I like gaming on my Steam Deck, but it surely’s changing into more and more irritating to see enormous video games bypass the hand held all as a result of some anti-cheat software program does not play good with Linux. This sense is renewed following the discharge of F1 25, a franchise that shall be unplayable on the Steam Deck for so long as EA persists with its proprietary anti-cheat software program.
Regardless of being the perfect gaming handheld, there isn’t any doubt that the Steam Deck has its drawbacks. One enormous subject is the age of its AMD chip, which comprises the CPU and GPU, and is now struggling to maintain up with fashionable triple-A video games similar to Doom The Darkish Ages. Regardless of this, anti-cheat is the most important risk to the Steam Deck’s dominance, because it’s already had a huge effect on the sport library. We’re additionally more likely to see the Steam Deck 2 ultimately launched with higher {hardware}, but it surely will not be capable to repair this anti-cheat disaster.
Anti-cheat software program causes compatibility points with Linux due to kernel-level variations between Home windows and Linux. Most builders perceive the enchantment of the a lot bigger consumer base on Microsoft’s working system, leaving Linux and Steam Deck avid gamers out within the chilly.
Probably the most notable titles at present unplayable on the Steam Deck, both totally or with giant elements of content material lacking, embody Grand Theft Auto 5, the EA Sports activities FC sequence, Apex Legends, Future 2, Rainbow Six Siege, and even Fortnite. These are among the greatest video games on this planet, and for essentially the most half, they’re full non-starters on the Deck.
The issue is so distinguished that there’s even a web site devoted to monitoring video games with anti-cheat software program and their compatibility with Linux and different area of interest working techniques. It is known as Are We Anti-Cheat But? Over 1,100 video games are tracked, and there may be even a useful breakdown of which suppliers are used and what number of video games nonetheless run in some capability, regardless of working an anti-cheat system.
We are able to see that 15 video games in whole use EA anti-cheat, and none of them work on the Steam Deck in any capability, whereas 365 video games are tracked utilizing Straightforward anti-cheat with solely six of these video games deemed incompatible, however a futher 193 are categorised as “damaged”, which means any on-line side of the sport is locked away because of the anti-cheat system.
Within the grand scheme of issues, Are We Anti-Cheat But solely lists 41 whole video games which can be “denied” as a consequence of anti-cheat, however 633 are “damaged.” This totals 674 video games that do not work as supposed as a consequence of anti-cheat software program, an enormous quantity, and it contains among the greatest video games round.
There’s a want for anti-cheat software program, that is not up for debate, however it is time to discover options to this downside that do not exclude people who find themselves shortly changing into a considerable a part of the market – Steam Deck or SteamOS customers.
Here is hoping that, because the Steam Deck continues to win over avid gamers and SteamOS makes its strategy to much more handhelds now that it is entered an open beta section, builders rethink nonchalantly excluding Linux customers.
In your probability to win considered one of Valve’s handhelds, you’ll be able to take a look at this Nvidia Steam Deck OLED competitors. In the event you’re already a Deck proprietor, you’ll be able to take a look at our picks for the perfect Steam Deck video games, the place we have picked out 30 unimaginable titles that run natively on the console.
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