...never mind that the Steam Deck has an entirely capable desktop mode[1], and people are indeed using it[2].

[1] https://help.steampowered.com/en/faqs/view/671A-4453-E8D2-32...

[2] https://www.reddit.com/r/SteamDeck/comments/12sgnw7/what_do_...

Can I launch Blender there and will the experience be comfortable?

Apparently[1].

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2m-TpHtg2U

Yes assuming you use an external keyboard, mouse and probably a display (unless your eyesight is a lot better than mine).

You could probably get away without the mouse if you're ok with touchpad usage. But YMMV.

Yes, but similarly you could connect a computer screen to a server. The idea behind separating desktop computers is, as mentioned above, that it is a particular platform a lot of us are interested in. I imagine neither me or you are typing these comments on a server or a Steam Deck.

> I imagine neither me or you are typing these comments on a server or a Steam Deck.

Stop imagining. I'm quite literally mooching around in bed posting this from Firefox on a Steam Deck in desktop mode docked to my bedroom TV. This[1] isn't your father's Oldsmobile.

[1] https://store.steampowered.com/steamdeck/#SaleSection_24468

OK but I wasn't speaking to you. It's not surprising to me, that out of maybe hundreds of people reading our conversation, there was one using Steamdeck in an unusual way. But I imagine andybak wasn't, the argument being, the chance of him doing so is very low, because that's not how most people use Steamdecks, or from another perspective, I imagine most people commenting on Hackernews do so from a laptop or a desktop, and a mobile phone on the third place.

I think you're replying to the wrong person. I was merely commenting on the viability of running Blender on a Steam Deck.

Yes, but if you connect a computer screen to a server, you'll notice that servers usually don't have GPUs for anything beyond "show a 1280x1024 console screen". Unlike a server, the Steam Deck is literally marketed as a device that can be used as a "desktop computer", that's the entire purpose of the optional USB-C dock.

This is a fair argument, Steam deck really is (much) closer to desktops than other handhelds.

Or connect external monitor, mouse and keyboard to a laptop... So, shouldn't laptops count as "desktop computer" either?

You can't use Blender on a desktop PC that has no monitor attached, nor would it be comfortable to do so on a 13 inch laptop. Is my desktop computer also not a desktop computer because it's not useful until hooked up?

Desktop Mode on the Steam Deck is like a DVD playback on PS2 for me; an excuse to buy a portable gaming console. Pretty good one. You can actually do grown up things on it.

The Steam Deck is basically a mobile workstation that costs a fraction of what comparable hardware in a laptop would cost you.

Indeed, never mind that, because it's irrelevant. Nobody is using a Steam Deck as their daily machine. Daily Linux users are using their existing machines, and Windows and Mac users are using their PCs and Macs.

Sure, some might dip into desktop mode to do a bit of browsing, or set up emulators, but nobody is saying "hey, I'll just use this as my daily driver now".

> ...but nobody is saying "hey, I'll just use this as my daily driver now".

Seriously, the hubris[1][2][3][4][5] of it all.

[1] https://old.reddit.com/r/SteamDeck/comments/12sgnw7/what_do_...

[2] https://old.reddit.com/r/SteamDeck/comments/12sgnw7/what_do_...

[3] https://old.reddit.com/r/SteamDeck/comments/12sgnw7/what_do_...

[4] https://old.reddit.com/r/SteamDeck/comments/12sgnw7/what_do_...

[5] https://old.reddit.com/r/SteamDeck/comments/12sgnw7/what_do_...

But then we don't include the Linux environment I develop code in. Or the multiple Linux computers I ssh into to develop code.

I could make the exact same argument for OSX that you make against linux. It's a lower share platform, mainly used for special purpose (and increasingly so at each version since it's becoming less and less generalist)