That girl who plays Steam Deck and writes about gaming + Linux a lot
Oh gosh you're way too kind. I wouldn't call it that, but I am happy to share interesting things here. And I'm so lucky that you all read it and agree with me that it is worth the read!!!
Thank you so much!!!!!!
Totally understandable!
I appreciate you reading through these regardless :)
I guess just on Mastodon!
I tens to post there daily, and I'm trying to force myself to take a break on my regular long-form gaming news posts on Lemmy, and instead focus on my health. I have a important appointment with my specialist on the 17th so, its 50/50 odds whether I'll make another news post here before then or not
But, again, daily on Mastodon!
And thank you so much for your kind, kind words. I feel like an imposter so often when I share these, so your words are really appreciated!
I'm so glad you liked this :)
Developer interview: my Q&A with a PC game 'repacker'
Keeping with the theme of my recent interview with the developer behind the largest-running Nintendo Switch piracy program, I thought I’d post another piece in a similar vein.
Some time ago, I reached out to a pirate known as Masquerade: a prominent figure in the game piracy scene. Working both solo and as part of a group known as KaOs Krew, he's what’s known as a repacker - someone who takes DRM-free games and rebuilds them with streamlined installers to make them easier to install and share.
I wanted to ask him all about... well, everything:
- What drives him to do what he does
- How he views the scene now — and what the future might hold
- The risks, stories, and challenges behind the curtain
- And most importantly, what it actually takes to repack a game
*This interview is conducted for journalistic and educational purposes only. The intention is to explore the motivations, ethics, and technical aspects behind unauthorized software distribution platforms th
I'm just over 10 hours on my desktop PC right now, playing Epic's version through Heroic (enabling EOC overlay so that achievements are shown!)
And I'm nowhere near completing, but only because I love gliding and exploring and collecting. Its the perfect stress-free game to play :)
Mobile gaming, on Android, is an interesting space right now. I used to buy flagship phones exclusively, as high spec as I could just...because I could. I played a few emulated Nintendo Switch games on them, as well as the odd Game Pass title (with a telescoping GameSir Xbox mounted controller thing) and then I realized I really had no use for them. I rarely played, and my most recent phone purchases have been mid-range.
That said, so much is now possible on Android. You can emulate everything from Switch to PS3, use pretty front-ends to use as a launcher station (a quick note of appreciation for the totally FOSS option - Lemuroid), and as unbelievable as it still is to me, you can even play full PC games like GTA V using winlator
The scene for Android emulation is incredibly dramatic with frequent in-fighting, but also pretty impressive from a technical standpoint. It's not going to be everyone's cup of tea - and that's fine, but the mobile scene which isn't just gatcha games hooking kids on the Play Store is so varied. Then you've got actually impressive games like DREDGE getting a Android release, replete with custom builds and changes for the Android system (no lazy ports!). Heck, even No Man's Sky is coming to Android soon!
This is the second really positive review of the game I’ve read the past few days.
I'd like to imagine I'm responsible for the first! Do try it, it's really good. It doesn't feel like other games, there's no frenzied movement, nothing really skill-based, or reaction-based, you can just explore a beautifully designed world (the art style is so unique), with a perfect soundtrack (Japanese Breakfast!)...tackle things your own way!
Its a beautiful game, not something I'd typically enjoy but slowing down to enjoy a slower game made me happy.
Microsoft cancel Perfect Dark reboot and shut the developers down in the name of "continued success"
Well now my name has some baggage
It's just...going to seem selfish of me, because it's a lovely initiative...but reformatting, citing and posting elsewhere just adds to the 'work' of this. I like to contribute to the open-source, community-driven Lemmy world, it makes me feel happy that there's a space like this around.
But, that said, if you wanted to add it, by all means please do! I've zero objections. I just have too much on my plate right now to even consider it!
Thanks for the idea though, it's nice to see another space where the community writes, cites, edits and posts their own work to be hosted :)
Oh thank God.
I was picturing the community sharpening their pitchforks for this kind of sensitive topic!
(Glad you enjoyed it!)
Do!
And feel free to send me a message, either on Revolt or Matrix - I'm typically online most of the time anyway :)
Developer Interview: my Q&A with the dev who runs 'the' Switch piracy freeshop
I'm sure you've seen by now that I've been arranging interviews with developers of various Linux and Steam Deck programs and projects, done in a question-and-answer style, and posting them here to Lemmy.
These have mostly been with personal friends of mine. Projects like Heroic, Lutris, RomM Project, Junk Store and so on. My idea for these is to give you all a peek behind the curtain (so to speak) as to who is behind the projects you know and love - but this time the interviewee and content is a little different.
I got in touch with the lead dev and creator of what is called a 'Nintendo Switch Freeshop'. This dev runs the biggest piracy freeshop around - over 1 petabyte at its peak - and they're doing it right under Nintendo's nose. I wanted to know what brought them down this road, how they justify their piracy, and what it’s like operating something so massive (and illegal) in the shadow of one of the world’s most aggressive copyright enforcers. What I got was a surpris
I'm using Jerboa from droidify without any issue!
You must be using Boost?
For some reason that app struggles with too many images / GIFs
Once long back the dev was made aware of that issue and had a fix, but...I suppose its broken again for this?
You can use any other app, or just the browser if that helps? Sorry to hear its still a problem
Send them a message!
I've no doubts they'd love to talk details!!!
Oh that's so interesting!
If they'd like someone to chat to, I'm on Matrix most days (along with Revolt) and more than happy to be an ear if they need! Thanks for leaving a comment, I always appreciate you dropping by :)
On the topic of Steam Deck, how reliably do the GOG achievements and cloud saves work with Heroic Launcher? I’ve been using Non-Steam game launcher for Non-Steam games, but it doesn’t always add the game reliably to Steam so I’m stuck doing it manually.
I've had some bad blood with the 'developer' of NSL in the past. But that's all ancient history. My main issue with NSL (still to this day) is that it has everything installed under one prefix. This is just insane to me, if one thing goes wrong...everything disappears. But, of course it's all personal choice and lots of people enjoyed using it before NSL got kicked off Decky Loader, publicly denounced by Kyle (developer of Bazzite) added religious scripture to his work, generally proved themselves to be a shitty person.
Anyway! On to Heroic:
Achievements:
GOG achievements work flawlessly. My good friend imLinguin is in charge of the GOG integration on Heroic, and his work with Comet (how the achievements are logged) is amazing! There's no on-screen pop up for the achievement, but it is logged on your profile on GOG's site, as is your playtime.
Adding the game to Steam:
Its in the settings - automatically add the game to Steam, and it'll do it for you! As well as populate the game with all the required artwork for the title (capsule, capsule wide, logo etc). It does require a restart however to add it to your Steam game library - under non Steam games tab!
Cloud Saves:
They've not failed me yet, but the team and imLinguin do warn that it is not finalized yet. It's 'experimental' - that being said, it's perfect for me. It 'just works'. Once you set it in the game's settings you can double-checl (if you like) on the GOG site: https://www.gog.com/account/cloud-saves/page/1 - you'll see it listed once it is done and you know you're safe!
^ Here's an example of the last game I played via Heroic - TOEM, and the saves were uploaded and are sitting there nicely :)
Lastly if you're super curious, my friend Gardiner has a server on Revolt where quite a few dev friends of mine, including imLinguin drop by now and then to share their news and work and chat. You could ask him in the server if you've any questions! Here's the link to the Revolt server, if you're wanting to see!
Please update on here if you do! I love the GOG case community so so much, and I'd love to see yours!!!
I've heard this before. Quite a long time back someone contacted the dev of Boost who fixed it at the time with an update but...since then I suppose its broken again?
Its only Boost that seems to have this issue, I'm sorry. Using the browser though there's no slow-down, if that helps?
Thank you so much :)
If they're on a platform you are, ask them! They seem super approachable and really proud (rightly so!) of their work, so I've little doubt they'd enjoy chatting about the technical details of their efforts!
You're welcome :)
You can find their LinkTree here, which hopefully helps you get in contact with them?!
I'm unsure of materials or processes, since it's not something I've gone into detail on (instead I just love the look of them!), though doing a search I did see a couple of Nintendo Switch-centric sites have done 'articles' on their work too, so it's kinda known in the space. I do hope this helps!
Steam Deck / Gaming News #22
As ever and always, I’m back with a week’s worth of gaming news I’ve spotted and thought I should share with you all!
Being in the middle of the various gaming sales ‘season’, you’re probably too busy either buying games and never playing them (yep, that old joke again) or enjoying your cheaply bought games on your PC or handheld!
Hopefully this week’s news is a nice little distraction from spending your money.
So what are these posts?
My aim for these News Posts in general is to make them a more clearly not a professional, but someone who cares about gaming manner than most gaming sites do now. I see so many sites, even the independent ones, bombarding with ads, banners and reminders to support them. I get it, I really do, but it’s an unpleasant experience to me.
My ever-lasting inspo is the old, old video game sites, blogs and magazines that I never had the privilege of being alive for:
- Image/gif/link heavy (*though once again this week I have few GIFs, so thi
Steam Deck / Gaming News #22
As ever and always, I’m back with a week’s worth of gaming news I’ve spotted and thought I should share with you all!
Being in the middle of the various gaming sales ‘season’, you’re probably too busy either buying games and never playing them (yep, that old joke again) or enjoying your cheaply bought games on your PC or handheld!
Hopefully this week’s news is a nice little distraction from spending your money.
So what are these posts?
My aim for these News Posts in general is to make them a more clearly not a professional, but someone who cares about gaming manner than most gaming sites do now. I see so many sites, even the independent ones, bombarding with ads, banners and reminders to support them. I get it, I really do, but it’s an unpleasant experience to me.
My ever-lasting inspo is the old, old video game sites, blogs and magazines that I never had the privilege of being alive for:
- Image/gif/link heavy (*though once again this week I have few GIFs, so thi
Steam Deck / Gaming News #21
As ever and always, I’m back with a week’s worth of gaming news I’ve spotted and thought I should share with you all!
This week is slightly less than is typical (1,000-ish words less than my last week’s I can tell you!) for a few reasons:
- I’ve cashed in some of my crypto and bought a cabin. Which makes me sound like an actress in a Stephen King movie
- I’ve had some odd health hiccups lately – nerve damage in my hip which means I feel nothing when touching a small patch of skin, but it also feels like it is on fire
So I’ve been a little distracted, but I do pinkie-swear next week’s will be back to my normal output!
So what are these posts?
My aim for these News Posts in general is to make them a more clearly not a professional, but someone who cares about gaming manner than most gaming sites do now. I see so many sites, even the independent ones, bombarding with ads, banners and reminders to support them. I get it, I really do, but it’s an unpleasant experience to m
Steam Deck / Gaming News #21
As ever and always, I’m back with a week’s worth of gaming news I’ve spotted and thought I should share with you all!
This week is slightly less than is typical (1,000-ish words less than my last week’s I can tell you!) for a few reasons:
- I’ve cashed in some of my crypto and bought a cabin. Which makes me sound like an actress in a Stephen King movie
- I’ve had some odd health hiccups lately – nerve damage in my hip which means I feel nothing when touching a small patch of skin, but it also feels like it is on fire
So I’ve been a little distracted, but I do pinkie-swear next week’s will be back to my normal output!
So what are these posts?
My aim for these News Posts in general is to make them a more clearly not a professional, but someone who cares about gaming manner than most gaming sites do now. I see so many sites, even the independent ones, bombarding with ads, banners and reminders to support them. I get it, I really do, but it’s an unpleasant experience to m
Steam Deck / Gaming News #20
As ever and always, I’m back with a week’s worth of gaming news I’ve spotted and thought I should share with you all!
And this one is a long one!
This one’s got a bit of everything, and it’s my twentieth of these posts! Hard to imagine so many of these have been posted so far, but one thing does remain – writing these makes me super happy to write. So, while we're on the topic, thanks to all of you for even wanting to read along with these when I post them :)
What are these posts?
My aim for these News Posts in general though is to format them in a more clearly not a professional, but someone who cares about gaming manner than most gaming sites do now. Less demanding? My ever-lasting inspo is the old, old video game sites, blogs and magazines that I never had the privilege of being alive for:
- image/gif/link heavy (every time I make these, at least 4 GIFs end up being too big for Lemmy to upload, and it always makes me sad)
- personal voice (I can’t help ram
Steam Deck / Gaming News #20
As ever and always, I’m back with a week’s worth of gaming news I’ve spotted and thought I should share with you all!
And this one is a long one!
This one’s got a bit of everything, and it’s my twentieth of these posts! Hard to imagine so many of these have been posted so far, but one thing does remain – writing these makes me super happy to write. So, while we're on the topic, thanks to all of you for even wanting to read along with these when I post them :)
What are these posts?
My aim for these News Posts in general though is to format them in a more clearly not a professional, but someone who cares about gaming manner than most gaming sites do now. Less demanding? My ever-lasting inspo is the old, old video game sites, blogs and magazines that I never had the privilege of being alive for:
- image/gif/link heavy (every time I make these, at least 4 GIFs end up being too big for Lemmy to upload, and it always makes me sad)
- personal voice (I can’t help ram
Interesting interview with the creator of Junk store on YouTube
Thought this might be worth a share here.
The developer of Junk Store (letting you play Epic Games and GOG titles on your Steam Deck) did a podcast with G. Bryant which he's shared on YouTube.
They cover things like:
- What is JunkStore?
- What inspired JunkStore
- What sets JunkStore apart from Heroic/Lutris?
- Original vision for JunkStore
- Goals for v2 of JunkStore
- What are your next goals for JunkStore?
- Recounting the JunkStore/Steam Store thing
- The NSL drama from Eben's perspective
- Eben's interesting living situation
- What everyone needs to know about JunkStore
- Conclusion
Here is the link to the interview on YouTube, which runs at 20:38
But there is also a longer, uncut interview which runs longer on Gardiner's blog for his suppporters:
*In this nearly 50-minute interview, Eben Bruyns and I discuss the history and future of JunkStore, plus we chat about his interesting living situation, our favorite video games,
Interesting interview with the creator of Junk store on YouTube
Thought this might be worth a share here.
The developer of Junk Store (letting you play Epic Games and GOG titles on your Steam Deck) did a podcast with G. Bryant which he's shared on YouTube.
They cover things like:
- What is JunkStore?
- What inspired JunkStore
- What sets JunkStore apart from Heroic/Lutris?
- Original vision for JunkStore
- Goals for v2 of JunkStore
- What are your next goals for JunkStore?
- Recounting the JunkStore/Steam Store thing
- The NSL drama from Eben's perspective
- Eben's interesting living situation
- What everyone needs to know about JunkStore
- Conclusion
Here is the link to the interview on YouTube, which runs at 20:38
But there is also a longer, uncut interview which runs longer on Gardiner's blog for his suppporters:
*In this nearly 50-minute interview, Eben Bruyns and I discuss the history and future of JunkStore, plus we chat about his interesting living situation, our favorite video games,
Interesting interview with the creator of Junk store on YouTube
Thought this might be worth a share here.
The developer of Junk Store (letting you play Epic Games and GOG titles on your Steam Deck) did a podcast with G. Bryant which he's shared on YouTube.
They cover things like:
- What is JunkStore?
- What inspired JunkStore
- What sets JunkStore apart from Heroic/Lutris?
- Original vision for JunkStore
- Goals for v2 of JunkStore
- What are your next goals for JunkStore?
- Recounting the JunkStore/Steam Store thing
- The NSL drama from Eben's perspective
- Eben's interesting living situation
- What everyone needs to know about JunkStore
- Conclusion
Here is the link to the interview on YouTube, which runs at 20:38
But there is also a longer, uncut interview which runs longer on Gardiner's blog for his suppporters:
*In this nearly 50-minute interview, Eben Bruyns and I discuss the history and future of JunkStore, plus we chat about his interesting living situation, our favorite video games,
Steam Deck / Gaming News #19
Well it’s been a little longer than it typically is for me covering recent gaming news I’ve spotted, and that’s entirely my fault! I am sorry!
But, hopefully you’re still in the mood to read through some bits and pieces I’ve spotted recently!
What are these posts?
My aim for these News Posts in general though is to format them in a more clearly not a professional, but someone who cares about gaming manner than most gaming sites do now. Less demanding? My ever-lasting inspo is the old, old video game sites, blogs and magazines that I never had the privilege of being alive for:
- Image/gif/link heavy (every time I make these, at least 4 GIFs end up being too big for Lemmy to upload, and it always makes me sad)
- Personal voice (I can’t help rambling, send help – this won’t be even slightly professionally written)
- Mostly news or articles or points which you won’t find on normal gaming sites. These are the smaller, lesser things that I’m drawn to. I know
Steam Deck / Gaming News #19
Well it’s been a little longer than it typically is for me covering recent gaming news I’ve spotted, and that’s entirely my fault! I am sorry!
But, hopefully you’re still in the mood to read through some bits and pieces I’ve spotted recently!
What are these posts?
My aim for these News Posts in general though is to format them in a more clearly not a professional, but someone who cares about gaming manner than most gaming sites do now. Less demanding? My ever-lasting inspo is the old, old video game sites, blogs and magazines that I never had the privilege of being alive for:
- Image/gif/link heavy (every time I make these, at least 4 GIFs end up being too big for Lemmy to upload, and it always makes me sad)
- Personal voice (I can’t help rambling, send help – this won’t be even slightly professionally written)
- Mostly news or articles or points which you won’t find on normal gaming sites. These are the smaller, lesser things that I’m drawn to. I know
Epic Games Unreal Fest News
Epic Games’ Unreal Fest:
Plenty was shown at this years Unreal Fest, I thought I’d just format this together for Lemmy.
One thing to keep in mind (I'm sure there's at least a few of you here wondering what this has to do with the Steam Deck) is that Epic's platform is playable on the Steam Deck (well, 99% of it is), by using:
Unreal Fest Orlando ‘25 gave us an expanded look at Epic's roadmap for the store in 2025 and what's next. So, here’s a summary and a bunch of pictures to show what they’re up to:
From Epic Games Store 2024 Year in Review:
Next year we will continue to make significant investments in the Epic Games Store with the intention of improving both the player and partner experience. Some of the highlights include:
Epic Games Store Mobile App:
The Epic Games Store on Android and iOS will continue to be a focal point of our dev
Epic Games Unreal Fest News
Epic Games’ Unreal Fest:
Plenty was shown at this years Unreal Fest, I thought I’d just format this together for Lemmy.
Unreal Fest Orlando ‘25 gave us an expanded look at Epic's roadmap for the store in 2025 and what's next. So, here’s a summary and a bunch of pictures to show what they’re up to:
From Epic Games Store 2024 Year in Review:
Next year we will continue to make significant investments in the Epic Games Store with the intention of improving both the player and partner experience. Some of the highlights include:
Epic Games Store Mobile App:
The Epic Games Store on Android and iOS will continue to be a focal point of our development roadmap throughout the next year. Initial work on the app will include building an enhanced App Library & Discover Experience to scale against an ever-increasing catalog size, and, for our developers, AAB file type Support. This is only the start; much more is still to be announced!
Non-Gaming Apps: The Epic Games
Steam Deck / Gaming News #18
Another week has passed, and so it’s another excuse for me to post a bunch of gaming news I’ve spotted over the last few days! I’m sure most of you know the drill by now:
What are these posts?
My aim for these News Posts in general though is to format them in a more clearly not a professional, but someone who cares about gaming manner than most gaming sites do now. Less demanding? My ever-lasting inspo is the old, old video game sites, blogs and magazines that I never had the privilege of being alive for:
- image/gif/link heavy (although GIF can be tricky on Lemmy, some big ones refuse to show, and ones I plan on including end up unable to upload)
- personal voice (I can’t help rambling, send help)
- mostly news or articles or points which you won’t find on normal gaming sites. These are the smaller, lesser things that I’m drawn to. I know you’ll have spotted the big news articles, so I’m hoping some of these smaller ones might have been missed by you.
A
Steam Deck / Gaming News #18
Another week has passed, and so it’s another excuse for me to post a bunch of gaming news I’ve spotted over the last few days! I’m sure most of you know the drill by now:
What are these posts?
My aim for these News Posts in general though is to format them in a more clearly not a professional, but someone who cares about gaming manner than most gaming sites do now. Less demanding? My ever-lasting inspo is the old, old video game sites, blogs and magazines that I never had the privilege of being alive for:
- image/gif/link heavy (although GIF can be tricky on Lemmy, some big ones refuse to show, and ones I plan on including end up unable to upload)
- personal voice (I can’t help rambling, send help)
- mostly news or articles or points which you won’t find on normal gaming sites. These are the smaller, lesser things that I’m drawn to. I know you’ll have spotted the big news articles, so I’m hoping some of these smaller ones might have been missed by you.
A
Developer Interview: my Q&A with The RomM Project
Hey everyone!
I’ve recently been sharing the occasional interview I do (again, I suppose Q&A is a more appropriate term for what I’m doing) with devs for Steam Deck, Linux and general gaming projects you might know and use.
I’m doing these so you can get a little bit of a glimpse behind the curtain, so to speak. I feel like we use all these programs and projects, plug-ins and apps without ever really getting to know who is behind them, and these people deserve a chance to tell a little bit of a story as to why they made what they made, or do what they do!
Previously, I’ve shared interviews here on Lemmy with:
- Gardiner Bryant, an independent (mostly Linux) journalist
- The dev team behind Heroic Games Launcher
- Mathieu Comandon who created Lutris
- The dev team behind RetroDECK
 with devs for Steam Deck, Linux and general gaming projects you might know and use.
I’m doing these so you can get a little bit of a glimpse behind the curtain, so to speak. I feel like we use all these programs and projects, plug-ins and apps without ever really getting to know who is behind them, and these people deserve a chance to tell a little bit of a story as to why they made what they made, or do what they do!
Previously, I’ve shared interviews here on Lemmy with:
- Gardiner Bryant, an independent (mostly Linux) journalist
- The dev team behind Heroic Games Launcher
- Mathieu Comandon who created Lutris
- The dev team behind RetroDECK
- personal voice (though as someone who has always written with plenty of dashs: - ...I’m only just hearing they’re favored by A.I. text generation, so that’s concerning...)
- mostly news or articles or points which you won’t