No one really knows how well the Steam Deck will do until it gets released this month, but it being pushed back a couple of months has allowed Valve to work for longer to make sure the device is up to par when it does finally come out. Case in point, the company recently updated the UI for Half-Life 2, presumably to make it more compatible with the touchscreen handheld PC, and it looks like a similar thing has happened for Portal 2.

Given that Portal 2 was developed by Valve, it makes sense for the developer and publisher to be tweaking its own games in time for the launch of Steam Deck. Originally scheduled for a Christmas 2021 release, the device had to be pushed back due to material shortages, but the extra few weeks seem to have provided a good opportunity to make some last minute adjustments, and to ensure that as many games as possible are compatible come February 25.

In terms of the tweaks themselves, similarly to Half-Life 2, Portal 2 has had its UI updated. While it doesn't give details, it would make sense that the menu and HUD have had their sizes increased in order to accommodate touchscreen use. While it's more than 10 years old at this point, the mind-bending puzzle platformer is one of the most influential sci-fi games in the industry, with a memorable story and roster of amusing characters, so it's understandable that Valve would want to make it suitable for its upcoming device.



On top of general game tweaks and bug fixes for Portal 2, there are some new Linux drivers which could extend the Steam Deck's battery life. It was originally advertised as being able to run the aforementioned puzzle game for up to six hours when running at 30 FPS. These latest drivers should hopefully extend this by adjusting the VRS, or Variable Rate Shading, on the fly depending on whether the Deck is running on AC or battery.

Currently, the Steam Deck has more than 100 games verified, according to third-party databases. There's still a way to go until all 50,000 Steam games will be fully-playable, but there's still time, and no doubt any that aren't compatible by launch day will have some updates after the fact. All-in-all, things seem to be heading in the right direction for the device, and time will tell whether the extra wait has been worth it or not.

Steam Deck is due to release on February 25.



Posted: Feb 03, 2022 5:45 am
Related Forum: PC Gaming Forum

Source: https://gamerant.com/valve-portal-2ui-steam-deck/