As more variety of hardware gets released, sooner or later Valve is going to need a “compatible with SteamOS” test that has little or nothing to do with hardware specs and will basically be equivalent to a generic “this game works in [at least one distro of] Linux” statement. I look forward to that.
They already have a badge for that.
Uh that’s not good. Steam Deck verified criteria are the bare minimum, even less so. Clair Obscur is verified and looks like a rattled box of wool.
I read a comment somewhere that the full controller support and the readability of the text on a small 720p screen, which are necessary for a Steam Deck Verified badge, are not necessary for the Steam Machine. Because it is more like a traditional PC this makes sense imo.
Steam Deck verified includes specific UI enhancements and controller support, something a Steam Machine wouldn’t need. Of course they’re gonna be more lax in their requirements for what is verified on Steam Machines than Decks.
Why wouldn’t steamachine need controller support? It’s supposed to be a console for a TV, you wouldn’t be using a mouse on a couch as much as a controller. Their base already has desktops.
Well, there are drivers for all the mainstream controllers already. They can just use a normal controller. But the steam deck has a brand-new controller scheme that needed to be catered to just a little bit for making games steam deck verified
Just read through article and it directly addresses this.
The reason the criteria are relaxed is because of higher hardware specs for the Machine and the fact that the Deck has a small screen. Basically, the Deck has more physical constraints. As the Deck ages, less games will remain compatible.
How dare you mock Lord Gaben. He didn’t monopolise digital distribution and is now trying with hardware for the third time for nothing.
I don’t think Steam got where it is by trying to monopolize, though. They just have a long history of genuinely trying to not suck, and nobody else is willing to try at all, so they just… Win by default. It’s basically a meme now that Valve just has to do nothing and win these days.
There were several online digital distribution platforms around at the turn of the millennium that shut down because of Valve’s underhanded tactics.
The same ones people bring up when complaining about the epic store
I’m not really familiar with those tactics, so I’m open to being convinced if you can provide some examples. I suppose you could argue that forcing its use for their games isn’t great, but I don’t see that as exceedingly terrible even if it’s not great.
Clair Obscura still looks like ass on a steam deck? There was a patch that came through several months ago that increased playability. I was playing with a 10yo video card and originally had abysmal graphics. I didn’t push settings, but I was able to get to the point where terrain and people made sense.
Subjective opinions are not part of the validation process.
