Published , by TJ Denzer
Published , by TJ Denzer
Valve’s Steam Deck legitimately stands a chance of being one of the most exciting things to happen to PC gaming in years when it launches in early 2022. The handheld has the specs and tech to deliver a solid handheld PC gaming experience and proper access to a players Steam library. That said, Valve recently shared that it has no plans for gatekeeping games on the platform. The company stated that exclusivity on the Steam Deck won’t be a thing.
This detail was revealed in a recent developer faq posted on the Steam Games website. The faq answers to a number of topics about dev kits, game development, and ensuring compatibility with the Steam Deck. Among the topics included was that of game exclusivity for the handheld. To this, Valve stated that goes against the intention of the device.
“That doesn't make much sense to us,” Valve wrote. “It's a PC and it should just play games like a PC.”
It may come as a surprise or relief to anyone worried about losing out on good PC games because they don’t want or can’t get a Steam Deck. Given that early pre-orders were snapped up quickly and a delay has pushed all orders back several months, it’s likely that efforts to get a Steam Deck will likely face the same challenge as nearly every other popular hardware has faced in 2021 due to semiconductor shortage or other complications. With that in mind, it’s good to know that the PC games that players get to play on Steam Deck should be available without trouble on any other PC platform.
We’re still waiting on a release date for the first round of Steam Decks in February 2022, so stay tuned for further details and updates as we push into next year.