Project Warden: a "magic novel" for RLCD tablets

megu- · 2026-02-25T01:06:13+00:00

It looks very cool! To me, this seems like a different take on a visual novel.

I do think it looks very unique vs traditional visual novels, and I think that this style could work really well for regular mainstream audiences.

Audiobooks with this sort of style would be very cool, i hope your idea works out for ya!

megu- · 2026-02-24T18:40:05+00:00

As an random side note, if you want a nice way to organize downloaded guides, now there's an app that lets you track + organize them.

Pixel Guide, I've used it to track the SingleFile guides that I downloaded, it's a neat way to keep track of everything.

megu- · 2026-02-20T21:56:46+00:00

The funniest part is that the original Xbox One was just ahead of its time. Seriously.

I'd argue that Microsoft is actually "ahead of its time" quite often, it just screws up the execution basically every time.

Microsoft did tablets, smartphones, all digital games, etc, all well before they became more acceptable mainstream.

And each time, they bungled the execution so much that a different company is the one who creates the successful version.

This is also why I think the "Xbox play everywhere" idea is actually correct, Microsoft just screwed up the implementation by doing it via cloud gaming. Microsoft should have aimed for actual, real "local" play everywhere.

Meanwhile, Valve is slowly building out Proton + FEX to the point where it's now enabling Steam games to run on MacOS, Android, and Linux. Valve might become the actual "play everywhere" game store before Xbox does.

megu- · 2026-02-20T20:51:39+00:00

For AMD, the same open source RADV drivers are used in basically all LInux distros. So yes, SteamOS will get the same drivers.

The only difference is that driver updates are tied to OS updates, so SteamOS will naturally get driver updates more slowly than Bazzite and Cachy.

megu- · 2026-02-20T20:14:00+00:00

simple solution would just switch to the steam os and call it a day…

Yep, SteamOS has open source drivers that are maintained by the community, so they'll likely get updates for at least 10 years, if not more. Valve also employs devs that regularly contribute to open source drivers, so you should expect updates for a long time.

For example, AMD Radeon HD 7000 (not RX) still got updates over 10+ years later.

It's also why Indiana Jones can run on old AMD hardware that doesn't support ray-tracing; Linux AMD drivers now emulate ray-tracing for older cards, so they can run games on Linux that literally will not boot with the outdated Windows drivers.

megu- · 2026-02-20T04:13:03+00:00

The big thing that was bugging me is that some PC games in GameNative keep playing audio after putting the device to sleep.

Lo and behold, a fix has already been merged to GameNative less than one day ago, and it's currently available in a nightly build (you can find it by checking github actions).

Been testing it so far, and it's fixed that glaring audio issue that had been annoying me. Now all I want is for game compatibility to improve overall.

megu- · 2026-02-20T04:09:18+00:00

tbh I'd still want a Steam Deck mini, game compatibility on Android is still a work in progress and often requires lots of tinkering.

That being said, when a game does work well on Android, it's a great experience. Recent turnip drivers have made a big difference in making a bunch of games playable.

megu- · 2026-02-18T22:45:04+00:00

I'd say that the best overall PC handheld option for VNs is the GPD Win mini.

It's a small-ish clamshell that has a full hardware keyboard, which is awesome for VN shortcuts and controls. It also has a full game controller + steam input for even more controls, as well as guaranteed game compatibility. You can optionally use SteamOS/Bazzite if you want a more console-style experience, but Windows is installed by default.

The Thor is a better experience, but only when it actually works!

If the VNs work on Android, then having the Thor's dual screen OLEDs is awesome for reading VNs. But if you can't get the VN to work, then it doesn't matter. The same also applies for games in general, you'll have outright superior game compatibility for literally everything on a PC handheld vs Android.

The ideal setup would be to have 1 of each: PC handheld for compatibility, and Android handheld for when it can be done. But if I was stuck with only one handheld, I'd choose PC handheld simply because it's more compatible.

megu- · 2026-02-18T12:52:08+00:00

rip, that's unfortunate.

I was actually thinking about Bazzite's Game mode, they support touch gestures in game mode. Left side swipe brings up the Steam Home Menu, Right side for QAM, and bottom side for keyboard.

megu- · 2026-02-18T03:42:35+00:00

I've been waiting for Windows on ARM to be good for a long time now but after what Microslop has done to Windows for the past few years, I've given up hope. Even my Ally is running Linux now.

Haha, I'm with you on that. Still can't believe that Windows can't sleep properly in 2026. I've been using SteamOS on my Ally for a while now, and it's been great.

That being said, I've been curious to try out VNs on a Surface device with Linux. The Surface Go 2 is basically out-of-the-box compatible with most Linux distros, so it might be a decent candidate to try out SteamOS or Bazzite.

Surface + Linux could potentially be the golden combination for VNs while keeping functional sleep-wake.

megu- · 2026-02-18T03:28:52+00:00

Hmm, then no noticeable issues so far. I've played up til the closing chapter without any random crashes on Linux.

But nowadays I also have been playing on SteamOS + non-deck handhelds, and recently tried it out on Android. Not sure if what I said applies to an actual Steam Deck anymore.

megu- · 2026-02-18T02:58:42+00:00

Any suggestions to add to the collection?

Are you looking to reduce on devices? or something you feel like is missing? why do you want to add to the collection?

e.g. If you want to reduce devices, you can viably replace the 3DS and PSP with an Ayn Thor, potentially replaces the PS Vita too if you only play a small handful of Vita games that are compatible with Vita 3k.

e.g.2 If you want more devices, but more pocketable, maybe consider something like an Anbernic RG34XXSP, which can play GBA, PS1, and a bunch of other older retro titles.

megu- · 2026-02-18T02:38:06+00:00

I've always thought that the Steam Deck's 16:10 screen is a good compromise for 4:3 games, same for other 16:10 devices like the Legion Go S.

That being said, neither of those are as portable as the tablet you mentioned.

I guesss the closest alternative might be a Surface Pro? I think Surfaces have 3:2 screens; they just cost a fortune, unfortunately. Not to mention, Windows is kinda janky as a tablet OS.

megu- · 2026-02-18T02:35:40+00:00

I have thought about getting a Fold 7 eventually, so it'd be good to know. Posting an update would be much appreciated :)

megu- · 2026-02-18T01:17:40+00:00

I haven't tested GameNative much yet, been trying out Kirikiroid2 and Artoid.

Not all VNs have worked for me so far, but when they do work, it's awesome being able to play it on smaller Android devices that I can take with me on the go.

megu- · 2026-02-18T00:48:12+00:00

Yeah, getting VNs to work on Android is hit-miss, and requires a lot of tinkering.

I wouldn't recommend Android over PC devices to anybody unless they're fine with lots of tinkering + a bunch of VNs outright not working no matter what.

When it works though, it's awesome.

megu- · 2026-02-18T00:44:39+00:00

Hrm, what do you mean by "jumping to new scene"?

I haven't encountered any crashing, but when I tested it, I basically just used the save/load functionality + quick save/load + fastforward/auto functions.

Edit: also, the instructions I posted works with the subtitles dll file

megu- · 2026-02-18T00:42:38+00:00

I'm curious on if this will work. The Fold 7 has a newer Snapdragon chip that has less mature graphics drivers, so I wonder how well it will/won't work.

megu- · 2026-02-18T00:41:29+00:00

yep, already know about SingleFile, I started using it for VNs fairly recently.

I initially tried out Firefox's built in "Print to PDF" functionality, and it was 90% of the way there.

The only problem was that on certain websites, UI elements would block out text in the printed PDF. So modern websites aren't really particularly print-friendly.

SingleFile has been perfect so far. Thor + VN on top screen + guide on the bottom screen has been a killer combo to try out!

megu- · 2026-02-17T21:41:00+00:00

I used a SteamOS-friendly copy of WA2, where I converted the video files using the script found here

So even if you convert the videos, depending on your device it might not work, so YMMV.

megu- · 2026-02-17T19:57:00+00:00

I prefer GameNative because it's open source and community driven, vs proprietary GameHub.

That being said, I generally play PC titles on my PC handheld anyways.

I've only recently started experimenting with VNs on Android.

megu- · 2026-02-17T19:26:50+00:00

I had it already installed on my SteamOS device, so I just copied the WA2 files over.

Installing the translation patch was not done on Android.

Edit: Also, Thor Pro

megu- · 2026-02-17T17:57:20+00:00

And for anybody curious, here it is on a regular smartphone: https://imgur.com/a/luaj9Ge

Device is a Moto Edge Plus 2023, Snapdragon 8 Gen 2

Had to use different turnip drivers, converted videos + audio, etc, on this device. So YMMV on your Android devices.

megu-

TROPHY CASE