Bungie will ban Destiny 2 players trying to bypass Steam Deck incompatibility
Destiny 2 is not supported on the Steam deck, and anyone who tries to circumvent the rules will be banned immediately, developer Bungie said. Ip.
According to help and troubleshooting information on Bungie’s website: “Destiny 2 is not supported for play on Steam Deck or on any system using Steam Play Proton unless Windows is installed and running.
“Players who attempt to run Destiny 2 on a Steam deck via SteamOS or Proton will be unable to log into the game and will be returned to their game library after a short time.”
The FAQ further promises that “Players who attempt to bypass Destiny 2 incompatibilities will be banned from the game.” Harsh things.
Proton is Valve’s Linux compatibility layer, which is the key to running games programmed for Windows PCs on a Linux-based machine such as a Steam Deck. It can also be used on other Linux machines since Linux is open source.
However, this open-source nature of Linux could also be the reason for Destiny 2’s lack of support.
Some users have already turned to the DestinyTheGame subreddit to discuss the solution, including one user who explains in detail why Bungie is right here. Essentially, their argument boils down to Linux’s lack of secure boot and user-configurable kernels, or at least Steam Deck for that matter, which could leave Destiny 2’s multiplayer open to cheaters.
“Secure Boot OS can verify with cryptographic signatures that everything is working according to Steam’s specifications and that you, the user, are not allowed to install unauthenticated kernel-level drivers or interfere with other programs.” user floatatoll says.
“I wouldn’t trust anti-cheat systems on Linux because Linux doesn’t have a mechanism to boot in a mode that can’t be changed by the user.”
We don’t actually know the exact reason for Bungie’s lack of Steam Deck support, but it’s almost certainly because its anti-cheat software is still able to effectively support cheat-free online multiplayer.
It’s unlikely that Valve is going to release enough Steam decks in the short term to make any major changes to Destiny 2 anti-cheat worthwhile in this case as well.
This is the same argument that Fortnite developer Epic made when they decided not to update Fortnite to run on Steam Deck. Speaking with CEO Tim Sweeney said, “Linux is already a small market, and if you divide it into blessed kernel versions, it gets even smaller.” Combined with the ability to run custom kernels that could bypass client-side anti-cheat, this became too much of a risk for Epic’s incredibly popular battle royale.
“We don’t have confidence that we can tackle cheating on a massive scale with a wide range of kernel configurations, including custom ones,” Sweeney said.
And now Bungie is joining them in avoiding Steam Deck’s native Linux OS. However, Apex Legends has recently added support for Steam Deck and its compatibility layer, and there are ways to get anti-cheat software working on Linux, even Epic’s own Easy Anti-Cheat. So it probably depends on each game, the developer, and their own anti-cheat integration as to whether Steam Deck and the wider Linux ecosystem are supported or not.
The ability to install Windows on a Steam Deck is coming soon if you so desire, offering yet another option for Steam Deck keepers. Once the necessary drivers are installed for the Stream Deck to make this possible, users will be able to run all of these games as if they were on any other gaming PC, only one that is smaller and more portable. There’s also the option to play through streaming services like GeForce Now. We’ve had a lot of success using the Steam Deck as a nifty little streaming device, so it’s definitely a good way to go.
