Steam Deck Linux

[NeRvEaGeNt UK]

I see EA has withdrawn Apex Legends from,SteamDeck and has previously removed titles like fifa etc , so i cant play games i want to, my question is what does the steam deck offer these other handhelds don't? i like my steamdeck but why doesnt everyone buy windows based handhelds if you can play all games

Can someone explain the difference in pros and cons as im thinking of selling mine and getting a windows based one so i can play the games i want to , didnt think when i bought steam deck it would exclude me from so many online games but there is maybe many downsides im not aware of. Thank You

[SHAZBOT]

Originally posted by NeRvEaGeNt UK:

my question is what does the steam deck offer these other handhelds don't?

i heard it does packet injection and monitor mode.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bmz67ErIRa4

[Omega]

Windows does not deliver a good user experience on handhelds and lacks the flexibily of a Linux system.

Linux devices can be tailored to your exact specification and deliver your exact envisioned user experience, Windows machines tend to just use a ♥♥♥♥♥♥ overlay underneath which you are still running a plain Windows desktop.

This flexibility also allows the software to be optimized for gaming. For example, the Deck in gaming mode uses Gamescope as a compositor, this is the software which puts a picture on the screen. Gamescope is build to be as simple and fast as possible, it displays only a single window at a time, and its goal is to put a picture on the screen as fast as possible. And it has additional features build-in, it can for example do FSR on games which do not support it.

[BurakZG]

First: I understand your pain. You want to play specific games and they don't work for you.

Second: The difference between Steam Deck and other handheld devices is in software support. Valve provides very good software support for SteamDeck. You get updates regularly and they do their best to allow you to play as many games as possible.

If you buy other (Asus for example) you will get a device with 2 years warranty on hardware and no software support at all. You are on your own. Things will work or not and you have to resolve problems yourself. Asus will not care at all if in the future software stops working or gets outdated.

A bit of politics.
EA is not necessarily a friend of Valve. They are both game distributors and more of competitors, than partners. EA is not very happy with Steam success. I'm actually quite sure that EA will stop working with Valve, the same way Disney or HBO broke with Netflix. It's just a matter of time. If you really want to play EA games you need to buy their platform.

[NeRvEaGeNt UK]

Yeah I just ordered an ASUS ROG Ally X , to compliment the steamdeck and if its as good as it looks having investigated it I will just sell my deck. Having a handheld that stops me playing many games is no use to be personally , thanks for your input, i appreciate it

[r.linder]

You can install Windows on the Steam Deck but IMO it just ruins a great thing that just happens to not be viable for every game, especially when it involves garbage anti-cheat/DRM

[AD]

In my case, it has good software support and the games I care about work on it.

[Skkooomer Lord]

Windows will always be king.

[NeRvEaGeNt UK]

Originally posted by Quincunx:

Windows will always be king.

Indeed, although I reckon most gamers get by with linux and the missing games, but a lot of myfavs are missing so its no use to me and I prefer windows myself

[r.linder]

The only thing Windows has on Linux is support and the lines will only continue to thin out with time because it's gaining more user support, once there's so few games that don't work on Linux, there will be absolutely zero reason for gamers on use Windows.

[Haruspex]

Valve easily could have created the Steam Deck to run Windows. In fact, this would have been the simple thing to do. They wouldn't have to completely reinvent the wheel to get Windows games up and running on Linux.

So why do they try so hard with Linux? Basically, it's insurance for if/when Microsoft eventually goes full rogue and decides to lock down the Windows platform into a walled garden, as they've been slowly doing since the release of Windows 8.

From PC Gamer, 2012

Originally posted by Gabe:

Valve wouldn't exist today without the PC, or Epic, or Zynga, or Google. They all wouldn't have existed without the openness of the platform. There's a strong temptation to close the platform, because they look at what they can accomplish when they limit the competitors' access to the platform, and they say, 'That's really exciting.'
We are looking at the platform and saying, 'We've been a free rider, and we've been able to benefit from everything that went into PCs and the Internet, and we have to continue to figure out how there will be open platforms.
We want to make it as easy as possible for the 2,500 games (much much more now) on Steam to run on Linux as well. It's a hedging strategy, I think Windows 8 is a catastrophe for everyone in the PC space. I think we'll lose some of the top-tier PC/OEMs, who will exit the market. I think margins will be destroyed for a bunch of people.

Basically, there's a lot of temptation for Microsoft to completely lock down Windows, much like Apple has iOS locked down. Steam couldn't exist without Windows as an open platform, so Valve is creating their own escape route in the event that happens, not only for themselves, but also for Steam users who would want to continue to enjoy their games.

[r.linder]

Originally posted by Haruspex:

Valve easily could have created the Steam Deck to run Windows. In fact, this would have been the simple thing to do. They wouldn't have to completely reinvent the wheel to get Windows games up and running on Linux.

So why do they try so hard with Linux? Basically, it's insurance for if/when Microsoft eventually goes full rogue and decides to lock down the Windows platform into a walled garden, as they've been slowly doing since the release of Windows 8.

From PC Gamer, 2012

Originally posted by Gabe:

Valve wouldn't exist today without the PC, or Epic, or Zynga, or Google. They all wouldn't have existed without the openness of the platform. There's a strong temptation to close the platform, because they look at what they can accomplish when they limit the competitors' access to the platform, and they say, 'That's really exciting.'
We are looking at the platform and saying, 'We've been a free rider, and we've been able to benefit from everything that went into PCs and the Internet, and we have to continue to figure out how there will be open platforms.
We want to make it as easy as possible for the 2,500 games (much much more now) on Steam to run on Linux as well. It's a hedging strategy, I think Windows 8 is a catastrophe for everyone in the PC space. I think we'll lose some of the top-tier PC/OEMs, who will exit the market. I think margins will be destroyed for a bunch of people.

Basically, there's a lot of temptation for Microsoft to completely lock down Windows, much like Apple has iOS locked down. Steam couldn't exist without Windows as an open platform, so Valve is creating their own escape route in the event that happens, not only for themselves, but also for Steam users who would want to continue to enjoy their games.

Oh I WISH Microsoft would lock it down to specific OEM systems, because it would push the DIY market away from Windows.

[BurakZG]

Windows has no future as OS for gaming.
Read forums. The mess they made with drivers is going to hit them. They will never be able to fix it. They are not even busy with. Windows is not main business for Microsoft. They only put money on Windows, because it helps them to push more users to their cloud services. Now they try to push more AI via Windows.

[Electric Cupcake]

Originally posted by BurakZG:

Windows has no future as OS for gaming.
Read forums. The mess they made with drivers is going to hit them. They will never be able to fix it. They are not even busy with. Windows is not main business for Microsoft. They only put money on Windows, because it helps them to push more users to their cloud services. Now they try to push more AI via Windows.

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/11/microsoft-delays-rollout-of-the-windows-11-recall-feature-yet-again/

Spyware and forced updates, accounts and antifeatures pushed it over the edge years ago, and they still double-down.

[Haruspex]

Originally posted by r.linder:

Oh I WISH Microsoft would lock it down to specific OEM systems, because it would push the DIY market away from Windows.

I think fear of backlash is the only reason they haven't, so they're just turning the heat up on us frogs slowly instead in the hopes that we don't notice.

[r.linder]

Originally posted by Haruspex:

Originally posted by r.linder:

Oh I WISH Microsoft would lock it down to specific OEM systems, because it would push the DIY market away from Windows.

I think fear of backlash is the only reason they haven't, so they're just turning the heat up on us frogs slowly instead in the hopes that we don't notice.

Well they'll be able to when they push more and more people over to Linux by making everyone slowly hate Windows