In their latest update, Valve has released Windows drivers for the Steam Deck, enabling users to install the Windows 10 operating system on their device. The handheld gaming system had a slightly rocky launch late last month, with many reporting software related issues.
All the resources can be found on the official Steam Deck website, where you can download all the important GPU, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth drivers. Those interested will have to first wipe clean the data on their device, as dual-boot is not currently available. “While Steam Deck is fully capable of dual-boot, the SteamOS installer that provides a dual-boot wizard isn’t ready yet,” it reads.
For now, the Steam Deck only supports a Windows 10 install, as Windows 11 requires a new BIOS that provides fTPM support. Since the device comes equipped with an AMD based APU, the feature needs to be enabled before installation, as seen with other Ryzen systems.
Additionally, the drivers do not include any audio drivers yet, rendering wired headphones and speakers useless. However, Bluetooth and devices supporting USB Type-C audio can be used.
Valve has also offered some recovery options in case something goes awry during installation or if the user intends to go back to the default Steam OS. Same as a standard Windows installation, users will be required to create a bootable flash drive using the Rufus utility and the downloadable recovery image.
In the recovery environment, users can choose from a bunch of recovery options, starting with the ‘Re-image,’ which factory resets the entire device. ‘Clear user local data’ formats all partitions while ‘Reinstall’ will simply install the Steam OS by trying to preserve any data or games. There is also a ‘Recovery tool’ option that pens a prompt with the ability to make changes to the Steam Deck boot partition.
Earlier this month, developer Bungie had confirmed that Destiny 2 is not compatible with the Linux-based Steam OS. The studio, at the time, stated that the game is only configured to run on Windows, and that any attempts at bypassing the compatibility will be met with a game ban.
Now that Steam Deck has released an official solution from their side, it remains to be seen if Bungie will hold onto their claims. This new feature could also allow for Epic Games’ Fortnite to run on the device, whose CEO Tim Sweeney had denied any Linux-oriented updates, citing compatibility issues with Easy Anti-Cheat.
