We're excited to announce that the latest Construct release r416 introduces a brand-new Linux exporter! This can run on both Linux-based desktop syste

Publish to the Steam Deck with Construct's new Linux exporter

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2024-11-27 12:00:07

We're excited to announce that the latest Construct release r416 introduces a brand-new Linux exporter! This can run on both Linux-based desktop systems like Ubuntu, as well as Raspberry Pi, and most notably the Steam Deck, as that is also a Linux-based device.

Construct previously had some support for Linux with NW.js exports, but this is a new export option we've built ourselves based on the Chromium Embedded Framework (CEF). This has allowed us to improve support for Steam integration, enhance file system integration, support wrapper extensions like Windows WebView2 does, and also support ARM-based Linux devices like Raspberry Pi. Read on to learn more.

We originally intended to use Microsoft WebView2 on macOS and Linux: we already use it for Windows with great results, and Microsoft said macOS and Linux support was planned. However earlier this year Microsoft abruptly announced that macOS and Linux support would not be released after all. That meant we had to change plans and come up with a new solution for macOS and Linux. You'll be hearing about our macOS plans in the near future, but for Linux we decided to build a new export option using the Chromium Embedded Framework (CEF). Using the Chromium browser engine on Linux ensures great compatibility with Windows content, as it's the same browser engine used by Chrome, Edge, and WebView2. It also means we maintain in-house support for Linux with our own code, rather than relying on NW.js, ensuring we can improve integration and provide better support.

The Steam Deck is a handheld console by Valve, the makers of the popular Steam PC gaming platform. The device system software is essentially a standard Linux x64 desktop system, but customized for a console-like experience. The Steam Deck has good support for emulating Windows games, helping ensure you can play a wide selection of your Steam PC game library on the Linux-based Steam Deck. However its emulation was not good enough to support Microsoft WebView2, so it could not run Construct's Windows WebView2 exports. Therefore we built the new Linux exporter with the specific aim of providing great support for the Steam Deck.

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