Lilbits: Steam Deck size, Slackware 15, and Windows 11’s new Media Player

Valve’s Steam Deck is a handheld gaming PC with a 7 inch display, built-in game controllers (including touchpads), and a custom AMD processor with RDNA 2 graphics that will make it one of the most powerful devices in this category so far.

It’ll also be one of the biggest devices of its type to date… bigger than a Nintendo Switch, AYA Neo, or GPD Win 3 and way bigger than a Game Boy Advance or Sony PlayStation Vita. Want to know what that looks like in the real world? The Phawx (@carygolomb) has you covered with a series of photos of the Steam Deck next to other stuff. And he’s got a pretty extensive collection of other stuff.

While the Steam Deck is definitely bigger than most other handhelds, at 1.5 pounds it’s actually lighter than a first-gen iPad (1.6 pounds) or some other recent handhelds like the GPD Win Max or ONEXPLAYER (both are about 1.8 pounds). So the size doesn’t necessarily mean it’ll be uncomfortable to hold. But it will certainly be less pocketable than some older devices like the Ngage.

Here’s a roundup of recent tech news from around the web.

Steam Deck size compared with other handhelds [The Phawx]

Wondering how Valve’s Steam Deck handheld gaming PC stacks up against other handhelds? This thread covers everything from the Nintendo Switch OLED to the Atari Lynx (plus more recent devices like the AYA Neo Next and GPD Win 3).

#SteamDeck next to the AYANEO Next pic.twitter.com/iMvrOoK5hh

— Cary Golomb (@carygolomb) February 4, 2022

Slackware 15 Release Announcement [Slackware]

Slackware 15 was released this week, coming six years after version 14.2, which was the last major stable build of the oldest actively maintained Linux distribution around. The update brings kernel and desktop updates and many under-the-hood changes.

Google is trying to salvage its failing Stadia game service [Business Insider]

Google is allegedly shifting the focus of its Stadia game streaming platform, which is a consumer-facing service now, to a white label “Google Stream” service with potential partners including Capcom, Bungie, and Peloton. The result could be fewer games for Stadia subscribers… but new opportunities to use the streaming tech through third-party partners. 

Intel’s 35W ‘Alder Lake’ T-Series CPUs Sneak into Retail [Tom’s Hardware]

Intel Core i7-12700T and i9-12900T 35W desktop processors are now available in Europe and Japan. Similar in some ways to 12th-gen H-series 45W chips, these processors support 2X more RAM (up to 128GB) and have Intel UHD 770 graphics (instead of Iris Xe).

New Media Player for Windows 11 begins rolling out to Windows Insiders [Microsoft]

Microsoft has released its new Windows 11 Media Player app to members of the Windows Insider Beta Channel. It has an updated look, replaces the Groove Music app, and supports music and video libraries.

Keep up on the latest headlines by following Liliputing on Twitter and Facebook and follow @LinuxSmartphone on Twitter and Facebook for the latest news on open source mobile phones.