BattlEye and Easy Anti-Cheat, two of the most popular PC anti-cheat solutions, have confirmed that they will support Valve’s Steam Deck. This announcement comes following concern that games such as Destiny 2 and Apex Legends wouldn’t work on Steam Deck due to issues with anti-cheat on Linux-based hardware.
Yesterday, BattlEye confirmed via Twitter that in addition to continued support for Mac and Linux, the software would also work on the Steam Deck via Proton, a compatibility layer used to run Windows games on Linux-based machines. It was also confirmed that Wine, another Linux compatibility layer, would receive support for BattlEye in addition to Proton.
Earlier this week, Epic Games announced that Easy Anti-Cheat will also run on Valve’s upcoming handheld PC. The gaming giant also revealed that developers would be able to add support for Mac, Linux (Wine), and Proton with “just a few clicks in the Epic Online Services Developer Portal.”
Anti-cheat and anti-piracy software is something of a controversial topic among PC gamers, with potential performance issues being the main concern. Earlier this year, Capcom found themselves at the centre of controversy after their DRM system significantly affected performance in Resident Evil Village.
The Steam Deck is expected to start shipping in December, with some delivery estimates going as far back as Q2 2022. Valve have also recently updated the Steam Deck site with a detailed FAQ page, claiming that some of these fan inquires were sent directly to Co-founder Gabe Newell.