by Cole Travis in General | Jul, 27th 2021
The concept of a handheld gaming console that can play high-end PC games is incredible. High-quality graphics on the go felt impossible just a few short years ago, as other companies had tried to bring that feeling to their handhelds, like the PlayStation Vita. The release of the Nintendo Switch proved that console-level graphics could be achieved on a handheld, but with the reveal and upcoming release of the Steam Deck, that idea of a high graphic handheld has fully come to fruition. However, despite the console being able to play almost every single game in the Steam library, the console is being held back, not by its power, but by the software running on the little handheld.
Can Play Steamos Games Without
There’s a short list of the games that won’t be able to be enjoyed on the Steam Deck at launch, including Dead by Daylight, Apex Legends, Destiny 2, Paladins, Fall Guys, PUBG, Siege, Smite, DayZ, Black Desert Online, and Hunt: Showdown. More could be added as we get closer to the console’s launch, though already this list includes some pretty big names.
Jun 04, 2020 While this is possible with SteamOS, GamerOS is designed strictly for living room setup, so all you can use is Steam Big Picture mode. However, by having a keyboard connected, users can access the terminal with CTRL + ALT + F3. GamerOS doesn’t use pacman as the package manager. Instead, it’s using its own called frzr. Of course, most games call for at least 2-4GB of memory these days, and Valve recommends SteamOS systems have 4GB-plus of memory, but that’s to play full-fledged modern games. VirtualBox isn’t.
Why the Games Can’t Run
However, the reasoning behind these games being removed from the Deck isn’t due to the Deck itself. The Steam Deck is very powerful, being able to run and play games at high settings in 720p, which is the screen used on the Steam Deck. On top of this, the Deck will also run the games at 60 FPS, and can be plugged into the TV with a single USB C to HDMI cable. With all this in mind, it does suck that the Steam Deck isn’t going to be available for players who want to experience Destiny 2 or Dead By Daylight. However, the reasoning lies within the software being used to run the Deck. SteamOS can run Windows games through a program called Protondb, but the operating system itself is using Linux-based software for the Deck. While this doesn’t sound bad, the problem is that all the games mentioned are all online multiplayer games, and the Deck isn’t able to run them because of one single issue with the games themselves: they all run anti-cheat.
The anti-cheat for many of these games won’t work on Linux platforms, and while this could be circumvented through player’s being able to install a version of Windows onto the Deck, and use that to play those games, they’ll be missing out on SteamOS and will be unable to use the program that Valve bundled in with the console.
However, all hope isn’t lost for the Steam Deck and its library of games, as developers are going to be able to update their games to work with SteamOS and the Deck. With that, it’s only a matter of time before the games get added, but it’s also up to the developers of the games to decide on making the necessary changes to their games.
Regardless, without the few games mentioned, the Steam Deck offers an immense amount of games in its arsenal, letting players choose from their ever-expanding list of titles on the Steam storefront, as well as letting players download other programs like Discord, Battle.net, and Epic Games Store, to expand their handheld game collection further to titles that haven’t appeared on the Steam storefront.
Can Play Steam Games On Ipad
Valve’s handheld $399 gaming device boasts impressive specs, but is it enough to play your favorite VR games?
Earlier today, Valve revealed the Steam Deck, a new handheld gaming device capable of running AAA PC games on the go. The Nintendo Switch-like system features a 7-inch 1280×800 touchscreen display and is controlled via a standard gamepad with support for gyroscopic controls. According to the company, the Steam Deck is essentially a fully functioning PC.
As such, you’ll have the ability to plug in monitors as well as various peripherals, including keyboards, mice, headphones, and additional third-party gamepads.
Internally, the Steam Deck features an AMD Zen 2 CPU and AMD Radeon DNA GPU with 16 GB of RAM and 64GB, 256GB, or 512GB of storage depending on which model you purchase. Valve claims that the Steam Deck should have no trouble running the latest and greatest PC games. The handheld gaming unit also features a Displayport as well as additional USB ports, which leads us to the ultimate question: can the Steam Deck—which is basically a miniature gaming PC—run VR?
While the company has yet to mention VR directly, the above-mentioned internal specs and abundance of ports indicate that VR gaming could be possible on the handheld device, albeit at a significant cost to performance.
When asked about potential VR support for the device during an interview with IGN, Valve developer Pierre-Loup Griffais had this to say: “I mean, it has all the connectivity. You would need [a lot] to do that, but that’s not really what we’re optimizing the performance for.”
So, while Griffais has confirmed that the Steam Deck is not designed to run VR specifically, he doesn’t write it off entirely. With the right finagling, you may be able to run simple VR content on the device, but performance may vary. It sounds as though higher-end experiences, such as Half-Life: Alyx and Boneworks, are definitely off the table, while less demanding titles, like Beat Saber or SUPERHOT VR, might still be a possibility. You can even replace the SteamOS (Linux-based) platform in favor of Windows.
It looks like we’ll just have to wait until the official launch this December to learn more about the full capabilities of this ambitious handheld device. Those interested can reserve a Steam Deck starting July 16th at 10am PT for $399 (64 GB), $529 (256 GB), or $649 (512 GB).
Can Play Steamos Games Free
Here’s a brief rundown of the key specs as provided by Valve:
- CPU: Zen 2
- GPU: 8 RDNA 2 CUs
- RAM: 16 GB LPDDR5
- Storage: 64 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB
- Controls: Gamepad and 6-Axis IMU gyrscopic
- Haptics: HD Haptics
- Resolution: 1280 x 800px (16:10 aspect ratio)
- Display size: 7″ diagonal
- Refresh rate: 60Hz
- Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.0 and Dual-band Wi-Fi radio (2.4GHz and 5GHz)
- Audio: Stereo
- Microphone: Dual microphone array
- Headphone: 3.5mm stereo headphone / headset jack
- Input: 45W USB Type-C PD3.0 power supply
- Battery: 40Whr battery. 2 – 8 hours of gameplay
- Expansion: UHS-I supports SD, SDXC and SDHC
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Feature Image Credit: Valve