I recently had the EQ itch again and decided what better device to test it on than the new Steam Deck. After all, it's a full on PC running Linux so why not?
I was actually surprised how easy it was to install and get running via Steam's Proton layer. It functions similar to Wine, but I have had much better luck than traditional attempts at gaming on Linux. What truly amazed me was how effortless and smooth it was. I have not had a single hiccup whatsoever* once I am in game. No stutter, no frame drop, no weird zoning issues thus far. I did not have to apply any weird winetricks or special configs to get it working. I am
NOT running WinEQ2, this is native client!
Being that it worked so well, I had to get a bluetooth keyboard/mouse setup that would be easy to travel with. Settled with the Logitech MX Keys Mini + Anywhere 3 seen here and could not be happier. Lightweight, amazing battery life, both USB-C which is also what charges the Deck itself.
It
is possible to play via controller/trackpad but I have not spent the time doing the bindings via Steam. Plus, in a group you need to be able to chat and the thumbstick keyboard isn't convenient for that. But in theory you absolutely could!
*The one hiccup I had seems to do with UDP issues with EQ under Linux/Wine. The login server shows no servers available in the list, which can be fixed by Zaela's
p99-login-middlemand. I created a systemd service that just runs it on console boot so I don't forget!
I will say this is the absolute perfect EQ-on-the-go experience. I play windowed at 1280x800 (native Deck resolution) with the taskbar set to auto-hide, EQ window border hidden. Makes it easy to lookup stuff while playing.
I have everything set to the maximum settings and it's really power-efficient. It draws between 5-10W of power, giving you an easy 4-7 hours of battery time.
I'm considering throw together a little guide on the process if anyone is interested. Just amazes me a game over 20 years old can run solidly on an OS it was never designed for and be playable to this day.