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Hello! I recently got a Steam Deck, and I have to say it's pretty incredible. For those not familiar with what it is, it's a handheld gaming PC made by Valve:
https://store.steampowered.com/steamdeck
There is one issue with it: it runs on Linux. SteamOS, to be specific. While Proton makes
a lot of Windows game run on Linux without game developers needing to make native Linux version. However, there is one thing that Proton struggles with: anti-cheat software.
Currently, Mabinogi doesn't work on the Steam Deck, and I think it's because of Nexon Game Security (NGS). I tried installing the Steam version of Mabi, and it starts to launch... but then immediately closes.
I would suggest changing how NGS works, or replace it with another anti-cheat software that does work on Linux. For example, Phantasy Star Online 2 is playable on the Steam Deck, but it uses GameGuard (officially, Steam says it's unsupported, but it does work... just requires installing on an SD card instead of the internal memory and running some Linux commands).
I would think this would be worth it to Nexon, as it could potentially open its games (I'm guessing Nexon's other games also use NGS, right?) to a new audience (Linux users who refuse to install Windows even as a second OS, and Steam Deck users), plus enabling a new way for existing players to play Mabi. Wouldn't it be great to be able to play Mabi anywhere you have a wi-fi signal, and not having to bring a laptop?
Comments
You could overcome the lack of buttons with a deeper context menu system, but then the game play experience would suffer where timing matters. On the other hand, if you're a yellow skill person, that might be okay. Combat would probably be prohibitive but, you could do crafting.
Perhaps, and perhaps not. The Steam Deck's built-in controls has more buttons than a standard game controller (the 4 back "pedals", the two touch pads which can work as mice or however you wanna assign them). Plus, as the Steam Deck IS a Linux PC, you can always connect a keyboard to it via USB (either directly to the USB-C port on top or through a dock/hub connected to it) or Bluetooth. While it would be nice to have controller support for Mabi, that would fundamentally change how it's played, due to the layout of skills and such. So, the more realistic option would be using a keyboard on the Steam Deck.
So really, the only issue is getting the game and/or anti-cheat software to run on Linux. While I have no way to verify this (maybe Nexon staff could test it somehow?), but I think Mabi would run fine on Linux with Proton.
Hoping for the best here!
I'm not sure how things are in KR, but I know in JP that portables are king. This could certainly be a game changer for PC gaming in Japan, at least.
So, even if the NA market isn't as big for Nexon, making Mabi work on Steam Deck would also benefit the Asia markets, too.
In less technical terms, Mabinogi will run on the Steam Deck but the anticheat won't, there are plenty of anticheat systems which will run it but getting devcat to use them instead of their in house blackcipher is unlikely to ever happen. Short of a huge push from the Korean player base to move away from proprietary western operating systems like Windows, or just straight push for Linux/Steam Deck support but I don't personally see either happening, until Microsoft starts alienating it's users on mass.
Either way, you have a few options in the meantime;
Streaming Mabinogi from a desktop or laptop running Windows to the Steam Deck. If you're a Zoomer and your only PC is a Steam Deck because you've grown up only ever having a smartphone, you can invest into a second hand/business cast off minipc desktop for this purpose since Mabinogi's system requirements are pretty low, research "project tinyminimicro" for a starting place.
Buying a cheap M.2 SATA/NVME drive and USB enclosure for it off ebay/amazon/etc and installing Windows to that to boot the Steam Deck into Windows without wiping SteamOS off the internal storage.
Or the more technical and least viable option of running Windows in KVM and setting up single GPU passthrough to use the APU IGP with it and scripting handing it off back to the host OS when Windows is shut down.
BONUS: