Valve quietly readying Half-Life 2 for Steam Deck with big new beta branch update • Eurogamer.net

Also adds ultra-huge guidance, FOV boost, and more.

Yesterday, Valve unveiled a new compatibility ratings technique for Steam Deck, supposed to give customers a crystal clear indication of how nicely certain Steam video games will run on the approaching moveable gaming Pc. And now, a new beta update for Half-Everyday living 2 has been found out, seemingly unveiled to be certain the seminal FPS satisfies the necessities needed to receive Steam Deck’s top-tier Verified compatibility badge.

50 %-Everyday living 2’s new beta branch update, as in depth by Valve watcher Tyler McVicker on his YouTube channel, reportedly addresses a astonishing quantity of floor, not only producing changes to the way the UI and resolution are handled in-game – largely to make sure the FPS typical matches Steam Deck’s element ratio and remains legible at its relatively diminutive size – but addressing some extensive-standing bugs as perfectly.

Specifics on the latter are restricted, but McVicker does spotlight a couple of of the beta update’s new UI and resolution scaling features. Potentially most pertinent to Steam Deck, Half-Lifetime 2’s HUD is now unlocked and can scale “beautifully” to whatsoever facet ratio it really is remaining performed on. Moreover, there is ultra-huge assistance, furthermore an FOV raise up to 110.

Steam Deck: Introducing Deck Verified.

McVicker also observes that Valve has included aid for the Vulkan rendering API, encouraging Fifty percent-Daily life 2 engage in properly with Steam Deck’s Linux-based mostly SteamOS running technique. And presented that Portal 2 in the same way been given Vulkan assistance earlier this calendar year, it would seem affordable to believe Valve is aiming get the bulk of its again catalogue stamped with a Steam Deck Verified badge where by possible ahead of the machine’s December launch.

You can browse far more about Valve’s Steam Deck compatibility scores – which will see every single game on Steam categorised as both Verified, Playable, Unsupported, or Unidentified – somewhere else.