PC Gaming

My first PC ever built is sort of unusable in its current state, and there are a few things I could do:

• Update necessary parts and keep it as a retro-media-compatible PC/nas/server. I love how it has a floppy drive!
• Get rid of it and save money

If I wanted to replace it, I would need to get at minimum:

• motherboard
• ram
• CPU

I'm hoping I can keep using the following parts, some of which have been updated over the years:

• pcie 2.0 graphics card
• 500 W power supply
• monitor / peripherals
• optical / floppy drives
• SSD / HDD
• ATX case (the original case and motherboard PCI slots never lined up quite correctly...) Cooler Master centurion (?)

I've never done anything like this, and last time I built a PC was in 2006. I lack a lot of knowledge...

1. Is my case likely to be compatible with a modern motherboard?
2. Can I buy a modern motherboard/CPU that will be compatible with this other stuff?
3. Would it be less expensive to buy another used PC and use its motherboard/CPU ?

After visiting the Vancouver Retro Gaming Expo, I keep asking myself the same question:

What’s the purpose of it all?

Sure, part of it’s just fun. But mostly, it comes down to whether I can actually share something I love—or not. Let me explain.

I’m just as into music. I listen to vinyl every day with my daughter. Easy to share: put on a record, and people get it.

Same with photography. Snap a picture, share it. Instant enjoyment.

Video games? Not so much. The barrier to entry is just so damn high.

First, you need the hardware—not just any hardware, but often something specific.

Then you need the software. Sometimes you can stream it, but streaming usually sucks. I’ve tried—multiple times. Even with 2Gbps at home, the latency ruins it. So you’re left with physical media or downloading everything locally.

And even if you’ve got all that, there’s still a dilemma. On consoles, the game might be optimized, but unless it’s exclusive, it’s rarely the “definitive” experience. On PC, you can get the definitive version, but you’re always tweaking, chasing that ideal.

And what even is “definitive”? Is it keyboard and mouse on a monitor? Gamepad on a TV? Handheld in bed? Everyone’s experience is different, and unless you find someone with the exact same setup, yours is unique. As a PC gamer, finding that overlap is rare.

I’d love for gaming to be more social, but because of who I am, I mostly play solo campaigns—except with family, who’ve been good sports about it.

I’ve tried dragging friends into gaming. I’ve even gifted games and hardware. Never works. I get it.

Online, I talk about games I love, review hidden gems, try to explain why certain things matter to me. But my taste has veered so far from the mainstream—not because I’m a contrarian. I’ve never played StarCraft, WoW, or Dota. Not because I think they suck. I’ll probably love them when I do get around to it. Like how I finally tried Oblivion this year and loved it, despite hating the older Elder Scrolls games.

But I have a whole library of games I wish got more attention—not because I want them canonized, but just because I want to talk about what makes me happy.

And honestly, the sad thing is, if something never enters the “canon,” it’ll probably die in obscurity.

Which brings me to something sort of related: the older I get, the more things I love disappear. The diner I used to visit? Gone. My elementary school? Demolished.

As a kid, I loved those candy cigarettes that puffed out powdered “smoke.” They don’t exist anymore—nobody wants to encourage kids to smoke, and that’s fine, but I remember them. They were a core part of my childhood.

All these things—I can’t share them anymore.

But I can still talk about old video games. I can’t play arcade games in a convenience store with Slurpee cups and magazines everywhere. I don’t own a 386 with a ball mouse. But I can still play those games, talk about them, and build new memories—ones I’ll remember with my grandkids someday.

Eventually, all of it will go away. That’s life. It’s impermanent.

But there’s still purpose in all of it. We’re social by nature. And there’s something magical about transmitting meaning from one person to another.

Even if it’s just about a damn video game.

Well I am shocked, SHOCKED I say! Well, not that shocked.

Youtube

Who are the mascots of PC gaming?

I recently read a thread elsewhere that says one big reason for Nintendo's enduring popularity is their use of mascots: Mario, Link, Kirby, and Samus. But I have to say, PC gaming has its own mascots too. And if you grew up on PC gaming, you know exactly who I’m talking about. To me, these are the most obvious PC gaming mascots:

Sir Graham

Sierra’s signature character. He’s the protagonist of King's Quest, the game that pretty much "made" PC gaming. If you’ve ever typed "look at tree" only to die instantly, you know this guy.

Guybrush Threepwood

For a good long time, the Monkey Island series was the jewel of PC adventure games, and Guybrush was the poster child. For an entire generation of smart-alecks, Guybrush was what made pointing and clicking actually cool.

Commander Keen

PC’s answer to Mario, but with a football helmet and a pogo stick. If you played Keen, you knew that saving the galaxy could happen in between spelling homework and dinner. The alien menace never stood a chance.

Duke Nukem

Duke started out as just another run-and-gun guy, but Duke Nukem 3-D turned him into a legend. Those one-liners were the soundtrack of every ‘90s gaming session. If your parents ever walked in at the wrong time, you know exactly which line I mean.

B.J. Blazkowicz

Possibly the oldest mascot here, since Wolfenstein dates back to 1981. But it was Wolfenstein 3-D where B.J. got a face and a vendetta. He’s been fighting Nazis since before most of us knew what a floppy disk was.

Jill of the Jungle

Jill is the game that put Epic on the map. She was Epic’s answer to Commander Keen, and while the graphics weren’t exactly cutting edge, the level design made up for it. Plus, Jill could turn into a bird. That never gets old.

Doomguy

Probably the most recognizable of the bunch. When people think of PC gaming, Doomguy’s battered face at the bottom of the screen is what flashes in their mind. Doom is forever, and so is the guy with the shotgun.

Gordon Freeman

For a whole generation, Half-Life is PC gaming. Gordon Freeman in that orange hazard suit, holding his crowbar, is basically the Valve logo in human form. He never says a word and still manages to be iconic.

Vault Boy

You don’t actually play as Vault Boy, but he’s everywhere in Fallout. His little thumbs-up and cheesy grin follow you from the vault to the wasteland. With the TV series, he’s basically mainstream now. No mascot is more cheerful about the end of the world.

Kerrigan

The Zerg Queen of Blades herself. If you’re into Starcraft—and millions are—Kerrigan is the face you remember. Blizzard made her the ultimate badass, and she wears it well.

Geralt of Rivia

Geralt first found fame on PC. The original Witcher didn’t even get a console port, so for a while Geralt was our little secret. Now he’s everywhere, but if you played those early games, he still feels like a PC icon.

Chell

Portal’s silent protagonist. You only ever see her in reflections or through portals, but somehow she sticks in your memory anyway. If there’s ever a Hall of Fame for "quietly iconic," Chell gets a spot.

Faith Connors

Maybe not as famous as some others here, but Faith deserves her place. Mirror’s Edge is the best first-person parkour you’ll ever play, and Faith’s red glove and city-leaping acrobatics are instantly memorable.

Madeline

Celeste is one of the greatest indie platformers ever made, and Madeline is what makes it work. She’s determined, stubborn, and endlessly relatable. I’ve never wanted to climb a mountain so much in my life.

Goose

The newest mascot, but maybe the most beloved. Untitled Goose Game turned one honking bird into the hero none of us expected but all of us needed. An awkward bird never looked so adorable.

So there you have it: the PC gaming mascot hall of fame. They may not have a theme park, but let’s be honest, nobody’s ever wanted to watch Mario lock eyes with Doomguy at the breakfast table. The world just isn’t ready for that much star power in one room.

Here’s the thing most people still miss about the Steam Deck—and I’m saying this as someone who’s been yelling about it since forever—is that for decades, the PC had countless exclusive games that never set foot on a console. No ports, no Nintendo love, no Sony handshake—nothing.

And trust me, I begged. Pleaded. Lit prayer candles. Still nothing.

Then along came the Steam Deck, Valve’s magic handheld that finally turned PC gaming into something I could carry around without feeling like a dork dragging my laptop onto a city bus. Suddenly, all these brilliant PC-only classics felt like they’d always been console games—only better.

So, here are 10 games that console gamers never got their hands on, until the Steam Deck made dreams come true:

1. Blood. The nastiest corner of the Build Engine Holy Trinity—alongside Duke Nukem and Shadow Warrior. It’s gory, hilarious, and way smarter than it ever got credit for. Still holds up, especially with a gamepad.

2. Septerra Core. PC’s underrated response to Final Fantasy VII. A JRPG-styled epic, crafted by Western devs who knew how to nail the vibe. It deserved controller support years ago—now it finally feels at home.

3. Blake Stone: Aliens of Gold. Imagine Wolfenstein 3D in space, add aliens and vending machines that heal you, and you’ve got Blake Stone. Campy, colourful, and always overlooked—perfect for handheld fun.

4. Jazz Jackrabbit 2. Epic’s fast, snarky response to Sonic. It somehow managed to outdo Sega at their own game, and it’s criminal it never left PC—until now.

5. Super Fighter. DOS Street Fighter 2 was trash, but this Taiwanese indie fighter landed a clean KO instead. Fast, fluid, and shockingly addictive—a perfect fit for thumbstick abuse.

6. The Witcher (2007). Yep, Geralt’s gruff first adventure never landed on console. Plans were cancelled, dreams shattered. But now? The Deck’s got you covered.

7. Divine Divinity. The name is ridiculous, but the game? Undeniably one of the best action-RPGs ever made. A mashup of Diablo-style combat and Ultima-style worldbuilding that somehow works. Never saw a console port.

8. Ghost Master. Haunt houses, traumatize homeowners, and delight in their terrified screams. Think The Sims, except you’re the one causing trauma. A joy on handheld.

9. Flight of the Amazon Queen. Adventure gaming at its pixel-perfect finest. Indiana Jones-style puzzles, lush visuals, and humour that aged surprisingly well. Built for a comfy couch or commute.

10. Spark the Electric Jester 3. A new-school 3D platformer that beats Sonic at his own speed game. Tight level design, dazzling speed, and didn't arrive on consoles—until the Deck gave it the spotlight it deserves.

Bottom line: Steam Deck didn’t just make PC gaming portable—it gave these gems a proper handheld life. It brought decades of overlooked, underplayed brilliance out of the desktop dungeon and into the light.

I have an exclusive gaming PC. Ideally what I'd like to do is shove it in a closet or other vacant room to contain the heat and then stream games over LAN.

The problem with existing solutions is:

1. They need a monitor connected
2. The monitor to be powered on
3. They don't support varying refresh rates/resolutions. Only whatever is displayed on the connected monitor. I want to play on my 4k/60Hz TV in the living room for AAA visual spectacle games that work best with controller, and the 1440p/120Hz display in my office for FPS or otherwise fast-moving games that demand KBM, and the 5k monitor for photo/video editing.
4. I haven't had much success getting these working at all. Red screens, 1/4 screens, image noise, etc.

They're literally just mirroring the screen of the connected display.

I really don't want to have to buy a dedicated PC for each use-case. Does a solution like this exist? What are their pros and cons? Preferably something that doesn't require a degree in software engineering.

Currently I am using Bazzite OS with 5700x + 6800xt, if that matters.

It’s silly to compare Switch 2 sales to Steam Deck sales.

The Switch 2 is a locked-down, vertically integrated platform. There are no ROG Switch 2s. No Lenovo Switch 2s. No Switch laptops or tower PCs with discrete GPUs. If you want to play Mario Kart World, your only option is to buy a Switch 2. Period.

Steam Deck, by contrast, isn’t a platform. It’s just one hardware option—one entry point into the sprawling, open ecosystem known as PC gaming.

Every year, around 245 million PCs are shipped globally. If even 20–25% of those are gaming-focused, that’s 49–61 million gaming PCs annually. Steam Deck is a sliver of that. So of course it won’t outsell a console that’s the only gateway to a major IP.

But that’s exactly the point.

PC gaming is too decentralized for any single device to dominate. The last “PC” that did was the Commodore 64, which sold 12.5–17 million units over 12 years because it was a self-contained platform, unlike modern Windows, Mac, or Linux machines.

That the Steam Deck has sold 4 million units despite competing with every other gaming PC in existence is remarkable. It didn’t just sell—it legitimized a category. Handheld PC gaming is now a thing. That’s why Lenovo, ASUS, and MSI have followed. Even Microsoft is getting in, optimizing Windows for handhelds—something they would never have done if the Steam Deck didn't hold their feet to the fire.

So no, Steam Deck didn’t outsell the Switch 2. It didn’t need to.

It won by changing the landscape.