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insane this guy wants to be taken seriously when he says

When we stopped supporting Linux, users made up less than .01% of the total player base, even if that number has doubled, or tripled, it's not worth it.

they really are just making shit up to defend their bone-ass decision making

I’m very comfortable saying that if a game supports Proton or Linux, they’re not serious about anti-cheat

and yet consistently games like Gunfire Reborn or ARC Raiders have less cheaters than your slop

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Client-side anti-cheat is nothing more than a vector for deployment of back-doors and root-kits.
Furthermore, client-side anti-cheat is nothing more than a pointless placebo that can never, ever, prevent cheating.

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How sim-heavy are these games ? I'm highly interested in a good Rally game, as long as it's fun with a controller and doesn't require the steering wheel etc.

Open to other Rally game recommendations as well

Assetto Corsa Rally (ACR) is far heavier on the sim side than the arcade side. If you try to drive it like it's DRIVE Rally or WRC (both more arcade-y, more controller-friendly games), you're gonna have issues. I've found WRC 9 to work pretty well on the Steam Deck (just had to bind the back paddles to shift up/down).

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I know I'm late, but very happy to hear this news.

I am hoping they are also planning another vr release. HL Alyx has been fantastic but it is time for a new release to go with the new hardware.

Long live Valve's love for linux. :)

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"Microsoft is moving towards limiting Windows kernel-level access for security reasons, a shift that will impact kernel anti-cheat systems over time. Instead of granting direct kernel access, Microsoft is developing its own security sensors in the kernel that user-mode applications, including anti-cheat software, can utilize for checks."

I think that the real reason to not enable it on linux, is that we are just not enough users that they care enough about us to find a solution. The good news is that the linux gamers are constantly increasing, so that at some moment they will find a solution. Probably in the form of a linux module that one would have to install. Let us just hope that this will not take another 10 years.

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@phil995511 I couldn't find commercial cheating software, so you appear to be right about that part.
[I did find open source cheating software.](https://alternativeto.net/software/cheat-engine/?platform=linux)
[Here an opensource cheat for old versions of half-life.](https://github.com/UnkwUsr/hlhax) and I know that several Windows cracks are also Linux compatible.
@BlackBloodRum might have more insight in the commercial side though.

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@kmturley Linux does something [similair/better](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linux_namespaces).
The problem isn't and has never been Linux features.
Android and TeslaOS are Linux distros with a high focus on security and deeply trusted by games.
RHEL is deeply trusted by production software.
Most to all their features are integrated directly into the Linux kernel you use.

The problem is trust: the games don't trust it, because you could've modified the kernel to lie to them and the users don't trust it, because they've no easy way of checking this is truly what is happening.

So, either one of the parties has to gain trust or the source of trust for the vendors has to be moved outside the kernel, since I'm a programmer and not a social sciences student I propose the second.

Edit:
Places where this trust can be moved to: the development environment(homeomorphic encryption), external servers(game streaming) or hardware modules(TPM)

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Wine(dos)11

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It’s great to see more options to play games on something that isn’t completely locked down in one way or another!

It’ll be very easy to recommend the SteamMachine to all who look for a new console. SteamOS is just nice to use, in my view. None of the other consoles out there come close.

Owning a SteamDeck, it still hits the sweet spot for me. I can play wherever I want, be it on the train or docked on a big screen. It’s also powerful enough for most games I enjoy.

I’m a bit worried that Valve might be spreading themselves too thin, though. This is a lot of hardware they are committing to supporting for a long time. Here is hoping that the deck (or rather any of the individual devices) won’t suffer.

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I’m surprised I still have to state the obvious here for certain people. Just because Linux has a low user share, doesn’t mean it won’t have cheat vendors and cheaters using it because they can get away with it.

It only takes one person with cheats to potentially ruin hundreds (thousands etc) of online matches.

So both can be factually true: low users, high cheats. Developers won’t be saying this kind of thing repeatedly if it was a flat out lie and no Microsoft aren’t paying them to do so, pure FUD.

Unlike Windows, where cheat software for competitive games is readily available, there are no commercial programs for Linux that allow cheating, let alone on a large scale. Claiming otherwise is misinformation and seriously damages your credibility with your readers!

If there are three cheaters on Linux, which isn't impossible, they are probably software developers who created programs for their own use, just as is perfectly possible on Windows.

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Added to wishlist. It looks promising, but currently its more like a tech demo imo. Only 10 cars and 2 rally locations with just 2 stages with 6 slices of those in the game, watersplashes, puddles physics are not in yet either.
will see when it gets more developed, but at the moment there doesnt seem to be much content.

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StarCraft: Brood War

Ooooh, old LAN memories

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"Microsoft is moving towards limiting Windows kernel-level access for security reasons, a shift that will impact kernel anti-cheat systems over time. Instead of granting direct kernel access, Microsoft is developing its own security sensors in the kernel that user-mode applications, including anti-cheat software, can utilize for checks."

I'd imagine Linux distros could implement something similar?

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Valve could update VAC to be server-side, AI-powered and give incentives to developers who opt to use it (like giving them a bigger cut of the sales)

Also you know what happens with VAC, so people with paid games on their accounts won't risk it.

They also could implement a cooldown timer so the same HWID cannot create throwaway accounts so quickly.

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@Pyrate
Ubisoft Connect / UPlay is the bane of my existence, especially for Assassin's Creed 2 on launch, getting kicked back to the main menu because UPlay lost connection

I do not think I have had the problem with it not remembering my credentials, but I have had more problems with EA Origin / EA launcher, for example, not being able to pass the -ui command-line argument to Command & Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars, which made it harder to play mods for C&C 3. I stopped using EA Origin / EA launcher when C&C Ultimate Collection arrived on Steam

@seamoose
I run a custom install of Linux Mint. I do not have a problem with other lunchers, but ruining them on Wine / Proton, they do not run well, or the original lunchers are just bloated telemetry gavering pup I use Heroic Games Launcher for GOG & Epic and Steam for C&C games

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I'm not sold on the LCD and FOV, but time will tell.


Also worried this will just be way too closely down under, thought Valve does now sell direct to AU customers so that helps.
BUT economy here is being held up entirely by massively overpriced housing, if the bubble bursts, Australia is finished.
Meanwhile nobody can find/afford a place to live...

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I've tried Proton 10 and GE 10 on a couple of games over the past month or two and had zero success even getting them to run. Had to fall back to 9 which has been flawless. I'll probably wait a while to try 10 again.

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Kernel level anticheat software has absolutely zero protection against third party tool assisted cheats. It is pointless to allow such software run free at such level while they offer no extra protection for dedicated hardware cheats.

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​This wine version in my case at simple seek runs ok, testing with hot wheels unleashed 2



and work ok in my case with mesa 26-dev of today, this show 1.4.333

tested with days gone from gog and driver san francisco (so sad dont have for my delorean for jump at 88mph )





almost forget this wine solve in my case annoying bug related with exit fullscreen game, in this bug some games when you exit to virtual desktop remove wine taskbar

​

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I see both sides of this argument. I get that kernel access anti-cheat is a serious "trust me, bro" situation. I also play both Counter-Strike 2, and Valorant regularly. One of those games is flooded with cheaters, and the other has basically none.

Interesting you say that Valorant doesn't have cheaters, because I've come across many reports that say otherwise.
Eg:
https://youtube.com/watch?v=OoB5_JGSybs&lc=Ugyu8ukIT-P8yIRSrUB4AaABAg&si=Cz_7LkyQAO8pUIPe

and at the same time, there's also reports of false positives and people getting banned for no fault of theirs, due to Vanguard: https://youtube.com/watch?v=t8P0KvWzRMQ&lc=UgyEurMFFGhLHjlCDv14AaABAg&si=XAj6ZpUT3x2bhJaq

There's also several reports of Vanguard crashing PCs:

https://www.reddit.com/r/riotgames/comments/1mksx3l/vanguard_causing_pc_crashes/

https://www.reddit.com/r/riotgames/comments/1cpqr2q/pc_crashing_since_i_installed_vanguard/

https://www.reddit.com/r/riotgames/comments/1dewy4f/vanguard_causing_pc_to_crash/

https://www.reddit.com/r/riotgames/comments/1lhn66v/riot_vanguard_pc_blue_screen_of_death/

https://www.reddit.com/r/riotgames/comments/1hgzg5a/valorant_and_league_of_legends_crashes_my_pc/

To make things worse Vanguard runs all the time in the background even when you're not playing a game that needs it: https://www.reddit.com/r/pcgaming/comments/g02ggb/valorant_anticheat_starts_upon_computer_boot_and/

And even causes FPS drops in games that don't even use Vanguard!

https://www.reddit.com/r/VALORANT/comments/g08aub/riots_anticheat_software_vanguard_is_causing/

And finally as someone else mentioned here, you can still cheat anyways by streaming the video to a remote device and using image recognition and input emulation.

So all that these anticheat systems are doing is offering a false sense of security, while severely compromising your system integrity and banning (some) legitimate players.

Anticheat is not just a Linux problem, it's a Windows problem as well - and the best we can do is boycott companies that rely on shitty client-side anticheats like Vanguard.

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HUGE SUCCESS.

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They've already stated in the interview videos that there won't be tiers.

Oh. Never mind, then.

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@Purple Library Guy

I wouldn't be surprised if, like the Deck, this comes in a few tiers. In that scenario, the specs we're discussing would be the low-end tier, and people's concerns would be addressed by the higher tiers.

They've already stated in the interview videos that there won't be tiers. The will be two prices, but the only change in hardware, will be in the size of the NVMe drive it comes with - which can be changed/upgraded quite easily by the user afterwards.

Also, just mentioning this in case anyone is wondering: the USB-C port on the Steam Machine is USB 3.2 Gen 2, so eGPUs won't work as an upgrade path.

Personally, I intend to make the Steam Machine a TV gaming machine, where most of my games and my emulation setup will live. For anything more demanding (of which I doubt there'll be much, if any), I have my main PC (from which the Steam Machine can also stream).

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Yep! Nothing stops Valve from doing a "Steam Machine Pro". Imo, the "fixed hardware configuration" is adressed by the Steam Deck.

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Valve will not make a new Portal? Fine! I will make my own, with colours, and guns.

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I see both sides of this argument. I get that kernel access anti-cheat is a serious "trust me, bro" situation. I also play both Counter-Strike 2, and Valorant regularly. One of those games is flooded with cheaters, and the other has basically none. In competitive online games you can't have cheaters. It fundamentally breaks the game experience.

Valve understands both parts of this. I hope their intelligent minds are at work engineering a solution for this technical problem in Linux. I would love to be able to delete my Windows 11 partition for good. Val is the only reason I have to keep it.

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Bottom's up friends! Time to go back down for another round.

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One question, could we not just sign the linux kernel and other parts, so that the anti cheat program would know that nothing has been altered? I am thinking about something like steam hosting a list of trusted hashes and that any company that is trusted by steam can push new hashes for theier compiled linux kernels there.

If kernel "protection" (or any client side system) is required to ensure people don't cheat, then how come there are so few billionaires ? After all, one can easily access their bank account without installing any rootkit kernel anti-cheat.

Game devs need to stop caring about what the client do and start caring about what their server receives, just like every other online service.

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I think it's fairly likely what will happen in the next 2-3 years is they'll make EAC work on Steam OS

@mattaraxia EAC already works on SteamOS (Proton). For instance, I play Fall Guys online (which uses EAC) and it works just fine. There's a whole bunch of other EAC games which work fine too from what I've heard, such as Brawlhalla, Sea of Thieves, Dead by Daylight etc.

In fact many other anticheat systems also work on Proton, such as BattlEye, nProtect Gameguard, VAC etc. Sure, they may not work at the kernel level and offer the same level of "protection" as on Windows, but the options are there. It's up to the studios/developers to enable support or switch to a compatible anticheat - if they care about Linux.

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I wouldn't be surprised if, like the Deck, this comes in a few tiers. In that scenario, the specs we're discussing would be the low-end tier, and people's concerns would be addressed by the higher tiers.

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