Steam Hardware
A place to discuss and support all Steam Hardware, including Steam Deck, Steam Machine, Steam Frame, and SteamOS in general.
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Same experience.
I did get a 65W bank, but only because it'd be useful for charging my laptop and Deck as well as the Frame. By my math, even 20W should be sufficient to keep playing, if not charge the Frame.
There is a caveat though, PD voltage profiles mean that any two devices may not transfer the maximum theoretically possible wattage between them, depending on how their modes line up.
For example, a PB that is rated to do 30W, may not achieve that on the Frame, if it lacks a 15V mode. (Which is what the Frame and Deck seem to prefer.) You also need a suitable cable to use some of the modes at higher amperages.
Fair point, I'm not really sure on the exact power profiles the Frame supports tbh. I'll take a look a bit later.
I have exceeded 20W during standalone play, and right now my game of choice is the vr mod for half life 2, which works fine in standalone.
Even with a 20W supply and 5W from the onboard battery you will extend the lifetime by a lot.
Even if you exceed 20W it doesn't matter. The only real thing that matters is the average draw and the total duration of a session. If you spend most of the time drawing 10W and peek at 50W for a minute then you can run off a 20W powersupply forever.
But a faster power supply does offer you more benefits. You can play unplugged until the battery is low, plug it in and continue. It will charge sooner letting you unplug it again sooner. If the wires bother you then that can be a big advantage.
How is the VR mod?
I was about to start alyx for the first time, and realized I never finished HL 2.
Should I do it in VR?
It almost feels like the game is native vr. The only awkward thing is that you need to use a controller button for opening doors and such.
Whether you should play depends on your vr legs. Alyx is definitely a more beginner friendly experience, while half life 2 vr is way more fast paced.
Hmm, I'm very new to VR. The frame is my first VR.
I'm worried about spoiling myself playing Alyx first
I think you'll be fine as long as you know going in that Alyx is a bit of a rarity. Have you ever played a really good AAA game and still found a simpler, older, indie title fun afterward? It's like that. Even after playing Alyx myself, there's a lot of much simpler VR experiences I still enjoy, even some of the jankier mods and such.
That's fair, that makes sense. I appreciate that insight.
What about the storyline? If I play alyx before hl2 will I regret it?
Oh, if you're not caught up on the previous games, I do think you'll be losing out quite a bit playing Alyx first. Trying to avoid spoiling too much, Alyx's story connects back to them in a way that feels pretty huge if you've played them and a way that I think might feel a bit nonsensical and emotionally empty if you haven't. Then again, I seem to care more about story, world-building, etc. than most, so others might disagree.
When Alyx originally came out for the Index, I was in a similar position having played no Half Life games, so I decided to play them first to get up to speed. I don't regret setting aside all that time since they're all fantastic games in their own right and made the Alyx experience even better.
In case you want to follow along, I played just enough Half Life 1 to get a feel for it in light of its historical significance, but then I continued with the very good, more modern fan remake, Black Mesa. Then came Half Life 2 (non-VR), then Half Life 2 Episode 1, and Half Life 2 Episode 2. These last two are continuations of the main story, so don't skip them. I mention that because I remember thinking something else originally due to their names.
I actually haven't played the VR version of HL2 yet, but I would save that for a later replay. VR naturally makes things more intense, so Alyx slowed its pacing to compensate, and HL2 dialing it back up makes it a natural followup gameplay-wise.
Thanks! I'll play through hl2 first then.
Hl2, ep1, and ep2 are all in the same game now on steam I understand? Valve combined them I think?
Yes, that looks to be the case. I seem to remember needing to be deliberate about seeking them out to play them, but I guess my brain made that up. Lol.
Thanks. I'm glad I'm not the only one pissed at the lack of a standard PD sequence for the power negotiation.
There is a standard. A power source only needs to provide sufficient voltage to reach it’s rated power, given the maximum current of 3A on a non-eMarked cable, given voltage steps of 5V, 9V, 15V, 20V. Offering higher voltages than is neccesary is optional. This means that only adapters greater in power than 27W are required to support 15V, and only adapters greater in power than 45W are required to support 20V.
IMO, this is not unresonable. Would you prefer manufacturers be forbidden from offering voltage profiles higher than is necessary for their power rating?
(This is not neccesarily true for powers above 60W, and ignores PPS, EPR, and AVS. Above 60W you need eMarked cables and it gets a bit more complicated)