Steam Deck ETA?

[Creepy_Old_Man]

Might sound weird, but I basically bought the Steam Deck to play CYOA games and it seems like the absolute perfect platform for them. I was shocked that they were incompatible initially and figured it wouldn’t be long before that was resolved but still months later and no compatibility? Is this being worked on at all? I might legitimately sell my Steam Deck if there are no plans to make CYOA games playable. I’m still completely shocked that a genre so incredibly portable friendly has yet to be configured this far removed from the SD launch. Such a missed opportunity.

[LordOfLA]

The games from CoG/HG/HC should all work on the steam deck, they’re just electron apps, failing that you can use the website “import from steam” to play the web versions in whatever browser the steam deck uses. You may need to dig up the option to enable proton for all games.

[NoBody]

I like to play on steam too and one of the reasons I got a deck was so that I could play cog/hg on it, so it doesn’t sound weird at all that you got the deck for cyoa games.

I found that if you want cog/hg to work on the deck, you can change the compatibility to force the use of a specific steam play compatibility tool and the first option “proton experimental” works.

I personally like to launch in desktop mode bc of windowed mode, but it works in both game mode and desktop mode. The only “annoying” part is that there is no menu to close the game out of so in game mode you’d have to use the steam overlay to close the game or to force close it using the steam button + B.

[Kshatriya]

You might want to check out this thread for more info about compatibility with Steam Deck/Linux.

[Graviton]

Maybe these threads too could help you, along with the one @Kshatriya suggested.

Steam Controller Layout(s)

I am seeking input. I was not particularly happy with the default controls for the interactive books on Steam when using a controller. In particular the Steam Deck, because it generally lacks the option of a mouse/keyboard, at least when mobile. The WASD/Mouse layout worked, but I did not find it the most comfortable. Below is the layout I made, in case anyone has any input on how to improve it. The interactive books have very few controls, so I I added a lot of redundancy for particular taste…

My experience with a Steam Deck

Just for the sake of being a bit more complete with trying Choice game on Linux (I would not call them issues), I will note three small details when playing with a Steam Deck. It is not related to the games themselves, but just to note how it functions on a Steam Deck relative to general Linux desktops. Due to the way the Steam Deck works, with gamescope in Gaming Mode, there is no window border or “x” in the top-right corner, so it must be exited by pressing the Steam button and pressing Exi…

[NoiramSang]

I get the using a Steam Deck primarily for CYOA games. I used a Playstation Vita before it, and found it excellent for visual novels.

Having said that, the Steam Deck’s CPU is x86-based, while most Google/Apple products are ARM-based, in addition to the priority the Deck places on power, and so the Steam Deck offers lower battery life and is both heavier and more expensive than you might be able to get elsewhere, if those are factors to you.

Edit: If your games/books are already in Steam, that is a different matter (the Deck probably is the best option then), but since you stated you were considering selling the Deck, I am just making the note.

1. On official support
   As I understand it, for the little Deck compatibility label and fully automated selection of the best version of the game (in this case, that should be the Linux runtime) the company would either need to submit the games to Valve for verification, or it falls into the when-Valve-gets-to-it category (usually a much longer wait). I am uncertain of what the requirements for submission are. I am unaware if the company is able, willing, or intending to submit their games/books to Valve.

2. Effective compatibility
   In spite of lacking this, the games/books seem to work for me by defaulting to the Linux runtime. If that fails, forcing to Proton under the compatibility settings seems to work, although I would call it slightly inferior, most notable if you have limited hardrive space and/or a low-performance computer. Ideally, use a recent version of Proton (7 or higher).

3. Desktop vs Gaming Mode
   There are a few distinctions I am aware of between Desktop and Gaming Mode.

Desktop Mode: It has a window around it, so it can be closed with a click, but also has lower battery life. It also has the built-in Steam media player, if you like to play music with it.

Gaming Mode: Lacks a window, but has better battery life, assuming you use the performance settings. It lacks the Steam media player interface.

I have found the best of the two worlds (for me) to be use Gaming Mode, enable FSR (I find the text looks slightly better this way), increase the text size from inside the game settings, enable the Steam Deck settings to decrease power consumption, then configure the controller.

My preference for the controller: use the d-pad to scroll and select options, set A to confirm options, have buttons to control the media player, and a button to close the game.

Edit:
and as an aside, although I have not tested it, the web versions of their games/books should work in a web browser, either in Gaming or Desktop mode.

[Creepy_Old_Man]

Thanks! I will need to look up how to do all the things mentioned in this thread. Bought the deck to open my Steam, click on a game and play it. Anything beyond that is unfamiliar to me. I will work on trying to figure out what all this stuff means when I have some more free time to play around with the thing.

[LordOfLA]

With the steam deck being Linux-based it’s a little more involved than “open steam, click play” for games not deck verified.