Ubisoft games are broken on theSteam Deck, according to the latest batch of user reports. Not surprisingly, though, the community has already sourced a solution for the issue at hand, but unfortunately, the underlying issue isn’t likely to be solved anytime soon thanks to the way the publisher integrates its games with Steam.
Notably, while Valve’s handheld gaming PC has little trouble running all but the most hardware-intensive games on the market, problems crop up with titles locked behind additional DRM and/or gaming launchers. TheUbisoft Connect app, specifically, seems to have recently put a halt to any and all gaming Ubisoft fans may have tried to do on their Steam Deck devices.
RELATED:GTA Trilogy Launches on Steam and is Steam Deck Verified
It’s no secret that, for all its boons, Valve’sSteam Deckalso comes with an essentially unsolvable problem by default: it doesn’t run Windows. SteamOS is based on Arch Linux, and the recent updates for Ubisoft Connect broke its interaction with SteamOS’s Windows translation layer, Proton. Thankfully, Steam Deck users have already figured out that updating the device’s Proton Experimental version and switching all Ubisoft games to use it resolves the issue.
To change a game or application to the Proton Experimental translation layer, one doesn’t even need to switch over to theSteam Deck’s Desktop mode. Instead, the option is accessible via the given title’s Settings menu, on the “Properties” screen. Once there, the user can simply check the “Force the use of a specific Steam Play compatibility tool” option and then select GE-Proton from the drop-down list.
While theSteam Deck has over 7,000 compatible games, with unofficial support for hundreds - if not thousands - of other titles, games that leverage additional external launchers will likely always remain an issue. All it takes is for Ubisoft to release one update that doesn’t have baseline Proton/SteamOS in mind and users will then need to deal with the consequences themselves. The fact that there’s a burgeoning community of users rallying behind the Steam Deck to deploy fixes is the obvious silver lining.
Seeing as howUbisoft is currently under firefor a number of reasons, it’s not very likely that the company is focused too much on Linux support or the Steam Deck itself. Switching Proton versions on the fly is not a huge problem, granted, but those who want a flawless gaming experience on the Deck may wish to avoid Ubisoft titles for the time being.
MORE:Minecraft Players Who Want Easy Access to Mods and Shaders Should Grab a Steam Deck
