Hi, hello, and welcome to a new edition of the overkill digest newsletter.
I'm currently typing these words inside Obsidian on a Bazzite KDE install. I've been playing around with this Linux installation on my Gaming-PC for the past week or so, and I'm genuinely surprised to say: I quite like it.
I've been using macOS for 20 years at this point. I've also always had a Windows PC in parallel, but that was always just a machine I wanted to use for gaming. But lately, I've been wondering why I still use the systems I use. Is it because they are clearly better, or because it's what I'm used to?
I've always had a fascination for Linux. Before switching to macOS (called OS X back in the good, old days), I tried to dual-boot Linux for a while. If I remember correctly, I basically had a triple-boot setup between Windows, openSUSE, and Linux Mint.
20 years ago, Linux was, well, anything but user-friendly. It probably taught me a lot, but the experiment barely ran for a month before I decided to buy a MacBook (the white, plastic ones). That MacBook got me in the Apple wallet garden ecosystem, made me launch an Apple blog, and here we are now.
But I've been dissatisfied with some of the directions both Apple (their ego and Anti-EU stance, and the extremely ugly Liquid Glass redesign) and Microsoft (their AI BS, and anti-privacy steps killing offline installation, for example) have taken for their respective ecosystems. Because of some of the handhelds I've owned, I've slowly started dabbling in Linux again.
So a week ago, I caved, installed Bazzite KDE on my Gaming-PC, and started setting things up. The goal was to figure out if I could replace both the gaming part of Windows 11 (quite easy thanks to Proton; as we all know, only online games don't work, so I am still dual-booting) and the productivity part of macOS.
I was fully aware that the only way to make this Linux experiment stick is by not trying to completely emulate my workflows, but by trying to find the Linux-native equivalents. And while I'm still very early in this experiment, I've managed to find a system I quite like. For example, the way I set up some things, like window management, is vastly superior to what I was able to do on macOS (it's not quite tiling, but it's kind of tiling; I heavily rely on Kzones and keyboard shortcuts).
This installation will still be primarily a gaming installation. To really make the switch to Linux, I'd need a laptop running a Linux distro, as my main device is a MacBook Pro. It's what I take with me when I go to the office four times a week (I do BYOD). Currently I don't have a laptop, and the office part is also what makes or breaks this experiment.
Thankfully, my job is heavily browser-based. I probably use a browser for 80% of the things I do. The rest is split between Microsoft Teams, Excel Outlook, and Obsidian. At least Obsidian is easily replaceable, and for Teams and Outlook I could just use the browser versions. (Although, I'm currently experimenting with WinBoat.)
But it's the other stuff that makes this experiment tricky: all the shortcuts, tools, and apps that complement what I do. Some random examples: I use:
- Raycast (heavily) to navigate macOS
- Hammerspoon to open work apps with one click
- Preview to work with PDFs
- iCloud Drive to sync folders between devices
- Things for to-dos
- A whole bunch of keyboard shortcuts I set up, but can't remember since they just happen automatically
- Lightroom to edit images
- Photoshop for the occasional image work
- And a plethora of little tools that do exactly one thing
I'm convinced I can replace a lot of the things in this list with either better alternatives or at least things that are good enough. But after so many years of ingraining a workflow, making the switch is more than just installing a bunch of apps. I basically need to retrain myself.
To be honest, so far, I'm willing to do this. Linux/Bazzite/KDE does a few things in ways that I much prefer to whatever macOS offers.
I'm currently looking for a laptop to install Fedora KDE on, so I can really dive into Linux for at least a while. At best, I find a better workflow and can completely switch; at worst, it makes for good content.
This is a work in progress, and naturally I will share more here. If you have anything you think I should look into (though I probably spend way too much time looking at YouTube videos), send it my way.
And with that, let's get to this week's news:
🚀 Big Moves
Valve confirms the Steam Machine will be priced like a PC with similar specs, rather than a console. The discussion around the Steam Machine price is still ongoing. The latest rumored price is $699.99, and it comes straight from Linus Sebastian and is based on a similarly specced PC he built.
Now, of course, all of this still needs to be taken with a grain of salt, since (as I said last week) probably not even Valve is aware of what they want to price their console at. But I must say, $700 is quite a steep price to pay.
Especially as there are other alternatives on the market. I even alluded to a promising one in the last newsletter, and since it arrived this week, I can share a bit more. It's called the Playnix machine and it's a new project by the developer of EmuDeck. It's basically a kind of SFF-PC, running an AMD 5600X, a 9060XT, and a custom version of Arch Linux called PlaynixOS that comes with Steam Gaming Mode out of the box.
The cases are 3D printed, and while I cannot share pictures yet, they look gorgeous. I'm not into 3D printing, so I am incredibly surprised by what is possible nowadays.
The Playnix machines will cost $999, which, yes, is more than the rumored $700 of the Steam Machine, but this device can actually play games at 4K. It's simply a much more powerful device. (Though it is also larger than a Steam Machine. It's basically PS5-sized.)
The plan is to review this machine by the end of the year, when sales go online. And knowing the EmuDeck team, this might be one to look out for, especially if you are a performance buff (as I am, remember, this is overkill).
🎮 Platform Updates
Aluminium OS will be Google’s take on Android for PC. Speaking of alternative operating systems, Google is looking to combine ChromeOS and Android into one single platform that I won't get near with a ten-foot pole.
💻 Hardware & Software
reMarkable Paper Pro Move: My desk-only pocket notebook. I reviewed the reMarkable Paper Pro Move this week, which, despite its name, rarely leaves my desk.
AYANEO started teasing the Next II. AMD Strix Halo (Ryzen AI Max+ 395), 115Wh internal battery (do I misremember, or does it mean this can't be taken on a plane as the limit is 99Wh?), a 9.06" OLED screen with VRR and a 2400x1504 resolution (what a weird resolution?), dual touchpads, hall effect joysticks, dual fans to cool that beast of a CPU, and... no price yet. Probably super expensive. I'm guessing $1499? More?
ROG Xbox Ally now has default game profiles to save battery. When I originally reviewed the ROG Xbox Ally, I anticipated it just getting better over time.
Now, Microsoft has added game profiles to supported games that adjust frame rates automatically for either better performance or more power savings.
For example, according to Microsoft, the Default Game Profile in Hollow Knight: Silksong can add nearly an hour of battery life compared to Performance mode while still reaching 120 FPS.
🎲 Playthings
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is coming to PC, according to leaked rating. Death Stranding 2 is probably my game of the year (although I still have to finish Clair Obscur 33, which I think will win all the prizes). It's a much better game than Part 1, and I liked Part 1.
The story is fantastic, gameplay is much improved (there is actually much more gameplay this time around), and the actors do a fantastic job. I can't wait to play this again on PC.
📌 Quick Hits
- Steam Awards Voting is now live.
- Epic CEO Tim Sweeney says Steam should drop its ‘Made with AI’ tags. I disagree.
Dig the format? Hate it? Hit those feedback buttons below and let me know what's working.
🔮 Looking Ahead
- Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is coming to Switch|Switch 2 on December 4th.
- Octopath Traveler 0 drops on the same day.
Ok, that's all. Thanks for reading!
See you,
Kevin