Helping hands
Valve and CodeWeavers have released the latest version of Proton, their compatibility software that allows Windows games to run on Linux-based operating systems – like that of theSteam Deck. Proton 8.0 is a biggun, smoothing out compatibility issues for over a dozen games (including theDead Space remakeandForspoken) while making Steam Deck-specific fixes to many more.
These include an update that should make the repeatedly troublesome2K Launcherbehave itself again, whileTiny Tina’s Wonderlandsgets improved sleep/resume functionality on the handheld PC. A crashing issue withLife is Strange Remastered Collectionhas also been nixxed, as has a bug that for some reason forced open the Deck’s onscreen keyboard when launchingA Plague Tale: InnocenceandA Plague Tale: Requiem. Most of the other addressed problems don’t look as funny in my head, but you can read them all in thefull patch notesregardless.
Downloading Proton 8.0 onto the Steam Deck is easy enough: just search for it in your Library, tap or select the icon when it appears in the results, hit Install, and restart when it’s done. Begone, foul keyboards.
Giggles aside, it’s hard to overstate the importance of Proton in making the Steam Deck… work. As a concept, even. The vast majority of the Steam catalogue is lacking in native Linux ports, including most of thebest Steam Deck gamesyou can play on it, so a compatibility layer like Proton is integral to getting these made-for-Windows games working without much fuss. It evidently doesn’t turn out perfectly for every game, and even those thatcanrun might do so with problems - I wasn’t particularly enamoured of theDead Space remake’s Steam Deck performanceon launch. But, but as this very update shows, that can be amended with future fixes.
In other words, do make sure to keep Proton updated if you have a Steam Deck. Or, indeed, if you’re playing games on a Linux PC. Proton 8.0 has tweaks that suit more powerful hardware as well, including a fix for ray tracing onCrysis Remastered.
