Compatibility is always touted as the primary reason why Windows trumps Linux for PC handheld gaming, but I’d say that the Steam Deck is probably more compatible with the types of games that I play than handhelds like the ROG Ally. Sure, more games may run outright on the Ally, but how many of those are genuinely playable if they rely on a mouse for control? These are supposed to be handheld PCs but for most of them you’d need to plug an external mouse in and sit at a desk to get the most out of a large number of PC games. Touchscreen control is often awkward at best for management games and games with similar mouse-driven interfaces.

I think the Lenovo handheld has a touchpad from the looks of a few photos, so at least they’ve understood the problem. If you play the sort of games where you’d mostly use a controller anyway you’ve got a lot of good handhelds to choose from. If your game library looks a lot like mine though, your choice is limited.

It’s not search and rescue as such, but Snowrunner is a cool take on disaster recovery. The action comes from a weird place, too; driving slowly over difficult terrain. You need to react quickly and keep your wits about you all while doing 4mph. Crawling through mud in an eight-wheeled truck while desperately trying not to tip over.

It’s an odd mixture of relaxation, sheer frustration, and job satisfaction. Oh and there’s plenty of gear porn if you like ridiculously powerful machinery too.

Is there PVP? I’m always wary of bothering with these sorts of games if they have open PVP, as they usually turn into mass slaughter pits where the players who have built up powerful armies (or whatever the game has for units) go around murdering weaker characters just to see the inevitable forum posts. If you make it through the early stages and join some sort of alliance, they usually turn into childish playground politics and squabbling.

I couldn’t tell from the “about” or “FAQ” pages, but the meme-filled forum doesn’t make it look particularly promising.

I joined in the crowdfunding campaign for Wreckfest, liked where it was heading, then sort of forgot about it. Since seeing how well it works on the Steam Deck though it’s become a new favourite of mine. I don’t think I’ve had as much fun with a racing game for a long time.

I used to. I can’t remember the colours these days but as a kid they were really strong. Then over time it just faded.

The colours weren’t just associated with individual digits, weirdly. So 1 and 2 may have certain colours, yet 12 might be a completely different colour to either digit. I don’t remember words working this way though.

Vampire Survivors, and Pico-8 games via Emudeck. Once I’m bored of those I plan to spend a bit more time with Snowrunner. I’ve never really got into it, but it looks like my sort of game.

Transport Tycoon, using OpenTTD. If you’ve never played it you can download OpenTTD and use their graphics, sounds, and music replacement sets to play it for free. However as I own the base game I like to keep the original music as it helps to drive the nostalgia.

I love Doom, and I’ve been playing it since I first got hold of the shareware episode, but when I really need a comfort game it’s almost always Transport Tycoon.

This is a weird one, because I think the title of the game is putting people off as it’s nowhere near as popular as it should be. However, please give me a chance here to convince you to try it.

Intergalactic Fishing.

You don’t actually need to be into fishing games to enjoy it. The fishing, although about as addictive as most good fishing minigames, is only a small portion of the game.

It also revolves around a similar style of exploration to some space games, such as No Man’s Sky and Elite Dangerous. While progressing through the storyline you will gain access to undiscovered lakes with their own unique species of fish, and information collected about these lakes can be sold.

Catching fish gives you information about that fish’s likes in terms of lure, along with a few other attributes. You can then use this information to design a lure to suit it. This becomes a puzzle game, as lures are designed by arranging squares on a grid. Factors such as “shininess” and “noise” are infkuenced by putting more blocks near the edges, or leaving more holes and forming irregular shapes.

It’s primarily a sandbox game, but there is a short storyline. Once finished though, the game opens up into an addictive endgame that I don’t want to spoil. Tournaments and contracts are a nice diversion throughout the game and can also net you (sorry for the pun, but fish puns are hard to avoid) a decent amount of cash.

It’s quickly become one of my favourite games of all time.