Valve wants to make it’s handheld PC Steam Deck fit for Windows 11. A partnership with AMD is on the verge of delivering impressive results. Although for weeks we have known that his handheld gaming PC Steam Deck could run on Windows, it was not clear how well this could be supported by Valve or if it would not be an option for Trusted Platform Modules (TPM) to enable Windows 11 at home on Steam Deck. Now Valve has confirmed that it will target Home for Windows to help.
Handheld products shipped with SteamOS are customized versions of Linux that Valve can support for Windows installations at home. Now Valve has confirmed that it is focusing more on Windows support. Steam Deck shipped with SteamOS which is a custom version of Linux will also have Valve support for Windows installations.
Valve is working with AMD to ensure that the TPM will support Steam Deck on BIOS-level when Windows 11 is ready. Valve is working on with Trusted Compatibility Modules (TPMs) to work with AMD to ensure compatibility with Windows 11 and is taking steps to ensure that Steam Deck does not experience any problems on this front. Valve is currently focused on Windows 11, and we can’t get away from it.
The Steam Deck uses Valve’s Proton software to run many unsupported Windows games, and its anti-cheat has been a major headache for the company in recent years. Valve has been working to release anti-cheating games with the Steam Deck from the box, and titles such as Apex Legends, The Lot 2, PUBG, Fortnite, and Gears 5 work on Windows. Valve will continue to push for video game cheats to be phased out in portable devices, but it is not certain that titles such as APEX Legends, Back to the Future 2, PUBG, Fortnite, or Gears 5 will work out of the box.
While this seems like a no-brainer to see how it will say whether the current Windows generation will work on Valve’s upcoming handheld gaming PC, there are a host of potential compatibility issues that could arise when Microsoft announces a next-gen version of Windows. There is also some confusion about which version of the Trusted Compatibility Module (TPM) will be required to install Windows 11 on your computer. Windows is not tailored to a 7-inch display, there are still many unknowns as to how we will view and operate the Steam Deck.
Valve also offers Steamworks, an application programming interface (API) that provides development and publishing tools to take advantage of Steam Client features for game and software developers free of charge. Valve also provides developers the tools to create game storefront pages way in advance to generate interest before their games are even released in the market.
Valve has been offering beta support for Steam Cloud Play since May 2020, where developers can enable users to play games from their library if they or publishers choose a cloud gaming service. When launched, the service was only available with Nvidia’s GeForce Now service but will be added to another cloud service, and whether Valve will run its own cloud gaming services is unclear.
Since 2012, Valve has handpicked the games that will be added to the Steam service and limited them to games from major developers that support them, as well as smaller studios that have proven to work with Valve. Valve’s software team is working round the clock to ensure that the Proton emulator which allows Windows games to run on SteamOS is ready when players get the Steam Deck console. That doesn’t mean Valve is forced to stay with SteamOS.
