ProtonUp-QT Gets New Steam Deck Theme With 2.12.0 Update

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The Proton compatibility layer is what allows us to play Windows games on the Steam Deck, and it's an amazing tool for all Linux users, but it actually isn't the only one out there. Proton is open-source, which allows other developers to make a fork of the layer and put their own spin on it. That's how we have Proton GE, a version of Proton made by GloriousEggroll that has extra codecs and more updated components that Valve either can't or hasn't implemented in their version yet.

To get Proton GE, we use a nifty tool called ProtonUp-QT, created by DavidoTek, which allows us to download Proton GE, and other community-made compatibility layers, directly onto our Steam Decks. I would consider ProtonUp-QT essential to have on the Deck, since getting the community-made Proton GE can actually fix some issues with certain games. A couple of days ago, ProtonUp-QT got a new update that changes how it looks on the Steam Deck!

One of the new features that's part of the new 2.12.0 update is a brand new theme just for the Steam Deck. I have a love/hate relationship with the theme. I really like the darker color scheme and al the buttons are bigger to make it easier to click on, but it also blows up the screen showing all the installed layers. As someone who has multiple versions of each layer for testing, I don't like having to scroll through as much. Still, the pros outweigh the cons, and I like the new look overall.

The new update also adds in a new compatibility tool for CachyOS, which is something us Steam Deck users can ignore, and Wine-GE has been removed entirely from the tool. This is due to Proton GE and UMU existing, so there's no need for Wine-GE in the tool right now. There's also a new dialog added for configuring GitHub and GitLab API access tokens.

You can check out the full changelog for the update via their GitHub Release page.

ProtonUp-QT can be downloaded onto your Steam Deck via the Discover Store. The new update hasn't arrived there at the time of writing, but it should be there within the next few days.

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