> I love that they brought back the software renderer (and allowed you to disable texture filtering). There's something about that style I find charming.

You are definitely not alone. There are quite a few released and upcoming indie retro FPS games on Steam now and some are quite popular. I think this is one reason they decided to add these settings.

Got recommended a game called ADACA on steam. Early access but very much a Half-Like. Somehow missed it in the sea of games but after I found the first secret it took me right back. Got a demo too.

How are first person shooters on the Deck? Do you just use the analog stick to aim, or is the gyro actually helpful?

I was never any good at aiming with the analogue stick in FPS games. On the deck I'll usually use the trackpads (configured as a trackball with haptic feedback) to aim approximately and then gyro for fine tuning, and I've found my aim is significantly improved. It's no keyboard+mouse, but it's close enough for me, that unlike with the analogue sticks, I don't find myself needing to reduce difficulty levels or enable any kind of aim-assist.

I sometimes find myself wishing I had a controller with the same layout as the deck that I could use when I have it docked to my TV.

:) https://www.amazon.com/USB-C-HDMI-Cable-10-feet/dp/B088T8D5C...

> I sometimes find myself wishing I had a controller with the same layout as the deck that I could use when I have it docked to my TV.

You can pair basically most first-party controllers for the PS4, PS5, XSX/XSS, and Nintendo Switch (the exception being the original non-Bluetooth Xbox One controller) to the Deck, should you have one laying around.

I’m aware of that, but you’ve missed my point. Not one of them has the same layout/control scheme as the deck with its trackpads and rear buttons.

I've seen people use a combination of both. The analog stick / trackpad for macro movements, and the gyro for fine tuning. I tried it once, and I think it could be fine if I practiced a tiny bit.

But I've also got a normal PC with keyboard and mouse, so I don't need to.

You can also use the touch pad for aiming. Or turn on gyro only when touch pad is being touched, which is useful for micro adjustments. Pretty customizable, although I mostly just use the sticks.

I played Prey and Tiny Tina's on the Deck, both of which worked pretty well

Either work just fine, IMO. The gyro is just as good as on the Switch

The Switch has gyro aiming?

Sure does! Best use of it is on the Zelda games, IMO. Aiming the bow with the stick works fine when out of combat, but if you want to manually aim e.g. while riding a horse, doing the broad strokes with the stick and the fine tuning with the gyro works great.

Neat! I've never played a Zelda but that makes me want to try one the next time I'm at my friend's house

The WiiU, the previous Nintendo console, had it too.

As did the 3DS (previous portable console)

Splatoon series showcases this pretty well

They've added in aim assist for the HL rerelease, at least. Annoyingly it's on by default, even in the PC version.