Same applies to Steam on Linux: Proton has opened to us a gaming library of a size we would not have dreamed of a few years before.
Also, while the competing handhelds are often more powerful, the Deck's trackpads really are a game changer for some games (like Rimworld)
Anyway, I love my steam deck
It's not quite as polished, but it works.
Both Valve and MS have been making moves to steer game publishers away from KAC. I think the problem will solve itself when the platforms just say, "you can't do that anymore".
Can you elaborate on this? What sort of moves have they been making?
> I think the problem will solve itself when the platforms just say, "you can't do that anymore".
I hope you're right!
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/steam-now-requires-developers-...
They recently voiced their opposition to kernel level anticheat as some thing that “ might present problematic trade-offs for the end-user in the longer term”:
https://automaton-media.com/en/interviews/the-steam-deck-has...
Kernel anticheat is a major security issue from the perspective of the operating system, as it is a kernel level rootkit. An offline analogue would be giving a corporation the keys to your home and having them regularly come and install new cameras and microphones to see what you are doing. They might say “it is only active when you are playing a game”, but there is no technical hurdle blocking them from watching 24x7 and some of them don’t even bother to pretend it is only when playing a game. Then there is the issue of the wiring being faulty such that it occasionally sets your house on fire (search for BSOD complaints involving anticheat kernel drivers and you will find many).
As for Microsoft, I think that is a misunderstanding that came from this:
https://www.notebookcheck.net/Microsoft-paves-the-way-for-Li...
Here is what someone who claims to develop kernel anticheat had to say about it:
https://blog.freudenjmp.com/posts/microsoft-will-not-kill-ke...
Unlike Apple and the Linux community, Microsoft does not care about end user security to take a stance against kernel anticheat. All of their security initiatives are security theater.
I've owned a Steam Deck not quite since day 1, I'm beyond delighted now that I can just buy and play Steam games. I think I've thrown maybe one game at Proton that I just couldn't get working. And things like the Heroic launcher have made GoG games (most of which already ran on Linux since they just run via DOSBox) easier than ever.
Anyone on the fence about keeping Windows around just for games: unless you play online multiplayer that uses kernel anti-cheat, just make the jump. I promise you, almost every game in your library will just work, and almost all of the rest will work after you set them to run with a specific Proton version.