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CheckMag | Windows on Steam Deck - R.ID drivers promise better long term APU support than Valve

Valve isn't know for keeping its Steam Deck Windows drivers up-to-date, but there are other options (Image Source: Notebookcheck)
Valve isn't know for keeping its Steam Deck Windows drivers up-to-date, but there are other options (Image Source: Notebookcheck)
While Windows on Steam Deck might seem counter intuitive, having a dual boot or purely Windows system can offer the ability to play games that aren't compatible with Steam OS. While Valve isn’t known for providing regular driver updates to Windows users, there thankfully are other options.
AMD Gaming GPU Handheld Microsoft Windows

SteamOS on the Steam Deck is probably the most intuitive and easy to use OS on any handheld, which is one of the reasons the Steam Deck is still one of the most popular and best performing handheld gaming PCs despite being over 2 years old.

However, many people still like to have Windows as an option for gaming because some popular titles with AntiCheat still don’t work on SteamOS and some games simply aren’t compatible. But this isn’t an evaluation of Windows vs SteamOS, having a free and open platform gives people options and that’s one of the great things about Valve's hardware.

Despite their commitment to supporting Windows, they aren’t renowned for providing regular APU driver updates and the latest version Valve offers is currently dated November 17th 2023.

This is where R.ID, or Radeon Indonesia, comes in as a community developed driver that supports not only Steam Deck, but a range of other hardware that is no longer supported by AMD. The latest version as of writing is the 24.3.1, with the latest that works on the Steam Deck being 24.1.1. Not cutting edge by any means but still somewhat newer than Valve's offering.

R.ID APU drivers offer support for Steam Deck and hardware that AMD no longer supports. (Image Source: Rean Akushia via Reddit)
R.ID APU drivers offer support for Steam Deck and hardware that AMD no longer supports. (Image Source: Rean Akushia via Reddit)

The process for installation isn’t quite as straightforward as running the installer from AMD, requiring you to use Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU) in Windows Safe Mode and then install the R.ID driver. You’ll have to navigate your way through various command line prompts for selecting the type of driver and corresponding Adrenaline version.

Running the 23.11.1 driver removed the “out of date” driver warning from Alan Wake 2 while fixing some of the water rendering issues, as well as making Rainbow Six Siege and For Honor playable, games which refused to work when using the Valve driver.

We were promised native dual boot capability on the Steam Deck with the vapourware that is SteamOS 3. This probably highlights Valve's commitment to publishing regular APU updates. It’s good to know that Windows users still have options for keeping their APU drivers relatively up-to-date.

If you are tempted to dual boot your Steam Deck, you might want to consider upgrading your SSD with this Sabrent Rocket M.2 drive from Amazon.com which currently has 20% off.

Source(s)

Steam, R.ID, Guru3D, Reddit

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > News > News Archive > Newsarchive 2024 08 > Windows on Steam Deck - R.ID drivers promise better long term APU support than Valve
David Devey, 2024-08-10 (Update: 2024-08-15)