I honestly regret buying my gaming laptop. I barely use it since I don’t have space in my room, so I need to attach it to the TV, every time I need to use, move my series X and unplug it… And I need a wired controller. Then, there’s always a pesky update, drivers, stuff… When I’m playing on my X I don’t have to worry about any of that, is more of a hassle to use (the laptop).

Ngl I basically bought it because I wanted to play Spiderman and other not available games on Xbox but even like that the regret is there.

  • LordPassionFruit@lemm.ee
    0·
    2 months ago

    I haven’t bought nearly any tech in almost 3 years (aside from a new Xbox controller), but I did used to use a gaming laptop and might have some advice for future (this is likely unwelcome so feel free to ignore it, but I can see my own complaints about it in your post). This got a lot more ramble-y than I expected, so feel free to completely ignore this.

    In general, I believe that gaming laptops are just a marketing scam. Yeah, they can likely play some larger games better than your average laptop, but probably not by much. They also produce much more heat than a normal laptop, and are often I’ll equipped to handle the increased temperatures (my laptop died because it was so frequently at max temperature that it melted some of the cables connecting to the battery).

    You sound like you’re happy with your series X, which I’m glad to hear. And while there are ways to prevent the “needing to unplug the series x” issue, most cost money or don’t save that much time. If you were going to replace your laptop in the future, I’d recommend one of three things:

    1. Get a normal laptop, not a gaming one. I’m currently using a Thinkpad with a good CPU in it, and it will play my smaller games with no problems (mainly Dwarf Fortress and Stardew Valley atm). But, because it’s not a gaming laptop, it’s battery life is excellent and it’s a lot easier to move around, allowing me to use it for general productivity too.

    2. Get a decent quality desktop. This one is a little more… dedicated? Like, a laptop can be easily converted to other use cases (i.e. Your gaming laptop can go from a stationary pseudo-console to a work/school daily driver if it stops playing games) whereas a desktop has to stay in one place (meaning your “gaming desk” can become your “office”, but its not as likely to move). But, if you find yourself gaming more on the laptop but annoyed with the set up, a dedicated gaming desktop can provide a more “permanent” option.

    As I mentioned, this one would require more thought to be sure it’s the right choice, because a $500 console will be roughly equivalent to a $1000 PC (if it is built by you/a friend) but on the other hand my $3000 PC that I built in 2017 is still running modern AAA games at a decent framerate. This may be a solution for you, but it just as easily could solve absolutely none of your problems.

    1. Get a steamdeck [DISCLAIMER: I have never used one]. If you’re only using the laptop for games and nothing else, a steamdeck could be an alternative. It’d be more price accessible than either a new laptop or desktop, and is designed with game compatibility in mind (though there are some games that are not compatible). It appears to support Bluetooth controller connections, and a quick google search shows that it can be connected to your TV if the “large screen gaming” is a must for you.