle a full game archive everywhere we want to go with... guess the same vision Apple had by creating the first "mature Smartphone".

Currently, in my mind, handhelds (and even EVs) are still an advanced prototype, but it is possible to become mature in less than a eternity.

Under perfect conditions a handheld should be able to play Cyberpunk 6h without any charging and in this case the only time it need a new charge is in the nighttime at home or another place (this means, a slow loading time, good for the battery). On a hybrid-EV this is actually already possible today using a hydrogen-powered battery or even engine... but so far to expensive to build... and indeed, a handheld will never be able to use hydrogen, so, it needs a better battery.

At least it is nice to see even the Steam Deck as a OLED version, as the picture quality is simply supreme... no LCD can ever match it, sorry people, i speak the raw truth proven by science. To me, OLED was the "successor" of plasma... and LCD... it was always the cheap "EV" we got today... good for everything but never be able to become the edge of what is possible. Hydrogen-powered would be a true successor of an old engine... not any other car. EV is just the cheap LCD we are using for way to long already, and totally overpriced if you ask me. This is even how Musk is becoming rich... building cheap and selling to high.

People simply love trash... and the entire ocean, the landscape too... ultimately their stomach, is full of junk... as they apparently got no sense for true quality... sorry people. someone finally have to tell you the raw sheer truth.

Nope, not even Steam is quality, Steam is just a marketing-expert, able to put your bread on a silver table so you can eat it right from the platter without worrying it gets to complicated, the easy way of confident "mass consumption"... no less and no more.

For the world to become better than barely sufficient, someone needs to have a vision... this is the key for true advancement.

Then why did you necro this topic with a post that was pure transphobia and did not contribute, at all, to the discussion?

CDPR have a build of the newest game with Deck settings, what more do you want them to support?

You clearly don't know what you talking about and are here just to argue for the sake of it, are you that bored?

For people that used to play games on-the-go WAY before the Deck happened, the Valve console (yes, it's not a PC!) is a big let down. The device hardware is quite good (except wheight and screen size but for the price I can't argue) but the provided software is fucking horrendous, is a open Linux distro as much as Android is, and at this point, between Valve's OS or Windows I'd prefer Windows any day.
And to be honest, the bigger problem with the Deck is the CoMuNiTy and the hype. That said, there's still some interesting projects out there, including physical mods that looks something from a steampunk setting (no pun intended)

And a second post four hours later (after nobody took his bait) with a racist comment in the first sentence and a diatribe against China.

This is not just a troll, but a dedicated racist with a slight transphobic bent! And a troll.

That's a problem with your expectations and nothing else.

As long as people continue to brute force software, keep buying overpriced hardware and have the Fear Of Missing Out, a "typical x86" handheld with good battery life will never ever happen. As soon as you hit 2030 with a supreme battery technology and 8 TB the games you want to play (the latest and greatest of course) will require 1TB of space and graphics power to run games at 16k above max-ultra-bestest settings.

The only way for a x86 handheld with good battery life while playing the latest and greatest video games to happen, is to finally ban PC's with a power draw with more than 100W on no comercial spaces :)

Sounds like someone went full-on kalsarikännit and showed their true colours.