While the Steam Deck might be the most popular handheld gaming PC on the market, it's by no means perfect. One of the biggest issues with the Valve handheld is that it doesn't play ball with the Epic Games Store because it runs Linux, an incompatible operating system. However, it looks like a solution could be on its way.
During an AMA on the Epic Games Store Discord server, an Epic Games representative confirmed a Linux version of the Epic Games Store coming "soon." Before you get your hopes up, though, the same Epic staff member followed up by tempering expectations, noting that there won't be a Linux build for the upcoming Epic Games Store redesign preview, as it requires more work. We also didn't get any indication of when "soon" might be, but at least we now know that it's in the works.
As we mentioned earlier, it is currently possible to run the Epic Games Store on the Steam Deck, but it requires use of third-party software rather than anything official from Epic Games or Valve. That's alright for die-hard Fortnite fans, but for casual gamers who just want to play without tinkering with their settings and unfamiliar apps, it can be off-putting. Currently, the incompatibility of SteamOS and the Epic Games Store is one of the few advantages of some of the Windows-based picks from our guide to the best Steam Deck alternatives, including the Lenovo Legion Go and Asus ROG Ally.
The timing of this reveal is noteworthy, as it comes almost two months after the launch of the Steam Machine, which, like the Steam Deck, currently can't run the Epic Games Store natively. Still, we have very little in the way of details at the minute, and while it seems like this development could open the door to bringing Fortnite to Valve devices, we don't have confirmation of that just yet. For all we know, Epic Games could be planning something different.
The arrival of the Epic Games Store on Steam Deck and Machine wouldn't be good news for just Fortnite fans, though. Epic Games is pretty generous in terms of free game giveaways, but there isn't a way for Valve hardware users to take advantage of them right now. With this in mind, we'll be keeping an eye out for any further updates from Epic Games regarding the Linux build of its store and launcher.