23 years later, Morrowind on controller and Steam Deck just got a million times better: The latest version of OpenMW is out now

I've said it before and, unless PC Gamer fires me for all that embezzling I've been doing, I'm bound to say it again: OpenMW is one of the coolest mod projects out there. Much like DevilutionX does for Diablo or Daggerfall Unity does for Daggerfall, OpenMW is an open-source engine reimplementation for The Elder Scrolls 3 that lets you play it on damn near any device and with a lot of mod-cons.

If a phrase like "open-source engine reimplementation" fills you with dread, fear not: using OpenMW is as simple as downloading it and double clicking the launcher (though you'll need base Morrowind installed), and I strongly encourage you to do so—the devs just released OpenMW version 0.50, and it's a doozy.

"This round number release overhauls the gamepad experience, makes foundational steps in dehardcoding combat, further expands our Lua scripting API and, among the host of user interface fix-ups, introduces the highly requested quick item transfer," writes OpenMW team member Capo.

"Dehardcoding combat" is the process by which OpenMW is gradually opening up to Morrowind's core combat functionality to tweaks, expanding the Lua scripting API further enhances OpenMW's capacity for all-powerful Lua modding, and UI fix-ups are, well, self-explanatory. But I confess it's the gamepad stuff that has me going out of my gourd for this one.

My confession is that my first exposure to Morrowind was actually via its semi-miraculous Xbox version, which even had to quietly reboot the console during some load screens. My young jaunts about Balmora and Vivec came with my hands on a controller, not at a keyboard and mouse, and I still kind of like that way of exploring a Bethesda game. Not to mention that, frankly, I'm getting too old and tired to want to hunch over a desk to play my videogames. Anything I can play on my TV, I will.

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TV or, indeed, my Steam Deck. OpenMW's new controller gubbins makes both prospects easier than ever. I've installed OpenMW 0.50 on my Deck and had a run about and it's shocking how natural it all feels.

Menus are navigable, inventories are parseable, and it might actually be easier to get a grasp on your myriad character sheets and maps when you bring them up now. It's fantastic and, like so much of the Morrowind mod scene, a testament to the talent and passion that still surrounds TES 3 over two decades later. If you've been hankering for a replay, I reckon this might be your time.

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