Regardless of whether you’ve laid hands on the plastic contours of a Steam Deck, you’ve probably seen the Steam Deck Verified programme in action: badges of honour (or of ‘Unsupported’ disgrace) on a game’s Steam store page, reflecting how well it runs and plays on the portable PC per Valve’s in-house testing. The programme is being expanded to include the upcoming Steam Machine too, and is set to bestow a lot more games with Steam Machine Verified status, given what a Valve designer calls “fewer restraints” in their judging criteria.
It’s interesting to hear about Valve’s approach to Steam Machine Verified games. It seems like they’re really focusing on expanding options for gamers. Looking forward to seeing how this develops!