The Steam Deck, a portable PC designed for gaming on the go, has been a major player in the handheld market. It allows users to enjoy a vast library of games. However, things might soon change, as some PlayStation games have stopped working on Proton. This directly affects users of the Linux-based Steam Deck, especially those who were looking to take advantage of these PlayStation titles forgoing console exclusivity to bring in some PC players.
Some PlayStation games have stopped working on Proton
According to a tweet by Pirat_Nation, PlayStation games are being blocked from running on Proton, a compatibility layer that allows Linux users to play Windows games. Proton is developed by Valve and is used prominently on their Steam Deck handheld, which uses the custom Linux-based SteamOS operating system. In the video posted with the tweet, the user installed the Concord beta on their Steam Deck. However, as soon as the game was launched, it gave the error “Wine, Proton, and Steam Deck are not supported by this application.”
Pirat_Nation also notes that PlayStation Overlay is blocked on Linux in Ghost of Tsushima. We already knew this because of the fact the co-op multiplayer mode is not supported on Steam Deck. This is due to the need for PlayStation Network integrated features that aren’t supported by Linux, presumably related to the PS Overlay.
The sudden move by Sony has caused some backlash in the Steam Deck community, as many users rely on Proton to enjoy PlayStation’s PC ports. This move will affect those who already own such titles the most, as they will no longer be able to play them on their handheld. While we’re seeing mixed reactions from the community at the moment, some users speculate that Sony could be doing this to pave the way for a potential PlayStation Portable or PlayStation Vita successor.
The PS Vita, Sony’s last dedicated handheld console, was discontinued in 2019. However, the company may be thinking about jumping back into the market now that handheld portable PCs are extremely popular. And this wouldn’t be the first time Sony has focused on the PC market. In recent years, they’ve released several successful PC ports of their PlayStation exclusives, like Horizon Zero Dawn and God of War. In any case, we’ll have to wait and see what Sony has to say about the situation.
