Well today is the big day. Valve has now formally revealed the Steam Deck, a portable handheld gaming console powered by a new version of their Linux-based SteamOS operating system.
"We think Steam Deck gives people another way to play the games they love on a high-performance device at a great price," says Valve founder Gabe Newell. "As a gamer, this is a product I've always wanted. And as a game developer, it's the mobile device I've always wanted for our partners."
Since it's based on Linux, we now know a big reason why Valve has been investing in Linux gaming with the likes of Steam Play Proton. It will play your Linux native titles, with support boosted by Proton. Not only that, Valve said "we're vastly improving Proton's game compatibility and support for anti-cheat solutions by working directly with the vendors". This is pretty amazing, as anti-cheat was the big missing piece. In their FAQ, they make it clear that they are working directly with BattlEye and EAC to get support for Proton.
Anti-cheat support is coming too! That's huge!
The new SteamOS has been optimized for handheld and touchscreen gaming, while it will also have a desktop mode for those who want it. SteamOS 3.0 is also being based upon Arch Linux, with the desktop mode being powered by KDE Plasma.
We also know why Valve has been heavily investing in AMD GPU drivers for Linux too now then. It's a custom APU they partnered with AMD on for Zen 2 + RDNA 2.
Quick specs:
- Powerful, custom APU developed with AMD
- Optimized for hand-held gaming
- Full-sized controls
- 7" touchscreen
- WiFi and Bluetooth ready
- USB-C port for accessories
- microSD slot for storage expansion
- 3 different storage options available
The Steam Deck will also have a dock, much like you see with the Nintendo Switch with more ports to play with like USB, wired networking and enabling external displays. More tech info can be seen here.
It's an open system too, since it's basically a PC in your hands. Valve said "you can install third party software and operating systems".
Valve also did a session with IGN where they answered some questions. IGN also has hands-on video to give a better look at the device.
Steam Deck starts at $399, with increased storage options available for $529 and $649. The two higher models have bigger storage space, plus the two higher models actually use an NVMe drive for faster loading time and the top end has an anti-glare screen too.
Reservations open July 16th at 10 AM PDT; shipping is slated to start in December 2021. Currently it's limited to United States, Canada, European Union, and the United Kingdom with more regions becoming available in 2022.
For developers, Valve put up a video overview:
Direct Link
See more on the Steam Deck website and the Steam Deck store page.
Is this the holy grail of Linux gaming? Could be.
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
Quoting: mylkai think they should make it more clear, that they do not sell a WINDOWS PC and you may not be able to play some games and you wont be able to install windows software like you do on windowsNobody expects a thing like a Nintendo Switch to be a Windows PC. I don't think they need to sweat that a whole lot.
Quoting: gradyvuckovicProton running on a handheld device like this has a lot of advantages that Proton doesn't have running on the average Linux desktop.Yeah, I haven't even really started to consider the implications of this device succeeding solidly. If it does, well, I guess it's the Steam Machine's potential all over again. Suddenly Linux becomes a real market games wise. If you add in these upcoming Chromebooks running Steam . . . well. This could be a very big turnaround for Linux gaming. Medium term, could even have some ripple effects on Linux desktop adoption, although that's a lot iffier.
Every Linux desktop varies wildly and that makes trying to make Windows games run reliably on such wildly varying Linux environments is certainly a challenge. There are so many variables. What Linux kernel is the user running? What GPU? What driver? What driver version? What level of vulkan support is available? The exact fix for some machines may be a few command line options, other PCs might run the game out of the box without any help, other PCs might not be able to run the game at all.
But with the Steam Deck, here you have a rare opportunity: The only 'variable' is the game.
If Valve can get a game to run, via any means, on the Steam Deck, they can put out an update to Proton/SteamOS/etc, that ensures that game runs on every Steam Deck. Even if behind the scenes there are per game tweaks and other stuff happening, all that matters from the end users perspective is that they can hit play and the game runs. No fiddling involved.
This presents an enormous opportunity to increase the Linux player base on Steam, and puts a lot more pressure on game devs to ensure their games at least run well via Proton, if not natively on Linux.
Either way, their expectations regarding Proton sound very promising :)
Quoting: GuestGood detailed video on it here, it's pretty big!I generally try to avoid looking at Youtube comments . . . but they can be useful for sort of taking the pulse.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLtiRGTZvGM&t=48s
I notice the comments there are mostly framing it in terms of a war with the Switch . . . and although of course there's plenty of argument, they are on average pretty positive to the Steam Deck. Quite a lot of Valve saying hold my beer, and whatnot.
One notion that came up a few times is that in theory, this thing could emulate Nintendo games and play them faster than the Nintendo Switch itself does . . .
TheRiddick Jul 16, 2021
Last edited by TheRiddick on 16 July 2021 at 7:05 am UTC
Sorry, but I had to.
Quoting: ShmerlQuoting: damarrinUsing this for old games is really not the point, I think.
Why can't it be the point?
You're free to choose your point of course, but the point of the device is to run current games, otherwise it would be quite overpowered.
Last edited by Eike on 16 July 2021 at 8:04 am UTC
Quoting: Purple Library GuyNobody expects a thing like a Nintendo Switch to be a Windows PC. I don't think they need to sweat that a whole lot.
Situation is different here. Valve is saying (or at least people are hearing): "This will run your whole stream library!" People will point fingers on every game that doesn't run like on Windows.
QuoteIn their FAQ, they make it clear that they are working directly with BattlEye and EAC to get support for Proton.
It's not just that. They also kinda give a timeframe. To quote the FAQ directly:
QuoteWe’re working with BattlEye and EAC to get support for Proton ahead of launch.
So we can hope for something good on that front before December (hopefully)! Which is really exciting!!!
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