The claim that the Steam Deck runs unmodified Linux software “out of the box” glosses over a lot of caveats.

Sure, it’s possible—but only if the software is compatible with SteamOS’s Arch-based flavor of Linux, its dependencies, and its sandboxing. And to even attempt that, you have to exit Gaming Mode entirely and boot into Desktop Mode. From there, you’re dealing with a mouse-and-keyboard interface, and many apps require terminal commands, sudo access, or specific library versions to even launch. That’s not something you casually do with a game controller from your couch.

More importantly, I reject this narrow definition that “console” must mean a closed, locked-down system incapable of running general-purpose software. That might describe a traditional console, but it’s not a requirement. Plenty of recognized consoles have been open or hackable: the Ouya ran Android. The Miyoo Mini running OnionOS is basically a retro Linux handheld, yet it’s absolutely treated as a console by its user base. A Raspberry Pi running Batocera, plugged into a TV with a controller, is a console experience. Even the Nintendo DS, when booting homebrew off a flashcart, operates in the same way.

What actually defines a console isn’t the OS or whether it can run unmodified desktop software. It’s the user experience: you turn it on, pick a game, play with a controller, and everything revolves around gaming. The Steam Deck nails that. You don’t need to know it runs Linux. You don’t have to touch Desktop Mode. For the average user, it’s as much a console as a Switch or Xbox—just with a lot more flexibility if you go looking for it.

I mean, if that logic held up, then the Xbox wouldn’t count as a console either—because it literally runs a customized version of Windows under the hood. It boots into a UI shell, but it’s still Windows at the core, running DirectX just like a PC.

By that same standard, the PlayStation wouldn’t be a console either, since it’s running a customized BSD-based OS that can support a lot of traditional software frameworks.

The idea that a console must run completely proprietary software or require deep code rewrites for every game is just outdated. These days, the distinction is more about the delivery method and user experience than the underlying OS. Steam Deck boots into a curated interface, runs games with gamepad-first optimization, and delivers a console-like experience out of the box. Whether it’s using Proton or not doesn’t change that—it’s still targeting the exact use case of a console: plug in, pick a game, play.

So if the Xbox qualifies despite being a glorified Windows PC with a gamepad and a skin, then so does the Steam Deck. You don’t get to move the goalposts just because it runs Linux.

I was born in 1981. Not too much younger than you, but old enough to remember when the arcade scene was really bustling.

I’m of a different mind.

I’ve played so much Pac-Man and Space Invaders that I’ve simply had enough of it.

There’s only so much time left on the planet, and I’d much rather spend it on new and novel experiences. If I play retro games, they’re either games I really want to beat but haven’t. Or they’re unfamiliar.

I love PC gaming for exactly this reason. You get to early classics like Ultima, but then you get modern fare like Black Myth Wukong.

My reason for talking on the Internet about this stuff is because it’s hard to find people, outside of conventions, who give a damn about this hobby.

LOL.

No, not all PCs offer a consoles experience.

Yes, you can do all that. Hence why I refer to Steam Deck as a consolized PC.

That said, the console experience on Windows 11 is subpar. Bazzite and SteamOS are far superior in this regard.

To me, what makes a console a console is the console experience. As in, you should be able to navigate everything with a gamepad.

Strange, because Heroic is exactly how I did it. Did you use Proton (Experimental)?

Yep, I’ve played Commander Keen on Steam Deck. It’s really good.

It has that too. 😜

But what I mean is that Steam Deck offers a console-like experience.

It’s a consolized PC.

“Enhanced Edition”.

But okay, I’m swapping that out for Divine Divinity. Similar style of game, but just as influential.

If we’re putting the SteamDeck against Nintendo, I’d say the natural comparison is Steam exclusives against Nintendo exclusives.

This makes no sense because as you just mentioned, the Steam Deck is just a Valve-branded Linux distro. Really, what we should be doing is counting PC exclusives. And I say PC because Proton makes the difference between Windows and Linux moot – Steam Deck plays Windows games, often better than Windows itself.

If we’re talking exclusives, there are way more on PC than on Switch.

The whole reason the Steam Deck exists is to compete as a portable full sized hand-held console comparable to the Switch.

No, the whole reason the Steam Deck exists is to play your PC games on a handheld, and do it with a console-like experience.

What I feel you don’t understand – and I can’t emphasize this enough – is that there are games I’ve always wanted to play on a console that I just couldn’t because they required either a desktop or laptop. Off the top of my head, here’s just a few:

• Blood
• Septerra Core
• Jazz Jackrabbit
• Fate
• AquaNox

You know how many times I wanted those games to get ported to console? Decades later, it still hasn’t happened.

What the Steam Deck does is make games that were previously inaccessible – available on handheld and TV (via dock).

But I don’t feel that Steam alone accounts for PC gaming.

Even on my Steam Deck, I use GOG, Epic, and itch.io quite regularly.

What company do you think I’m defending?

There’s no hate for Nintendo here, just explaining why Steam Deck is different.

Actually, I’ve played a lot of point & click games on the Steam Deck. Older titles are often better because they’re entirely mouse driven.

Grim Fandango, Divine Divinity, Disciples—all are good.

If you want to know the worst games to play on Steam Deck, it’s those text adventure games that were popular in the 70s and 80s.

Blood, Baldur’s Gate, Septerra Core, and Nosferatu: Wrath of Malachi have all been PC exclusives for decades now.

Seriously, I got lots of great PC classics to recommend to you.

You know what? I just had a change of heart.

PC gaming is so much more limited compared to the Nintendo Switch 2.

You can only play on the Steam Deck. All games available on PC have to be licensed by Valve. If Half-Life is played on anything that isn’t a Steam Deck, Valve will sue you into oblivion.

If only PC gamers could play their games on the hardware of their choosing instead of that one handheld. 😢

Thank you for showing me the error of my ways.

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