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Do you play non-steam games?

How many of you install games outside Steam on your Decks? Do you find the process easy?

I’m a hobbyist game developer myself, and I’m looking into making games especially designed for the Steam Deck. However, for freeware games, the $100 price per title on the Steam store is a bit too steep. I wish there was an easy-to-use alternative store on the Deck, but since that’s not the case, I’m wondering if it would make any sense to develop games for the Deck and publish them, for example, on Itch.io.

(As a proof of concept, I created this step-by-step guide for a hacky Steam Deck version of my old game, Soccer Physics. I think it still applies, even though it’s a year-old build/guide: www.ottoojala.com/soccerphysicssteamdeck/ )

h3mlocke ,

The only non-steam game I play is league 😭

kamenlady ,
@kamenlady@lemmy.world avatar

https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/2afe8fdb-c82a-4d5b-82e1-4e865b59eb1b.png

JoYo ,
@JoYo@lemmy.ml avatar

riot could run on the steamdeck any time they please. they choose no.

JoYo ,
@JoYo@lemmy.ml avatar

I got WoW and D4 to work great through battle.net.

Shadow ,
@Shadow@lemmy.ca avatar

No. I’m technical enough to figure out how, but way too lazy to bother.

tsl ,
@tsl@lemmy.stefanoprenna.com avatar

I use regularly Lutris, Bottles, ScummVM, Dosbox-X or EmulationStation. So I can play from GOG, Epic, Itch.Io or plain old games (Dos) / emulated.

I do have many titles on Steam as well and generally I don’t look too much at whether something is verified or platinum on ProtonDB, I just avoid titles from companies like Activision, EA, Ubisoft and generally all works very easily or easy enough!

Contramuffin ,

I mainly use mine for emulation. So technically yes, but you’ll need to provide a way to download and install it easily

Edge004 ,

I’ve installed games from itch.io, and it’s about as easy as on windows.

Dark_Arc ,
@Dark_Arc@social.packetloss.gg avatar

Yes, though it’s increasingly rare because most game developers would rather just integrate with Steam than setup their own account and payment systems … and I can hardly blame them.

A prime example is Andrew Gower’s new game. The dude started Jagex and RuneScape he surely could make a new account system, billing system, etc for Brighter Shores … he has all the experience necessary at a scale few developers have the experience with. He’s just opting not to and it’s surely because Steam’s offering in terms of game promotion and ease of access is unparalleled.

grimaferve ,

Not a SD user, but a desktop gamer who found your post. I wouldn't be surprised to see people on the fediverse say they often play games outside of Steam.

The non-techy people I know treat the thing like a console and refuse to use desktop mode for games. That's the catch of the Steam Deck. It runs Linux underneath, but most people never (want to) interact with it. I love it for what it does for Linux gaming but there's more to PC gaming than just Steam - Although I'm aware that Steam probably underprices these with hopes to recoup the loss back on Steam purchases.

(Also your method isn't really hacky, that's just kind of how binary executables work in Linux, plus the steps to add it to Steam)

oivoi OP ,

Yes, the store works so well that I’d guess not too many people bother with the desktop mode. It also works really well for developers, as @Dark_Arc mentioned, with installing non-Steam games still not too hard for those who really want to, like @Edge004, so I guess there’s really no need for any change.

I’ll probably just end up developing for devices with gamepads in general. The idea of making a game specifically for the Deck is intriguing, like maybe a shared-controller local multiplayer game, but I guess it’s better not to lock the designs too much to the Deck’s features, especially since there isn’t really a platform to showcase those kinds of games.

Thann ,
@Thann@lemmy.ml avatar

Beyond All Reason is FOSS, published on flatpak, and works great on the deck! (W/ keyboard, mouse, and monitor)

Telorand ,

Yep. Most are via Epic, GOG, and Amazon Games, but I’d install an itch.io game, if there was one I wanted to play.

If you’re trying to save money, instead of using it as a way to build reputation, I don’t think it’s that big of a deal to choose a cheaper option. And if you find that it becomes popular, you can maybe consider Steam later on.

EmDash ,

I emulate a lot of old games on my Steam Deck. It’s not too hard, but requires some work. I will do the work for non-Steam stores if/when there is something I want to play from one. However, I suspect not releasing your games on Steam will really limit your reach. My guess is that most people won’t go through the effort to get itch.io games work on thier Deck.

gamma ,
@gamma@programming.dev avatar

A few from Itch, Parallel Launcher from Flatpak for SM64 hacks

makatron ,
@makatron@mastodon.totmin.ru avatar

@oivoi Я использую Lutris 👌

PerogiBoi ,
@PerogiBoi@lemmy.ca avatar

I installed Sim Theme Park, Nerf Arena Blast, and Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone, on my deck through Desktop mode and made custom key bindings for all of them.

I run them with Proton Experimental through steam or WINE if I’m trying to play Sim Theme Park.

Found the old .ISO files on an abandonware site and went to town!

Furty ,
@Furty@mstdn.games avatar

@oivoi I have quite a few non-steam games installed. I've used Bottles, Lutris, and Heroic, along with EmuDeck and itch.io. I've also manually installed some fan games.

Being able to switch desktop mode and use the Deck as a decent PC (when hooked to my monitor and kb&m) is one of the reasons I was interested in the Steam Deck to begin with. Though I do enjoy tinkering almost as much as I do actually playing the games.

oivoi OP ,

I too like the fact that you can tinker with the device and make the device more personal to you, especially as the Deck is also a machine that just works, if you stick to the game mode. I feel like I get the best of two worlds.

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