The Steam Deck is stronger than ever.

Summary

This week's Steam Deck news covers significant developments in Linux gaming, including Dolphin Emulator's official Flatpak support, enhancing Linux gamers' experience. The video also discusses vkd3d's optimizations and Microsoft's donation of the Mono project to Wine, benefiting cross-platform gaming. The Steam Deck Verified program surpasses 1,600 titles, with 'Black Myth Wukong' topping the charts, indicating the Deck's popularity. The video concludes with insights on the Deck's success, suggesting high sales despite competition.

Takeaways

• 🎮 Dolphin, the Nintendo GameCube and Wii emulator, is set to receive official Flatpak support, which will ensure more regular updates and synchronization with the latest emulator versions for Linux gamers, especially on Steam Deck.
• 🔧 Win's vkd3d version 1.13 has been released, featuring optimizations like basic loop unrolling support in the HLSL compiler and effects compiler support for several version 4.0 plus State objects.
• 🤝 Microsoft has donated Mono, the open-source .NET runtime, to the Wine project, marking a significant contribution to the cross-platform compatibility of games and applications.
• 📈 The Steam Deck Verified program has surpassed 1,600 titles rated as playable or verified, indicating Valve's commitment to the platform and the growing compatibility of games with the Steam Deck.
• 🐛 The recent Steam Deck beta client update has resolved the persistent error 11 and improved game resolution overrides and Steam input features.
• 🔝 Black Myth: Wukong, a top-selling game on Steam, has been outselling other titles on the platform, suggesting the Steam Deck's popularity and strong market performance.
• 💰 The Steam Deck's presence in the top 10 of Steam's global top sellers chart, despite being more expensive than other items, demonstrates its high demand and successful market positioning.
• 🔄 Valve's strategy of not providing specific sales numbers but focusing on relative and average numbers for the Steam Deck has kept the exact sales figures a mystery, but the device's consistent presence in top sales charts speaks to its popularity.
• 🌟 The success of the Steam Deck is not solely about performance but also its pricing and the platform's ecosystem, which has allowed it to remain a top seller on Steam since its release.
• 📱 The Steam Deck's continued presence in the top 100 best-selling games on Steam since its release, and often in the top 10, highlights its sustained popularity and the platform's strong appeal to gamers.

Q & A

What is the significance of Dolphin Emulator getting an official flatpak?

Dolphin Emulator's official flatpak is significant because it means that the Dolphin team will be directly responsible for creating and maintaining Linux builds, ensuring more regular updates and keeping them in sync with the latest version of the emulator, which benefits Linux gamers, especially those using the Steam Deck.

What does the release of vkd3d version 1.13 entail for users?

The release of vkd3d version 1.13 includes optimizations such as basic loop unrolling support in the HLSL compiler, effects compiler support for several version 4.0 plus State objects, and miscellaneous bug fixes. This update is important for users as it enhances the performance and stability of applications that rely on vkd3d.

Why did Microsoft donate Mono to the Wine project?

Microsoft donated Mono to the Wine project to ensure continued support and development of the Mono runtime, which is crucial for a wide range of video games and applications that use .NET or Mono for cross-platform functionality. This move also reflects Microsoft's recognition of the importance of open-source contributions to the ecosystem.

How does the Steam Deck's inclusion in the global top sellers chart indicate its popularity?

The Steam Deck's presence in the global top sellers chart, despite being a more expensive item compared to games, suggests high demand and popularity. It implies that for every several copies of top-selling games, one Steam Deck is sold, indicating strong sales figures and consumer interest.

What does the Steam Deck's 'error 11' fix signify for users?

The fix for 'error 11' in the latest Steam Deck beta client update is significant as it resolves a long-standing issue that required a device restart, enhancing user experience by providing a more stable and reliable gaming platform.

What does the growth in the number of 'verified' games on the Steam Deck indicate about Valve's commitment?

The increase in the number of 'verified' games on the Steam Deck, as reported by Steam DB, shows Valve's ongoing commitment to ensuring a high-quality gaming experience on the platform. It also highlights the growing library of games that are optimized for and perform well on the Steam Deck.

How does the success of 'Black Myth Wukong' reflect on the Steam Deck's market performance?

The success of 'Black Myth Wukong', being one of the most popular titles on Steam and outperforming the Steam Deck in revenue despite the Deck's higher price, indicates that the Steam Deck has a strong market presence and is a popular choice among gamers, even 131 weeks after its release.

What does the transition of Dolphin Emulator's Linux builds from distributions to the Dolphin team mean for users?

The transition means that users can expect more timely updates, better synchronization with the emulator's latest features, and potentially improved performance and stability due to the Dolphin team's direct involvement in creating and maintaining the Linux builds.

How does the Wine project's acquisition of Mono impact the gaming and application development community?

The Wine project's acquisition of Mono ensures continued support for the Mono runtime, which is vital for many games and applications. This move can lead to more robust cross-platform development, better compatibility, and an enriched ecosystem for .NET applications on Linux.

What does the distinction between 'playable' and 'verified' games on the Steam Deck signify?

The distinction signifies that 'verified' games are expected to perform exceptionally well on the Steam Deck, while 'playable' games may have some issues but are still functional. This categorization helps users make informed decisions about their gaming experience on the device.

Outlines

00:00

🎮 Dolphin Emulator's Official Flatpak for Linux Gamers

The video discusses a significant development in the Linux gaming community with the Dolphin emulator, known for its Nintendo GameCube and Wii emulation capabilities, preparing an official Flatpak build. This move is attributed to the rising demand from Steam Deck users. Dolphin had previously left Linux builds to distributions, but now, with the Steam Deck's popularity, the team is taking over to ensure more frequent updates and synchronization with the emulator's latest version. This will benefit Linux gamers, especially those using the Steam Deck, by providing quicker access to new features and performance improvements.

05:00

🔧 VKD3D 1.13 Release and Microsoft's Contribution to Wine

The script highlights the release of VKD3D version 1.13, which includes optimizations like basic loop unrolling support in the HLSL compiler and effects compiler support for version 4.0 plus State objects. It differentiates VKD3D from VKD3D Proton, explaining that Valve's focus on a narrower scope allows for faster updates compared to Wine's broader support goals. Additionally, the video notes Microsoft's donation of the Mono project to the Wine project. Mono, a crucial .NET runtime used across various platforms and games, is a significant open-source contribution that Microsoft has decided to hand over to Wine, indicating a positive shift in their stance towards open-source projects.

10:02

📈 Steam Deck's Popularity and Verified Program Milestones

The video script addresses the success of the Steam Deck, noting that over 1,600 titles are now rated as playable or verified according to Steam DB. It discusses the distinction between 'playable' and 'verified' titles, emphasizing the high performance of verified games on the Steam Deck. The script also mentions the resolution of a long-standing bug, error 11, and other improvements in the latest beta client update. Furthermore, it uses the popularity of the game 'Black Myth Wukong' and its sales in comparison to the Steam Deck to infer the continued strong demand for the device. Despite being on sale for over a year, the Steam Deck remains in the top 10 of best-selling products on Steam, suggesting robust sales figures possibly in the millions.

Keywords

💡Dolphin Emulator

Dolphin Emulator is an open-source software that allows users to play Nintendo GameCube and Wii games on various platforms, including Linux. In the video, it is mentioned as getting an official flatpak, which is significant because it means the Dolphin team is taking over the Linux builds, ensuring more regular updates and synchronization with the latest emulator versions. This is a notable development for Linux gamers, especially those using the Steam Deck, as it promises improved gaming experiences.

💡Flatpak

Flatpak is a software platform that allows applications to be packaged and distributed in a way that is secure and easy to install. In the context of the video, Dolphin Emulator is getting an official flatpak, which is a big step forward for Linux users as it ensures that the emulator will be more up-to-date and reliable. This is a significant change from the previous approach where Linux distributions were responsible for packaging Dolphin.

💡Steam Deck

The Steam Deck is a handheld gaming device developed by Valve Corporation. It is mentioned as a driving factor behind the demand for an official Linux build of the Dolphin Emulator. The video discusses how the success and popularity of the Steam Deck have influenced the gaming industry, including the number of games rated playable or verified for the device. The Steam Deck's presence in the top sellers chart also indicates its popularity and the impact it has on the gaming market.

💡VKD3D

VKD3D is a project by Valve that aims to provide a translation layer for DirectX 12 to Vulkan, allowing Windows games that rely on DirectX to run on Linux. In the video, VKD3D version 1.13 is highlighted for its optimizations, including basic loop unrolling support and effects compiler support. This update is important for Linux gamers as it improves the performance and compatibility of Windows games on Linux platforms, particularly on the Steam Deck.

💡Wine

Wine is an open-source compatibility layer that allows users to run Windows applications on Unix-like operating systems. The video mentions that Microsoft has donated Mono, a .NET runtime, to the Wine project. This is significant because Mono is used by a wide range of video games and applications, and its integration with Wine could potentially improve the compatibility and performance of these games and applications on Linux.

💡Mono

Mono is an open-source implementation of Microsoft's .NET Framework. It is used by many video games and applications for cross-platform compatibility. In the video, it is noted that Microsoft has donated Mono to the Wine project, which could enhance the ability of Wine to run .NET-based applications on Linux, thus expanding the range of software that can be used on the platform.

💡Deck Verified Program

The Deck Verified Program is an initiative by Valve to rate games on their compatibility and performance with the Steam Deck. Games are rated as either 'Playable' or 'Verified'. The video highlights that over 1,600 titles have been rated, which is a positive sign for the Steam Deck's ecosystem. The program ensures that users have a clear understanding of which games will work well on the device, enhancing the overall user experience.

💡Black Myth: Wukong

Black Myth: Wukong is a highly anticipated action role-playing game that has been gaining significant attention. In the video, it is mentioned as the most popular title on Steam, indicating its strong market presence. The game's success is used as an example to discuss the popularity and impact of the Steam Deck, as it is outselling other top titles in terms of revenue, showcasing the Deck's continued relevance and popularity in the gaming market.

💡Error 11

Error 11 is a bug that has been persistent in the Steam Deck, causing issues that required a device restart to resolve. The video notes that the latest beta client update for the Steam Deck has fixed this issue, which is a significant improvement for users. This fix, along with other updates and fixes, demonstrates Valve's commitment to enhancing the Steam Deck's performance and user experience.

💡Steam Input

Steam Input is a feature of the Steam platform that allows for custom controller configurations and improved input handling for games. The video mentions that the latest Steam Deck beta client update includes fixes and features related to Steam Input. This is important for gamers as it can enhance the control schemes and overall gameplay experience on the Steam Deck, making it more versatile and user-friendly.

Highlights

Dolphin, the Nintendo GameCube and Wii emulator, is getting an official flatpak version for Linux, a significant change due to the Steam Deck's popularity.

The Dolphin team is taking over the flathub build, promising more regular updates and sync with the latest emulator version.

Linux gamers, especially on Steam Deck, can expect faster access to new features and performance updates with the official Dolphin flatpak.

Win's vkd3d version 1.13 introduces optimizations like basic loop unrolling support and bug fixes, separate from vkd3d proton.

Microsoft donates the Mono project, a .NET runtime used widely in video games and applications, to the Wine project.

Mono's donation signifies a shift in Microsoft's stance towards open-source, historically less supportive.

The Steam Deck Verified program surpasses 1,600 titles rated playable or verified, indicating strong support for the platform.

The gap between verified and playable games on Steam Deck is growing, suggesting higher quality standards for verified titles.

Steam Deck's success is underscored by its presence in the top 10 of Steam's best-selling games list since its release.

Black Myth: Wukong's success on Steam indicates the popularity of the Steam Deck, as it outperforms the device in sales.

Valve's commitment to the Steam Deck is evident through continuous updates and improvements to the platform.

A rare bug, error 11, on Steam Deck has been fixed in the latest beta client update, enhancing user experience.

Steam Deck's pricing and platform uniqueness are contributing factors to its sustained popularity and sales.

Valve's sales figures suggest multiple millions of Steam Decks sold, reflecting the device's widespread adoption.

The Steam Deck's continued presence in the top 100 best-selling games on Steam demonstrates its enduring appeal.

Transcripts

this week we've seen a huge number of

open- source news stories that have the

potential to shake up the Linux gaming

World we'll talk about it plus the steam

deck verified program hits another

Milestone and what does the success of

black myth Wukong tell us about the

popularity of the steam deex Hardware

we'll talk about all of this and more in

this week's steam deck news

video first up let's talk about Dophin

dolphin is the incredible Nintendo

GameCube and Wii Emulator and I'm sure

many of you are familiar with it well

dolphin is getting an official flat pack

this is big news since at least up until

this point the dolphin team has left the

Linux builds up to distributions to

package and maintain so why the sudden

change of heart well it's pretty simple

the steam deck of course quote over the

past 8 years the dolphin project has

chosen to not create any official builds

for Linux instead opting to relegate

that task to Linux distributions however

with the rise of the steam deck we've

observed significant user demand for an

official flat pack version of

dolphin now this is from an issue filed

on the GitHub for the current flat pack

build of dolphin and at the time of

posting it was not maintained by the

dolphin team it was posted by one

oatmeal Dome uh one of dolphin's

contributors the post continues by

asking questions about making the

current flathub build the official

in-house build of dolphin and the thread

goes on to discuss the finer questions

posed by oatmeal and it concludes with

the Dophin team taking control of the

repo as of right now the flathub build

is not the official version yet but

after some work the Dolphin team should

be able to get their latest builds

official Builds on flathub so what does

this mean for us as Linux Gamers

especially on Steam deck well this means

that the builds that are in flathub

should have more regular updating and

should remain in sync with the latest

version of the emulator and do so with

relative quickness we'll get new

features and performance updates sooner

and that means that people using muud

deck or any of the other options out

there should also see major improvements

so thanks to the dolphin team for their

continued work it's great to see them

taking over building uh the emulator for

flat pack and uh yeah let me know what

you think about this story in the

comments below all right next up win's

vkd3d version 1.13 is available now now

according to their release notes this

update has a bunch of optimizations and

the biggest ones being basic Loop

unrolling support in the hlsl compiler

uh effects compiler support for several

version 4.0 plus State objects and

miscellaneous bug fixes now don't get

this release confused with vkd3d proton

these are two closely aligned but

distinct projects from each other valve

wanted to be able to support new

optimizations and features faster so

they forked vkd3d a little while ago

since valve's scope of supported

software is fairly narrow they can

actually be a bit more Speedy with their

releases however wine is aiming for

wider support so they're justifiably

more cautious with their role out of new

features anyway it's good to see wine

making these kind of updates and

speaking of wine Microsoft has donated

mono to the wine project now if you're

unfamiliar mono is the free and opens

source.net runtime now/ mono is what a

huge swath of video games are written in

unity uses it good do is capable of

using it anything that has run on

Microsoft's XNA framework uses it even

some open source games like openra use

it and many countless desktop

applications and mobile applications too

they're all using some kind of net or

mono and if they're crossplatform

they're definitely using mono you know

what I'm kind of at a loss for words

honestly let's read Microsoft's official

post the mono project has been an

important part of the net ecosystem

since it was launched in 2001 my

Microsoft became the steward of the mono

project when it acquired zamarin in 2016

the last major release of the mono

project was in July of 2019 with minor

patch releases since that time the last

patch release was February of 2024 we

are happy to announce that the winehq

organization will be taking over as the

stewards of the mono project Upstream at

wine mono monono on gitlab the source

code in existing repos will remain

available although repos may be archived

binaries will be available for up to 4

years Microsoft maintains a modern Fork

of monor runtime in the net runtime repo

and has been progressively moving

workloads to that fork that work is now

complete and we recommend that active

mono users and maintainers of mono based

application Frameworks migrate to net

which includes work from this Fork we

want to recognize that the mono project

was the first net implementation on

Android iOS Linux and other op operating

systems the mono project was a

Trailblazer for the net platform across

many operating systems it helped make

crossplatform doet a reality and enabled

net in many new places and we appreciate

the work of those who came before us

thank you to all mono developers now

this is interesting to see from

Microsoft who have historically been

quite hostile towards open source

projects and the fact that they're

handing over the Reigns of mono to the

wine project of all things you know what

that's pretty interesting it's really

exciting actually now if they could only

just open source the windows kernel and

hand that over to Wine as well now if

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thanks okay let's talk about the deck

verified program for a minute they've

recently hit another big milestone over

1,600 titles are rated either playable

or verified according to uh steam DB

here now if we just look at playable

it's

10,706 and for steam deck verified it's

5,328 games now these are great numbers

to see uh and it is very nice that the

the gap between verified and playable

continues to grow because verified

should be reserved for those games that

perform extremely well on the steam deck

so I like seeing the disparity between

these two numbers grow but keep in mind

that steamdb here only shows games that

have received an official rating from

vales verified program games don't have

to be verified or playable to work on

the steam deck and there are tens of

thousands of unrated games or even games

that are listed as unsupported that work

just fine in fact games like black myth

Wukong current sit at the top of the

steam deck's most played list with a

Charming little unknown rating however

the ever growing list of verified in

playable titles shows that valve are

committed to the steam deck that and the

constant stream of beta and stable steam

deck clients and the Steam OS updates

prove the steam deck success let's talk

about that real quick first a rare but

long-standing bug with the steam deck

was the ominous error 11 it would

persist until the deck was restarted and

the latest Steam deck beta client update

noted that the error 11 issue was fixed

they also fixed the game resolution

overrides failing to apply for non-

Steam games additionally there were a

bunch of uh steam input fixes and

features that are pretty cool but

something else happened recently that

proves just how popular the steam deck

really is there have been a number of

huge game releases over the last few

weeks and we can use a little bit of

clever thinking to figure out just how

successful the steam deck really is now

I have to give a lot of credit to Liam

over on gaming on Linux for pointing

this out I mean he mentions in his

article here that valve doesn't like to

give out specific numbers when it comes

to their products instead they give out

relative and average numbers as I've

done many times I like to use valve's

Hardware survey numbers to try to figure

out how like an absolute number of steam

deck units in the wild but this is all

based on other numbers that are many

years old at this point so I don't know

how accurate those are but I I think

this is interesting because valve gives

out other numbers that we can use and

while this won't give us like absolute

totals it does prove just how popular

the steam deck is and continues to be

when we look at the global top sellers

chart on Steam you see something

interesting Blackmouth Wukong is number

one and that's no surprise I mean the

game has been a Smash Hit And if we skip

over the fre to play titles number two

on this list is the steam deck followed

by Warhammer 40,000 space Marines 2 and

Call of Duty Black Ops 6 now if you know

anything about this title the list is

ranked by total revenue not by units

sold and given that the steam deck is on

average about six times more expensive

than the other competitors here well

then it would make sense that it's

beating them out but I mean look at this

for every one steam deck sold Blackmouth

Wukong has to sell at least six to make

up that Revenue and it is beating out

the steam deck so if we flip that logic

around then that means that for every

five or six copies of black myth Wukong

the most popular title on Steam right

now the steam deck is selling around one

unit and this is the steam deck's 131st

week on sale guys I mean look at the

next most popular paid game on Steam

this week Warhammer 40,000 Space Marine

2 it's the second most wishlisted game

in steam history and it's also a top

seller when it comes to pre-orders and

the steam deck after all these years is

still beating it out I mean in terms of

absolute units Warhammer would out sell

the steam deck if it sold six copies for

every one Deb and it's not doing that

right like I'm sure when the game

actually goes out of pre- purchase and

goes on sale it will probably out sell

the steam deck at that point but this is

one of the bestselling pre-order games

in Steam history it's one of the most

wishlisted games in Steam history and

the steam deck is still beating it the

steam deck hasn't left the top 100

best-selling games on Steam since it was

released and it's been in the top 10 for

pretty much that entire time it goes to

show that performance isn't everything

in fact performance is mostly a red

herring a lot of the time these numbers

prove that the steam deck is very well

priced and it's a platform unto itself

and given that back in November valve

said that they had already sold multiple

Millions plural of steam decks I mean

what are we at here four 5 6 million

given that steam continues to set

concurrent player count records it would

not surprise me in the slightest if we

were in the latter half of under 10

million I'd love to hear your take

though let me know your thoughts in the

comments below that's going to do it for

this video but make sure you check out

this one where I talk about the first

things that you should do with your new

steam deck I want to thank my patrons

for their continued support if you want

to help support this show you can do so

with the links below and with that I'll

see you guys in the next one