Sydonai

Yeah, Steam OS is definitely the way to go. Aside from the lack of Windows support, Steam OS has a ton of granular options that give you a lot of control over the Deck. I was more talking about how Steam Store availability would increase visibility for Windows users, just like how Retroarch is on the Steam Store. Steam Auto-updating would also be quite handy.

I'm definitely glad to hear all of that, and I also agree that jumping too quickly onto a hype train can result in one getting burned. There's the possibility that Deck sales slow down dramatically once they burn through their pre-orders, or Valve changes their mind and decides the Deck 2 isn't worth it, or Steam OS doesn't take off, or any number of other scenarios. I've been toying with desktop Linux for a while now (Destiny 2 and Launchbox are pretty much the only things keeping me from 100% switching), but I imagine the people who switch away because of Windows 11 will ultimately not be a huge number, especially if M$ turns around and makes Windows 12 tolerable (that remains to be seen, of course). Either way, I'm glad you guys have an eye on Linux, and I'm excited to see what comes next, regardless.

Thanks for the reply! Before I get into anything else, I'd just like to say thanks for doing what you guys do. Big Box has totally transformed my emulator machine, and I recommend your product to anyone who says they need a way to organize ROMs. Anyways, a few points of response; That 110k preorder number was in the first 2 hours of the Deck going up for preorder. Preorders after those 2 hours are harder to find, on account of Valve patching the HTML leak that made viewing that number possible. As you mention, preorders are very, very far from a perfect gauge for popularity, but I bring this up only to illustrate the enormous amount of hype around the Deck. Perhaps more pertinent would be this article. If Valve really is producing and selling as many Decks as it seems they are, this is a pretty big deal. Again, the install base will never be as large as Windows or Android (or even Switch), but I'd be willing to bet a dramatically larger percentage of Deck owners will be using their devices to emulate vs Android owners. Hype and excitement are obviously not enough to engage in the massive undertaking of making a Linux version (as you state, it's certainly not a "chuck it into Proton and call it a day" type of deal), but it's something I'd love to see happen in the future. Whether or not you and your compatriots see it as financially feasible is something I obviously can't speak to, and my input wouldn't be particularly helpful there anyways, but I figured I may as well raise my hand and be counted. And who knows, if Windows 11 continues to be a garbage fire, maybe I'll finally make that switch to Desktop Linux once 10 is no longer supported...

I'd love to see that! Steam Store availability would be amazing for both Steam Deck and plain 'ol Windows desktop. I wouldn't even mind paying a second time, if we got native Deck compatibility out of it.

It's still not in too many hands yet, but, according to SteamDB at least, 110,000 preorders have already been made. It's obviously not Nintendo Switch status (and will never get anywhere near that), but it's clearly not in "niche device" territory the way something like an Aya Neo or GPD Win is. Additionally, I'd say emulation is pretty far outside of "niche thing" territory, at least for stuff like SNES and Gamecube emulation. When emulation-specific channels like ETA Prime are verging on a million subscribers, and nearly every major tech outlet covering the Deck at least mentions emulator performance, I'd say it's pretty fair to consider that a notable part of the value proposition. I think the more pertinent issue (as the Launchbox devs themselves have mentioned) is the sheer amount of work necessary for a Linux version. Launchbox is dependent on a number of Windows libraries, and making a Linux-native version of Launchbox is certainly easier said than done. That's why I'm here, posting in this thread. I want to demonstrate that there's interest out there in a Linux version, and that the Steam Deck is definitely assisting in boosting that interest.

Same. Steam ROM Manager works well enough, but the overall presentation of Launchbox is unmatched, especially with an emumovies subscription. Hopefully the Launchbox devs take notice of how popular the deck is, and do more work on their linux port.

To be honest, I'm not even sure myself yet! I've only had this beast for a day, and I'm still setting it up. Steam ROM Manager has been my best option for now, though.

Count me interested as well. I'm loving my Steam Deck, but the lack of Big Box really hurts (lifetime membership+lifetime emumovies membership here). I've already got other solutions for organizing my roms, but nothing scratches the same itch as Big Box. I don't even care if I have to pay for another license, I'll happily shell out for Steam Deck compatibility.