DeckReady
A game-readiness scanner that tells a Linux gamer, before they buy, whether a Steam title will run smoothly on their exact hardware and distro.
Linux gamers about to buy a new Steam game on desktop or Steam Deck
- Paste a Steam URL or app ID, get a 'runs great / runs with caveats / won't launch' verdict for your GPU, distro, and Proton version
- Pulls recent ProtonDB and community reports so the verdict is current, not stale
- Comparison view: 'On your hardware, Game X gets 45 fps; on a Steam Deck OLED it gets 60'
- Wishlist integration that flags games as compatible or not the moment they go on sale
The HV-bypass Proton trending repos exist precisely because buying a game on Steam for Linux still carries a real chance it won't run; the discovery-before-purchase experience is broken.
Linux gaming is a real but small niche: Steam Survey hit 3.19% in Dec 2025 (up from 2.29% YoY) and Steam Deck sales remain strong 3+ years in, but absolute addressable population is still tiny.Steam On Linux Ends 2025 With 3.19% Marketshare ↗Steam Deck sales still going strong over three years later ↗For the First Time Ever, Linux Gaming Crosses 3% on Steam ↗
ProtonDB is a strong, entrenched free incumbent with community compatibility reports, an unofficial desktop app, and Steam Deck Verified (Valve itself) covers most Deck buyers; the hardware-specific angle is incremental, not a wide-open gap.ProtonDB | Gaming know-how from the Linux and Steam Deck community ↗Steam Deck Verified ↗ProtonDB App on GitHub ↗How to check game compatibility for Linux, SteamOS and Steam Deck ↗
Linux gamers are notoriously price-sensitive (many switched to escape paid software); ProtonDB is free with no paid tier, no clear WTP evidence found, and Steam-affiliate arbitrage is unproven at this scale.ProtonDB | Gaming know-how from the Linux and Steam Deck community ↗For the First Time Ever, Linux Gaming Crosses 3% on Steam ↗
Linux on Steam roughly +40% YoY (2.29% → 3.19%), SteamOS 3 is being released for non-Deck handhelds, and Valve is actively investing — trajectory clearly upward.Steam On Linux Ends 2025 With 3.19% Marketshare ↗Steam Deck sales still going strong over three years later ↗
Technically doable by combining Steam's Hardware Detection blob with ProtonDB ratings and a rules/ML layer, but true per-CPU/GPU performance prediction requires empirical benchmark data that is expensive to collect and easy to be wrong about.ProtonDB | Gaming know-how from the Linux and Steam Deck community ↗How to check game compatibility for Linux, SteamOS and Steam Deck ↗