Steam Deck gets a boost with Heroic Launcher 2.16.0 update, adds shortcuts for uninstalled games and more
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Heroic Launcher just got a big update with version 2.16.0, bringing many new features and improvements. If you use Heroic to play games from Epic Games, GOG, or Amazon on your Steam Deck, this update makes things even better.
We'll be going over some of the major changes and improvements the update has introduced. For a full list of changes, you can visit the official update log on Github.
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New features in Heroic 2.16.0
This update introduces new tools to make gaming smoother and more customizable. For instance, you can now use shortcuts for games you haven't installed yet. This means you can organize your Steam Library better without needing to install every game first.
On top of that, Heroic now logs anti-cheat details, which helps troubleshoot problems with games that require anti-cheat software. If a game won't launch, you can check the logs for issues. Another feature called Gamescope is useful for full-screen games where the cursor sometimes escapes the window. With this new toggle, you can keep the cursor locked inside the game.
Bug fixes
This update fixes many issues that users were facing, improving the stability and reliability of the launcher. One of the important fixes is the DXVK uninstallation issue, where removing DXVK wasn't properly deleting all files. Now, it correctly removes everything when uninstalled. Another major fix prevents runtime crashes that some users were experiencing during runtime checks.
Older GOG games were having trouble during setup, but Heroic has now fixed these GOG v1 game setup issues, making it easier to install those titles. The update also makes sure that if you adjust the zoom settings of the Heroic window, they stay the same after minimizing and restoring the app.
UI, UX, and technical improvements
The update also brings several improvements to the user interface and overall experience. Font support for non-Latin languages has been improved, making translations display better for users who play in different languages. Heroic's auto-install fixes feature is also now standard, meaning it no longer needs to be enabled manually, as it works by default.
On Linux-based systems and the Steam Deck, the update makes umu the default launcher for Proton games, making it easier to run non-Steam games. For those who like to tweak the look of Heroic, there's now support for custom CSS styling, allowing users to make advanced UI changes that apply across all themes.
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