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Linux Games

Valve's Steam Deck Will Run Linux-Based Steam OS - But Won't Have a Fortnite Port (liliputing.com) 56

Posted by EditorDavid from the world-domination dept.
Liliputing reports: When Valve's Steam Deck begins shipping to customers later this month, the handheld gaming PC will be running a Linux-based operating system called Steam OS. And that could give gaming on Linux a bit of a boost.

While Valve's game client has been able to run on Linux for years, as of last month just over 1% of Steam users were running Linux (and fewer than 3% were using macOS, with Windows holding a 96% share). It'll be interesting to see if that starts to change once the Steam Deck hits the streets. And if it does, maybe we'll see more game makers add support for Linux... but one of the most popular games around isn't going to add Linux support anytime soon: Epic CEO Tim Sweeney says the company has no plans to port Fortnite to Linux.

He says it's because Epic doesn't "have confidence that we'd be able to combat cheating at scale under a wide array of kernel configurations including custom ones," but it's an interesting take since Epic has already ported its anti-cheat software to support Mac and Linux devices including the Steam Deck.
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Valve's Steam Deck Will Run Linux-Based Steam OS - But Won't Have a Fortnite Port More

Valve's Steam Deck Will Run Linux-Based Steam OS - But Won't Have a Fortnite Port

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  • Sweeney really is a jerk (Score:4, Insightful)

    by david.emery ( 127135 ) on Saturday February 12, 2022 @05:44PM (#62262731)

    Regardless of what you think about Apple, -how- he attacked Apple was underhanded and dishonest. And here Sweeney demonstrates additional dishonesty on his assertions about Linux and his product security. Why is he still CEO?

    • I suspect being a jerk is a requisite of being a CEO. It seems many CEOs are jerks.
      • Its a personality trait that lends itself to the role 100%. Even those starting out genuine are eventually either spat out or embrace jerk-dom.

    • Re: (Score:2, Interesting)

      by Anonymous Coward

      Regardless of what you think about Apple, -how- he attacked Apple was underhanded and dishonest. And here Sweeney demonstrates additional dishonesty on his assertions about Linux and his product security. Why is he still CEO?

      Agreed, For another example, just look at the lack of effective skill based matchmaking in Fortnite so matches are unfair, all the cheating going on or the pubstomping. As well, there's never any mass bans of cheaters, I just can't see Epic driving away customers. Clearly Epic doesn't really care about ethics, only profits. Typical in an industry that overcharges, underpays and produces poor quality products.

      Most corporations are run by greedy, selfish and irresponsible people which is normal for those in t

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by fermion ( 181285 )
      Apple has strict control to protect parents and consumers. These protections hurt Epic just like the new privacy controls are killing meta. Ultimately Epic needs to control all parts of the e system in order to maximize profits. The Epic store is a declared loss leader. Meant to create profits by monetizing users later on.

    • If all App Store owners are required to host fortnight games for free why should fortnight be required to port their game to every App Store for free.

    • Regardless of what you think about Apple, -how- he attacked Apple was underhanded and dishonest. And here Sweeney demonstrates additional dishonesty on his assertions about Linux and his product security. Why is he still CEO?

      Uhh because gamers are stupid? The last 23+ years the corporate world has seen an all out assault on the general computer, they've been stealing videogames for 23+ years now, the whole agenda was to dispossess the general public of getting full honestly coded software (aka quake 1-3, warcraft 1-3, starcraft 1) and move them over to stolen videogames (ultima online, guild wars, wow, asherons call, Dark age of camelot). There's no software that needs an internet connection or needs to be back ended.

      The game

    • Oh please, if there is one company that is dishonest and underhanded it's Apple. And you clearly have no idea about the security problems a big game like Fortnite has if you have no certainty over the kernel of an OS, as with linux, anybody can change the kernel with big security holes for other applications. So it certainly a good reason why they won't release Fortnite, at this stage, on 'regular' linux.

    • Why is he still CEO?

      I've always wondered this. He's the CEO of a gaming company burning through literally hundreds of millions of dollars into PC gaming while publicly declaring repeatedly that PC gaming is dead or over, ... usually every time a new Playstation launches.

  • It would make much more sense to get it running under Valve's version of wine. Usually that just involves making the anti cheat software to allow people to play. If you go that route you don't even really have to provide support. You can count on valve to do it for you.

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by Guspaz ( 556486 )

      It's a net positive for Linux either way. Especially if the Steam Deck does well enough that developers begin considering Proton as a legitimate platform target and ensure compatibility going forward.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by gweihir ( 88907 )

      Why not? Makes for a cleaner architecture (hence less problems) and gives you the option to port to other things too.

      • Once you port it you're expected to support it. People will expect patches and tech support. The user base of game buying Linux users who aren't also dual booting isn't big enough.

        It made more sense when folks were trying to do Mac gaming because it was basically a recompile, but even with that companies held off, likely due to support costs.

    • Most competent anti-cheat software won't work through Proton.

  • Epic could allow linux players to have their own separate servers, and if there's cheating then it doesn't diminish the experience for everyone else. If linux players complain about cheating, they can fairly say that the nature of the platform is conducive to cheating.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by gweihir ( 88907 )

      That is if there is a cheating problem on Linux in the first place. That would remain to be seen.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by chill ( 34294 )

        Ah, so you've never played America's Army?

        Cheating on Linux happens, though nowhere near as often as on Windows, simply because people don't normally buy Linux machines for gaming and its more of an afterthought.

        • Cheating on Linux is uncommon?

          You, uh, played Team Fortress 2 lately?

          All those bots run on Linux. All of them.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by fazig ( 2909523 )
        For popular games, especially the ones that are competitive online games, cheating is a very realistic expectation regardless of platform.

        One approach, as GP suggested would be to no longer have the multiplayer to be cross-platform and have the Linux players play on their own servers, where cheating might not affect the players from other platforms.
        But we're talking about Epic and Fortnite here. In my eyes, one of the main reasons to keep cross-platform multiplayer, which inherently disadvantages players

  • Who cares? (Score:3)

    by Gravis Zero ( 934156 ) on Saturday February 12, 2022 @06:51PM (#62262857)

    Honestly, why would I care that it doesn't have a game that is targeted toward children that are inclined to ruin the fun of playing online?

  • Headline a bit misleading (Score:3)

    by Voice of satan ( 1553177 ) on Saturday February 12, 2022 @06:51PM (#62262861)

    The headline and the content of TFA are a bit misleading.

    There was never question of a Linux port as in Linux native. What happens is many windows games are playable in Linux solo but the anti-cheat software doesn't run in WINE or proton so multiplayer is either impossible or limited to private servers with people you trust. Recently, many anti-cheat middlewares have been adapted to work with steam proton on the Deck. Among them Epic's Easy Anti Cheat, which is used by Fortnite.

    But it must be activated and supported on a per game basis. And Tim Sweeney said that with the custom Linux kernels, EAC was not solid enough for a massively popular game like Fortnite. Enough for less popular games but not Fortnite. Whether the technical argument about tampered custom kernel has merit i don't know. But that was the main argument.

     

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Bert64 ( 520050 )

      Then i guess they will be dropping Android support next, since Android uses a Linux kernel which can be customised just as easily?

      • I think you need to "root" Android for it to run the sort of custom kernel that's fairly trivial for any non-newbie GNU/Linux user to install. I do know that quite a few proprietary games refuse to run if the Android system has been modified to provide system level access to software NOT explicitly part of the Google Linux userland.

    • This is little more than a "convenient excuse". You can see that with past acquisitions, e.g. Rocket League. It has run perfectly fine on Windows for 7 years without concerns of cheating, and yet when bought by Epic games it was suddenly pulled from Linux.

      This is no difference. Sweeney doesn't give a fuck about Linux and just uses the more diplomatic excuse of "cheating".

      And this is before you talk about Android, which is a mishmash of hundreds of custom kernels, and Fortnite happily running on rooted / AOS

    • As a programmer, I can say the concern is technically very real, and anti-cheats are probably the most complex thing in gaming to solve (way more so than stuff like graphics programming). As long as the technique to make anticheat is a kernel level driver, and the anticheat resides on the client computer, this will always be the case (preventing hooking to input code for aimbots or modifying graphics driver calls for invisible walls or parsing enemy locations out of network traffic will always be "dead easy

  • Not having a native port isn't a big deal. The bigger question is whether it will be possible to run Fortnite on the Steam Deck via Proton and WINE or not.

    I find nothing anywhere to suggest one way or the other on that question.

    • He's talking about the proton port, in short, they made easy anti-cheat capable for proton... but declared that version not secure enough for a popular game like fortnight.

  • Valve Steam Decks. Linux games galore. This year will be the Year of the Linux Desktop!!

    • Or at least the year of the Linux hand-held.

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by Bahbus ( 1180627 )

      Linux will never be mainstream for desktops. Ever. Stop pretending to yourselves that it will somehow, all of a sudden, be magically relevant.

  • I call bull**** (Score:3)

    by Dorianny ( 1847922 ) on Saturday February 12, 2022 @08:31PM (#62262969) Journal
    "have confidence that we'd be able to combat cheating at scale under a wide array of kernel configurations including custom ones,"

    Oh please, they would have no interest on anything but the SteamDeck anyways. Most likely, Valve told them hello no we aren't giving complete control of our system to your kernel level spyware.

  • Assuming UEFI is enabled by default that would allow the anti-cheat to check if the kernel was signed by Valve (through the TPM). Windows PCs often still come with UEFI disabled, so anti-cheat can not rely on this for windows.

  • Fortnite is not available on Steam anyway (Score:3)

    by mrwireless ( 1056688 ) on Sunday February 13, 2022 @02:55AM (#62263269)

    Fortnite is not available on Steam in the first place, so this was always a totally hypothetical situation.

    This is such a weird bit of news, and its wide spread is starting to feel a bit like manipulation.

    • Re:Fortnite is not available on Steam anyway (Score:4, Informative)

      by thegarbz ( 1787294 ) on Sunday February 13, 2022 @10:57AM (#62263785)

      Fortnite is not available on Steam in the first place, so this was always a totally hypothetical situation.

      It's not totally hypothetical. You're talking about a game that runs on Windows, Mac, Xbox, Playstation, Nintendo, Android, and iOS. It stands to reason that the game with the single widest crossplay support in industry would also show up on the new platform.

      The omission of a new "gaming console" on the block is quite significant. And I only use quotes since the gaming console in this case is effectively a Linux PC.

      But if you think this is about cheating you're gullible. This is about Epic it having a cry about Valve, nothing more.

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