Mushitags

Valve’s October 7 Steam Client Beta changes one small but useful Linux setting: Windows executables added to Steam as non-Steam games now use Proton by default. Until this update, users generally had to open a shortcut’s properties and select a compatibility tool themselves before trying to run a Windows program through Steam. The change is about the default launch path, not a new compatibility layer. Proton is Valve’s tool for running Windows games on Linux, built on Wine and additional components. It already handled Windows games in Steam; this beta applies that same default to Windows binaries registered as non-Steam entries. That can make manually added games and launchers easier to start from Steam, including on SteamOS devices. Valve’s beta notes also fix a launch failure that could happen after changing a non-Steam entry’s Target with the Browse button, and a case where Steam’s Stop button did not close a game launched by an external tool. The same update includes a Linux Steam Input controller-reordering fix and adds an option to disable the screensaver while a game is running. There are limits: the update is listed for the Preview/Beta client, and Valve has not announced in these notes when it will reach the stable client. Proton being selected automatically does not guarantee that a particular game or app will work; compatibility still depends on the software, and some titles have issues such as anti-cheat or launcher requirements. The notes also do not clarify how the default applies to shortcuts users had already created. Sources: [Valve’s Steam Client Beta notes](https://steamcommunity.com/groups/SteamClientBeta/announcements/detail/719044258722480809) and [Valve’s Proton project](https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton). ~Linux ~Steam