Valve recently announced the Steam Deck, its entry into the handheld PC market that would be fully integrated with Steam. Alongside some impressive specs for its small size, Valve has confirmed that the Steam Deck will be a Linux-based system. With a new version of SteamOS based on Arch Linux, the Steam Deck will likely feature a user-friendly experience and function as an actual Linux PC.
However, Linux has a bad reputation for PC gaming since Linux-based systems are often limited to games that are natively designed for them. Thankfully, Steam Deck runs on a Linux-based software called Steam Proton which functions as a compatibility layer for PC games that are native to Windows. While it's not perfect and still has a long way to go before the release of the Steam Deck, Steam Proton offers a solution to the Linux problem without heavily impacting performance.
Steam Deck As A Linux-Based System
As evidenced by the monthly Steam hardware surveys, Windows makes up the vast majority of users' operating systems. As of July 2021, 96.49% of Steam users use Windows with 2.51% using Mac and 1% using Linux. The results aren't surprising given that most developers design their games to be native to Windows and very few games are native to Linux. The current library of Linux compatible titles is tiny, and this problem contributed to the failure of Valve's Steam Machine.
After the failure of the Steam Machine, Valve created Steam Proton, a compatibility layer that allows native Windows games to run on Linux-based operating systems. This is done by using a modified version of Wine, an open-source compatibility layer, together with a collection of high-performance graphics API implementations. In theory, Steam Proton will enable users to boot up any Steam game from their library without needing them to optimize different settings or other Linux OSs to get them to work. Unfortunately, while this means that most single-player games will work on the Steam Deck, there are a number of known issues with Steam Proton in regards to multiplayer games.
Steam Proton's Limitations
Valve has continued to improve Steam Proton ever since its initial release back in 2018, and the majority of games seem to run fairly well. Unfortunately, there are still some big limitations with Steam Proton, and those issues impact some of the biggest titles. One of the most common issues is that Steam Proton's changes with the compatibility layer don't work nicely together with standard anti-cheat software. Valve's own VAC system works fine with Proton for games like Counter Strike: Global Offensive, Dota 2, and Team Fortress 2. On the other hand, games like Apex Legends, Destiny 2, and PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds have different anti-cheat systems that come in conflict with Proton.
Valve has confirmed that it is looking to improve Steam Proton ahead of the Steam Deck's release, and it is in talks with BattlEye and EAC to improve functionality with anti-cheat software. Despite all of the positives revealed about the Steam Deck so far, including its competitive pricing, strong hardware, and open ecosystem, the problems with the biggest multiplayer games could prove to be an annoying roadblock.
Accessibility is a key factor in handheld PC systems such as the Steam Deck, and requiring players to install a completely different operating system to play the biggest games might be a huge disadvantage. There will still be plenty of players that only rely on the Steam Deck to play indies or single-player titles, but there's undoubtedly a bigger market if Valve gets Proton to work nicely with anti-cheat software.
Things to Consider Before Preordering a Steam Deck
The limitations of Steam Proton are obviously a big problem, but thankfully Valve has setup ProtonDB to help users easily keep track of which games currently work. The site gathers reports from different users playing games on Proton to judge how well they run, giving them ratings based on stability, online play, offline play, performance, and bugs. Valve can then use this information to improve Proton and troubleshoot the most problematic games. Before preordering a Steam Deck, it's advised that users go through ProtonDB and compare their Steam libraries against the ratings. Many of the most popular games right now are unfortunately in the red despite the fact that the majority of Steam games seem to work fine with Proton.
However, another positive is that the Steam Deck features an open ecosystem. Fundamentally, it functions much like any PC would, and this allows users to install another operating system if they please. While it's currently unknown if this will impact performance of not, players can theoretically install Windows onto their Steam Deck or even dual boot if they wish. Windows could definitely offer more variety on the Steam Deck since there's only a handful of games not available for Windows compared to the thousands on Linux, but the bloatware and additional features might also hurt performance. Either way, it's important for users to understand that even installing a new operating system might not solve the flaws with Proton, as there are potentially different problems which could pop up.
Steam Deck's Potential
Unfortunately, this means the success of the Steam Deck will likely depend on how well Valve manages to integrate Proton with anti-cheat software before its release. Running a Linux-based system has a lot of positive, especially with a handheld PC like Steam Deck that isn't going to have the hardware power of an actual PC. However, Linux also has its fair share of problems with PC gaming, as it requires Proton's compatibility layer in order to play most games. While it's true that the Steam Deck can theoretically do anything a regular PC can, it's also important to remember that its hardware limitations might make some of the changes unrealistic.
As it stands right now, the Steam Deck's usage of Linux means that there are drawbacks for certain types of users. Perhaps the most important thing to consider before preordering a Steam Deck is the possibility that some of the biggest multiplayer games might not be supported depending on how Valve improves Proton before release. On the other hand, there's plenty of room for enthusiasts to tinker around with the software, but that will require more work from the user. Ultimately, it comes down to what gamers want to get out of their Steam Deck and how much they value being able to play any Steam game they want.
The Steam Deck is set to release this December.