The Steam Deck from Valve has been a massive success, bringing PC gaming to a portable console-style PC. This great little device makes for a perfect travel companion, whether going to a bar or 2,500 feet in the air. Unfortunately, a recent update to the Ubisoft Connect launcher has caused an issue with launching Steam games on Linux platforms. According to GamingOnLinux, attempting to run any Ubisoft titles on desktop Linux or the Steam Deck results in an unrecoverable error popup.
Thankfully, there is now a fix using Proton Experimental. This is the testing version of Proton, a compatibility layer that allows Linux to run Steam games made for Windows. Proton developers have implemented a fix into the downloadable “bleeding-edge” beta, and Valve has released a Proton Experimental fix that does not require opting into the beta.
This is yet another example of third-party launchers making everyone’s lives more difficult. Understandably, these companies want our data, but this isn’t the most effective way of getting it. For now, at least there’s a workaround, and all Ubisoft games tested on Windows are working properly. Hopefully, any further third-party launcher issues will only make the case for getting rid of them even stronger. It’s something to consider for the Steam Deck 2.
