Pinball FX / FX3 on the Steam Deck discussion

[joeblow]

So my Deck came in this week and I dloaded the free version of FX3 on Steam to check out how the game performed on the new handheld. It looks really sharp and I had no technical hitches at all after an hour of Fish Tales play.

But all of that was while playing it in landscape (horizontal) view, which is too small to see what's happening at the top of the screen unless you enable screen scrolling (which I don't like). Is there a way to rotate PFX3 so that I can test it out in portrait (vertical) view? If I get a free code from Zen for cabinet mode, will that enable the feature? I don't see a system level way of rotating the screen on the Deck itself.

Anyone else have impressions of playing digital pinball on Valve's new portable toy?

 

[Narc0lep5y]

cabinet code should fix it. You could probably set up the game vertically by setting your windows resolution that way or using a batch file with irotate and the fx3 exe in it, but cabinet code is easier.

 

[joeblow]

The Deck doesn't have a way to rotate the system's video output vertically. How do I get a cabinet code from them?

 

[Crazy Newt]

The Deck doesn't have a way to rotate the system's video output vertically. How do I get a cabinet code from them?

This is the only way I know how to get the code. They have always replied quickly.

https://zenstudios.com/home/pinball-cabinet-support-request/

 

[joeblow]

This is the only way I know how to get the code. They have always replied quickly.

https://zenstudios.com/home/pinball-cabinet-support-request/

Thanks, I just sent my request. It's been 40 seconds already though... where's my code?

 

[The loafer]

My turn to order the deck in two days, so wanna know how your request turns out joeblow. Keep us in the loop!

 

[joeblow]

So I got my cabinet code and it works perfectly... on my desktop PC version of PFX3. When I try to enter it into the Steam Deck version, the game will not let me type anything into the entry field.

I am aware that the one official problem noted for PFX3 on the Deck is that you have to activate the unit's keyboard system to enter info. You hold the Steam button and X to bring up the KB, and while that method lets me enter high score initials on the local leader board, the game does NOT let me enter anything into the cabinet code field. It's the same UI for both, so it makes no sense.

As of now, I see no way to try out vertical mode on the Steam Deck.

 

[Scared Stiff]

So I got my cabinet code and it works perfectly... on my desktop PC version of PFX3. When I try to enter it into the Steam Deck version, the game will not let me type anything into the entry field.

I am aware that the one official problem noted for PFX3 on the Deck is that you have to activate the unit's keyboard system to enter info. You hold the Steam button and X to bring up the KB, and while that method lets me enter high score initials on the local leader board, the game does NOT let me enter anything into the cabinet code field. It's the same UI for both, so it makes no sense.

As of now, I see no way to try out vertical mode on the Steam Deck.

Try it now. They have made a complete change to how cabinet mode works, so perhaps it will work for you now. You have to go to your player profile and activate from there. Not sure of the details from that point. All I know is it’s changed per Zen.

 

[Narc0lep5y]

Can you plug a mouse/keyboard into the Steam deck USB port and try to enter cabinet code in desktop mode?

 

[joeblow]

Can you plug a mouse/keyboard into the Steam deck USB port and try to enter cabinet code in desktop mode?

Hey, thanks for the suggestion! I connected my Logi MX keyboard to the Deck via Bluetooth and it works just fine. The keyboard saves up to three profiles, so I can switch between my PC, my iPhone and my Deck when I use it.

With cabinet mode activated, I went through the process of rotating the display in PFX3 90 degrees for vertical mode as well as remapping the flipper buttons to use the pedals underneath the handheld (R4=L and R5=R). I also switch the two sticks so that the nudge was near the flipper controls while holding the Deck from the top.

In a sitting position with it resting on my lap, it wasn't too bad at all to control. The visual improvement though is eons better than portrait mode (I'm using 1W view), and I can now say that the experience is about as perfect as one could expect for portable pinballing with this thing.

The only problem though is this: I have to input the cabinet code every single time I re-boot PFX3. It's a pain since I am forced to use the keyboard to do it, which makes it a lot LESS of a portable set up, but it is better than nothing. With the news that PFX won't need conds for cabinet mode in the future, at least that headache goes away for that audience.