Valve’s new SteamOS compatibility rankings transcend the Steam Deck

Valve’s Steam Deck “Verified” program is fairly nice, however extraordinarily particular to… effectively, the Steam Deck. However now that SteamOS is increasing into different non-Steam Deck units, we’re going to wish one thing slightly extra common to inform if a Steam recreation will work on a selected gadget. Enter the SteamOS Compatibility system, a score that can be related however separate to the Steam Deck Verified standing.

In response to Valve’s announcement submit, a recreation must cross a reasonably low bar to be marked as “SteamOS Appropriate” on the shop. Mainly, it must boot up on SteamOS (both by providing a Linux model of the sport or simply operating within the Proton compatibility layer) and never have any middleware that breaks within the Linux-based OS. “Middleware” means any of the additional software program {that a} recreation depends upon in addition up, run, and get you your main expertise—some parts just like the anti-cheat in fashionable multiplayer video games could be a stumbling block right here.

In brief, if you will get the sport working with none large or insurmountable hurdles, it’s SteamOS Appropriate. Valve may mark the sport with a few warning flags, like requiring an lively web connection for first-time setup or needing a mouse/touchscreen for the sport’s separate launcher program. (By the way in which, when you promote a recreation on Steam and it wants a separate launcher, everybody hates you.) However these issues received’t preclude a recreation from the SteamOS Appropriate badge.

On the time of writing, solely the Legion Go S Powered by SteamOS (yep, that’s its full and horrible title) is formally a part of this system, and it doesn’t launch till later this month. However there are reportedly extra SteamOS-powered handhelds on the way in which, and I get the sensation that this compatibility badge can be useful for others as effectively, like these rolling their very own SteamOS {hardware} with initiatives like Bazzite.