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Valve has released details about how users can track what games will be compatible with their upcoming Steam Deck.
Users can check the Steam Deck compatibility system, which, as explained in this video, is broken down into four categories: verified, playable, unsupported, and unknown.
Verified games, noted by a tick in a green circle (think Twitter verification but without the bad opinions), will work with Steam Deck right out of the box, without any extra work required for the user. Playable games meanwhile will be… well, playable. They will however require some fiddling, with players needing to adjust the controls, for instance.
Unsupported games are, as you’d expect, not supported by the Steam Deck. These include games that will never function on the Steam Deck, such as VR titles. Finally, the unknown category covers games that Valve has not yet checked for compatibility.
For a game to be Verified, it needs to support the Steam Deck’s default resolution (1280×800 or 1280×720), have legible in-game text and have “good default settings.” Verified titles won’t feature compatibility warnings, their launchers must be compatible with a controller, and both the game and its middleware should be supported by Proton.
“We’ve already started reviewing titles and will continue to check games through launch and beyond,” said Valve.”This is an ongoing evaluation of the entire catalog and a game’s rating can change over time – titles will be re-reviewed as the developer releases updates or the Deck’s software improves.”
The Steam Deck was announced back in July, seemingly as a reaction to the incredible success of the Switch – to which it has already been compared. While we don’t expect the device to move the needle all that much on game sales as yet, it’s good at least to see that Steam Deck-compatible titles will be clearly marked.
