Steam Deck Now Compatible with Biggest Anti-Cheat Software (original) (raw)
Sign in to your Game Rant account
There's a real possibility that the upcoming Steam Deck could pave the way for a new kind of mobile gaming technology, one which combines the convenience of a handheld console with the power of a home computer. With Valve assuring people that the Deck is coming this February, after initially pushing the launch date back a couple of months, all eyes are on the device. One thing that has been a concern for some is the incompatibility between it and certain anti-cheat technology, but that seems to have been sorted now.
According to a recent post on the Steamworks page, Valve has finally managed to confirm that Steam Deck will support anti-cheat software. There were notable backlashes against the device not long after it had been announced that some games would not be able to run on it, or at least not run properly, due to the handheld PC's Linux-based operating system not being compatible with important software that many AAA titles use, with some instructions offered up for developers to help fix the issue.
The post goes on to say that the two "largest anti-cheat services" are now supported on Proton which is the OS that's used for the Deck. BattleEye and Easy Anti-Cheat, both of which are used in some big games, will be compatible which means that, in theory, games which utilize these tools should be able to run on the system no problem. This is bound to be a huge sigh of relief for both developers and gamers, given that there were concerns that some of gaming's most lucrative releases would not be able to play on Steam Deck until a fix had been implemented.
On top of that, Valve says that, come tomorrow, it's going to start submitting verified data for games that use anti-cheat software. Games have already started being verified for Steam Deck, with some 86 titles currently on the database at the time of writing. That is a little ways off the 50,000+ Steam games that are currently purchasable, but the company did hire testers last year to try and get as many games as possible to be compatible in time for launch.
With the Steam Deck's packaging being shown off last December, it seems that the world is almost ready to receive the device. Studios have already praised the development kit, and it looks as though pushing the date back a few more weeks may have done it some favors. It remains to be seen exactly how it will impact the gaming world, but it will be interesting to see how well it's received.
The Steam Deck is due for release this February.
MORE: Different Steam Deck Models Explained
Source: Steamworks