Valve’s upcomingSteam Deckdevice has been on a lot of people’s lips since it was announced back in July. With thedev-kit for the handheld PC being praised by developers and partners, it’s beginning to look more and more like it could be the next big step in mobile gaming technology. However, there have been some concerns lately about whether or not it will be compatible with all game’s in a user’s library, especially multiplayer games. Fortunately, it looks as though these scenarios may have been alleviated thanks to some support from Epic.
According to a report from Rock, Paper, Shotgun, Epic Online has launched some Easy Anti-Cheat, or EAC, support not only for the Linux operating system itself, but for the Steam Deck as well. Given thatthe Deck runs on a Linux-based systemcalled Proton, this is a huge step forward for making sure that games which use this anti-cheating software will be compatible on the Valve handheld device.
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EAC is something that is used in a lot of online games, countering hacking and cheating during multiplayer playthroughs. Until recently, EAC didn’t really support Linux, which meant thatbig games likeRainbow Six Siegewould likely not have run on the Steam Deck. While Easy Anti-Cheat does have its own Linux version, it would likely have been an emulated Windows version that would have been used, which would have caused issues. Games may have been able to boot up, but the EAC would have kicked in during play, and that’s where the problems would begin.
Shortly after being announced,Valve said it hadn’t found a single game the Deck couldn’t run. This relates to a claim the company made that said the system would most likely be compatible with every game on a user’s Steam library. It wasn’t long after this that some showed concerns about EAC and its lack of compatibility with Linux, which would have meant that the Steam Deck would likely not be able to run all games, especially online ones.
With Epic Online now supporting Linux, this means Valve’s handheld PC is on its way to being a strong contender in the world of mobile gaming. WithValve saying it hopes it will be a market leader for more mobile gaming devices, the Steam Deck could actually take the industry to the next level. Those who have been testing it so far have already been quick to praise it, after all.
