Steam now making devs disclose if a game has kernel-level anti-cheat… this is a big deal for some of us. Thoughts?
Good for Steam Deck users! So many games block Linux users, it’s about time.
Zion said:
Good for Steam Deck users! So many games block Linux users, it’s about time.
Yep, as a Steam Deck user myself, I appreciate knowing if my money’s going to be wasted or not.
@Parker
Doesn’t Steam have a good refund policy for stuff like this?
Roux said:
@Parker
Doesn’t Steam have a good refund policy for stuff like this?
Yeah, it does… but only if you don’t play too much. The problem is, if you play a game on your PC for a while and then try it on the Deck, you might find out it doesn’t work—and by then, it’s too late to refund.
Telling people upfront really helps because a portable option matters a lot to some of us.
@Dani
But what’s stopping a dev from adding this anti-cheat to an update later on? Imagine logging hundreds of hours, then suddenly you can’t play it on the Deck.
Owen said:
@Dani
But what’s stopping a dev from adding this anti-cheat to an update later on? Imagine logging hundreds of hours, then suddenly you can’t play it on the Deck.
That’s true, but if it’s a major change, Steam support might refund you if you explain the situation. Usually, the 2-hour refund rule only applies automatically.
@Rey
Steam shouldn’t be held accountable if devs mess with things after 2000 hours of playtime, though.
Holt said:
@Rey
Steam shouldn’t be held accountable if devs mess with things after 2000 hours of playtime, though.
But Steam could add policies to prevent this. Otherwise, Steam might get known as a place where devs can mess things up even years later.
@Dorian
Honestly, it’s common. Games with online requirements sometimes shut down servers, and poof—your game’s gone.
Lennon said:
@Dorian
Honestly, it’s common. Games with online requirements sometimes shut down servers, and poof—your game’s gone.
Games should come with a warning if updates add new forced agreements or EULAs. And players should get a choice not to update if they want.
@Raven
This would be a lifesaver! Some updates really mess up games or add things you didn’t sign up for initially.
@Dorian
Valve has refunded people when this happened before—sometimes way after they bought the game.
@Dorian
Steam might refund, but I bet the money ends up coming from the devs eventually. They probably hold back future sales to balance it out.
Arden said:
@Dorian
Steam might refund, but I bet the money ends up coming from the devs eventually. They probably hold back future sales to balance it out.
As a developer, I can confirm Steam doesn’t have a foolproof system for this. They really should, though. You just have to keep one version up, even if it’s glitchy.
@Milan
So true… a lot of games on Steam barely get patched after launch. They definitely need better standards.
Holt said:
@Rey
Steam shouldn’t be held accountable if devs mess with things after 2000 hours of playtime, though.
That’s a bad take. If you buy a game, you don’t expect it to be pulled 2000 hours in.
Steam’s contract is with us, the buyers. If a dev messes it up, Steam should handle it with the dev.
@Alby
Doesn’t Steam offer refunds when devs break things? When Helldivers had that PSN issue, I remember tons of refunds going out.
Bowie said:
@Alby
Doesn’t Steam offer refunds when devs break things? When Helldivers had that PSN issue, I remember tons of refunds going out.
It did… but it’s frustrating when players get hit with random changes without any notice.