Slightly related but this project (FEX) is amazing. I've been running Armada OS on multiple ARM handhelds and they're viable little linux machines now except with amazing battery life.
Most problems I run into are anti cheat related (EAC, etc.) but those can be circumvented for now. Feels kind of insane how far x86 emulation has come.
I have the Retroid Pocket Nova which has a 5000mAh battery. It applies a CPU underclock by default and also has full support for deep sleep/suspend now. The screen is also Amoled so that helps too.
In desktop mode I get about ~7h of continuous light work, e.g. browsing. I often use it plugged into a 21:9 4k monitor though just like a laptop. There I should note that at that resolution it seems limited to 60hz refresh rate.
When gaming it changes a bit. But for example, it plays GTA V at least as good as a steam deck but at just ~6W power draw. So much more power efficient. I also sometimes do Switch emulation. But that can be a bit more fiddly as patches are required due to the 4:3 screen ratio.
The nicest thing for me though is that it can pretty seamlessly dual boot between linux and android. And even in linux, android apps work super well in waydroid because it's arm based. It feels magical to me...
I know this reads like an ad but it truly is holy grail tech to me. Never could've imagined this 5 to 10 years ago.
sureglymop · · focus · HN ↗
Most problems I run into are anti cheat related (EAC, etc.) but those can be circumvented for now. Feels kind of insane how far x86 emulation has come.
hodgehog11 · · focus · HN ↗
sureglymop · · focus · HN ↗
In desktop mode I get about ~7h of continuous light work, e.g. browsing. I often use it plugged into a 21:9 4k monitor though just like a laptop. There I should note that at that resolution it seems limited to 60hz refresh rate.
When gaming it changes a bit. But for example, it plays GTA V at least as good as a steam deck but at just ~6W power draw. So much more power efficient. I also sometimes do Switch emulation. But that can be a bit more fiddly as patches are required due to the 4:3 screen ratio.
The nicest thing for me though is that it can pretty seamlessly dual boot between linux and android. And even in linux, android apps work super well in waydroid because it's arm based. It feels magical to me...
I know this reads like an ad but it truly is holy grail tech to me. Never could've imagined this 5 to 10 years ago.