While I don't at all expect TS and TSW to be officially compatible with the Steam Deck and SteamOS, I wonder how (or if) TS and TSW will run on it once Windows is installed. I am getting one as I need a proper gaming PC and it is the best value for money, but I might hold off if Train Simulator is incompatible with it. I don't care about TSW since I play it on PlayStation and probably always will, but TS and other PC games like Transport Fever and Automation keep me on PC and don't run very well - or at all - on my potato PC, so it would be amazing if TS is confirmed to work well on a Windows installation on the Steam Deck.
I wouldn't call the steam deck a proper gaming PC It effectively is a Linux machine, running Arch Linux, running a compatibility layer. Valve reckon it can run whatever is in your Steam library, but I, and many others need convincing of that, as there's a LOT of old stuff you can have in your Steam library that won't even run under Win 10 or 11, so I suppose it remains to be seen. The official line on this though is, yes, it should run whatever is in your Steam library. As for performance... it should be fine (if it runs).
Linux > Windows. It's a real shame that Windows dominates home pc's. I've had Linux servers with uptime of over four years with no need for even a reboot.
I would say there is a very high probability it will work as it’s using Steam’s Proton compatibility layer, which is based on WINE. People are already having success running TS Classic on conventional PCs with Proton under Linux, which is for all intents and purposes what a Steam Deck is. The only unknown is how it will cope with the built in controllers. I run TS on an ARM Mac using a very similar compatibility layer to Proton, which is also based on WINE, and the Steam Deck is considerably closer to the standard Intel PC running Windows than my system! Also, as the OP said, it’s possible to install Windows 10 on a Steam Deck, thus solving that problem if you, for some reason, want Windows It’ll be interesting to see how much more space would be required, and if it had an impact on performance compared to SteamOS. The screen on a Steam Deck is fairly low resolution, and presumably the GPU is optimised for running the internal screen’s resolution rather than on an external display. I think for me, that would be the big question - can it cope with a bigger screen? One final point, the storage options on Steam Deck vary considerably, from a relatively slow eMMC storage to relatively fast NVME SSDs, so that will have a big impact on performance and the dreaded tile stutter!
I’ve just returned today to TS Classic after about 5 years when I had no suitable PC to run it. I still don’t, but am running it on an M1 iMac 2022 via Crossover and have just ran a service from Darlington to Barnard Castle. I usually play these days on TSW2 on PlayStation 5 but have been frustrated by the quality and quantity of available routes. I have pre-ordered the top spec Steam Deck so I could play TS Classic again and revisit all the lovely routes like Settle & Carlisle, WCML Shap, and others. In the meantime I discovered recently that Crossover would allow me to run Steam for Windows on my M1 Mac and that has downloaded and been installed today. First impressions, I’d forgotten how dated TS Classic looks, and how slowly it loads. The level of detail is night and day. I’m not sure what I was expecting, I guess as I haven’t played TS Classic in years my memory had enhanced things. I have a couple of weeks to evaluate before I have to pay for Crossover. The point of my post is, that TS Classic can be run via Crossover on an M1 Mac. While compatibility for TS Classic on Steam Deck is yet to be confirmed, I think I may end up saving myself £549 and stick with the PlayStation and Mac, and cancel the Steam Deck preorder
Believe me, the only reason I haven't left for Mac or Linux is because of Train Simulator, Transport Fever and Automation. SteamOS, when installed on regular computers, runs significantly worse than Windows, but whether the reverse is true for the Steam Deck remains to be seen.
Well there may be the advantage to be obtained from Steam creating the hardware AND the software, much like with Apple, and therefore, theoretically, optimising the bejezus out of it to get the best from it. We can but hope!
Looks like Steam Deck’s launch has been delayed by a couple of months… https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2021/11/valve-delays-steam-deck-launch-two-months-to-february-2022/
Steam have today released a compatibility checker for SteamDeck to be found here: https://store.steampowered.com/steamdeck/mygames At the time I’m posting here, TS Classic and TSW haven’t been tested, so there’s no confirmation of compatibility or not.
The compatibility checker says Train Simulator is incompatible. Additionally, there is this video but since I can't understand German I have no idea what he is saying. Windows support seems to not be very good according to MKBHD so it may well be the case that I'll be canceling my pre-order as TS was literally my only reason to get a Steam Deck. TSW seems to work fine though.
Likely that and being better optimised and running better on modern machines. The video I watched showed the game ran but because of the language barrier I have no idea about any other details about how it worked. If there are any German users on this forum I'd really appreciate if someone could watch and translate the video.
Hope may not be entirely lost. Some of Steam’s compatibility criteria are related to being able to control a game entirely using SteamDeck’s built in console style controllers. Given the slightly different control schemes for different locos within TS Classic, this might be why its being listed as (currently) unsupported. This is conjecture, but its hopeful conjecture based on TS Classic’s reasonably sound compatibility with Proton on the desktop, and with Crossover for Mac, both of which are using the same technology (WINE) that Steam are using to make PC games work on their device (and Linux). I think it might still be a case of wait and see. It might be an entirely unrelated and unresolvable problem, but I have a hunch it isn’t. *Edit*. After looking at the video again and trying to get snippets if what the reviewer is saying (via a combination of computer generated subtitles and computer generated translation), I think he is saying that he couldn’t get the 64 bit version to work, but the 32 bit version is ok?
