The Steam Deck’s promise to allow us to play any game in our Steam library comes with fine print and is that the operating system it includes as standard is not Windows, but Steam OS, a Linux distribution based on Debian. running games from the Steam library for Windows results in a series of setbacks.
Is the Steam Deck architecture ready for Windows?
Considering that the Steam Deck is based on PC hardware, since its main APU is from AMD with a Zen CPU and therefore x86 and an RDNA 2 based GPU, the answer should be obvious. However, despite Valve saying that we can install any operating system, the console comes standard with SteamOS, which makes it look like a current console and allows us to use directly. our Steam library.
So how does Valve make Windows games on Steam Deck work? Then via ProtonDB, which is a interpreter What translates system calls for Windows into system calls for Linux and the list of graphics commands from DirectX to Vulkan or OpenGL. Which means that The processor needs to do extra work To make this interpretation and since in the 3D pipeline, the first piece of hardware to compose the next frame is the processor, it affects performance in two possible ways:
- Lower frame rate if we use variable refresh rate.
- In case the refresh rate is fixed and with dynamic resolution, we will get lower resolution.
Does the interpreter work well? It depends, those that work well require more power and those that work relatively well are few. Valve announced that they are adding a mode to set the frame rate to 30 per second, which is great for some games, but lousy in other genres. In any case. Since the interpreter is the work of the CPU, it makes sense that Valve places more importance on power than on the GPU.
Is it worth installing Windows on Steam Deck?
It depends, if we look at it from the perspective of games that don’t perform well under ProtonDB, that makes perfect sense, but you have to be very clear on one thing. SteamOS is an operating system designed for the load on the material is minimal. It’s not the same to have an operating system as complex as Microsoft’s with all of its processes running as something like SteamOS. Without forgetting, of course, the interpreter. Of course, we have to remember that there are games that do not work directly on SteamOS and some of them are very popular, so if you are fans of these games you will have no choice but install Windows.
Valve promises that we will be able to use Steam OS as a PC, but its biggest advantage is its portability. Which makes it a unique product with great value. And there is nothing better than being able to play some PC games anywhere. Too bad it is not for sale, because taking it to the countryside, to the hotel or to the beach would be ideal.