Game news You can play over 14,000 video games with this portable console and there is something for every type of gamer
If the Nintendo Switch has long been alone at the top of successful portable consoles, many competitors have since emerged. If it is difficult to compare them with Nintendo’s hybrid console, one of them impresses with its rich and varied catalog.
From Vampire Survivors to Elden Ring
You can play more than 14,000 video games with this portable console and there is something for all types of gamers According to the SteamDB site, there are exactly 14,078 video games (at the time of writing, of course ) which are playable on the Steam Deck. It is the portable console developed by Steam, distributed in early 2023 sometimes by Gabe Newell himself. A colossal figure which suggests, without much room for doubt, that there is something for everyone. From dazzling AAA like Cyberpunk 2077 or Elden Ring to independent games with more limited technical requirements like Stardew Valley, The Binding of Isaac or even Terraria, there really is something for everyone! To support this statement, we must remember that it is Vampire Survivors which has long reigned in the ranking of the most played games on the portable console.
However, it should be remembered that among these 14,000 titles, not all are necessarily optimized for consumption on the SteamDeck. Only those with the SteamDeck Verified mention (4,625 in number anyway) can boast of taking advantage of the portable console. The other 9453 display the Steam Deck Playable label, sometimes implying manipulation on the part of the player.
Four criteria to be verified on Steam Deck
But concretely, how does Valve judge the compatibility of video games with their console? Four criteria are taken into account when issuing final approval: commands/controls, display/resolution, barriers to entry (or so-called seamlessness), and finally compatibility of third-party programs ( anti-cheat for example):
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- Starters : The game must be fully compatible with controllers, use icons for appropriate controller inputs, and automatically display the on-screen keyboard when necessary.
- Display : The game must support Steam Deck’s default image definition (1280 × 800 or 1280 × 720), provide suitable default settings and readable text.
- Fluidity : The game should not display any compatibility warnings. It should be possible to navigate the launcher using the controller.
If you are using Proton, the game and any associated middleware must be supported by Proton; this notably includes support for anti-cheat technologies.