Valve drops new Steam Deck Verified-style system for other SteamOS handhelds

Valve has just announced that it’s introducing another compatibility check system for gaming handhelds, this time to verify whether third-party machines running Steam Deck OS can still run certain games. The move comes as the Steam Deck compatibility system comes under fire for verifying games that barely run on the handheld, while new SteamOS handhelds, such as the Lenovo Legion Go S, are waiting in the wings.

Despite hefty competition, the Steam Deck remains the best handheld you can buy for gaming right now, thanks to the smooth usability of SteamOS compared to the often clunky experience of using Windows on alternative devices. However, the current Valve certification system for games has come in for heavy criticism over the last few weeks, with games such as Indiana Jones and the Great Circle on Steam Deck getting full Verified status, despite rarely being able to hit 30fps on the Deck, and with extremely long loading times too.