COD on the deck

Hey fellow gamers! I know many of you, just like me, have dreamt of taking your Call of Duty Warzone sessions on the go with the Steam Deck. When I first got my hands on this portable powerhouse, one of the very first things I tried to do was get COD up and running. The original article title 'COD on the deck' hinted at this, but I wanted to dive much deeper into the 'how' and 'if it's even worth it.' So, 'can you play Call of Duty Warzone on Steam Deck?' The short answer is: yes, but it's not straightforward, and it requires some work. Activision's anti-cheat doesn't officially support Linux, which is the Steam Deck's native operating system (SteamOS). This means you can't just download it from Steam and play. My first attempt was to install Windows on my Steam Deck. This was quite an adventure! I had to create a bootable USB drive, download all the necessary Windows drivers for the Steam Deck (which Valve provides, thankfully), and then go through the whole Windows installation process. It took a few hours, and honestly, it felt a bit clunky using the Deck's controls as a mouse and keyboard during setup. Once Windows was on, I installed Battle.net and then downloaded Warzone. The game itself is huge, so make sure you have enough storage! When I finally launched Warzone, the performance was... okay. On low settings, I could sometimes hit 30-40 FPS, but it was far from a smooth 60 FPS experience you'd get on a dedicated PC or console. The screen is small for such a fast-paced shooter, and aiming with the trackpads or joysticks took a lot of getting used to. It's definitely playable for casual matches or if you just want to drop in for fun, but don't expect to be top-fragging in competitive lobbies. What about 'COD Mobile on Steam Deck'? This is a bit different. Since COD Mobile is designed for Android, you'd typically need an Android emulator or even install an Android-based OS on your Steam Deck to run it. I experimented with an Android emulator on my Windows partition, and it worked surprisingly well! The controls mapped decently, and the graphics were smoother than full Warzone. It felt more at home on the portable screen. Another option I explored, though not directly running the game on the Deck, is cloud gaming. Services like Xbox Cloud Gaming or NVIDIA GeForce Now allow you to stream Call of Duty titles directly to your Steam Deck over the internet. If you have a strong, stable internet connection, this can offer a much smoother experience without the hassle of installing Windows or dealing with performance issues. The downside, of course, is input lag and needing that consistent internet. Ultimately, my journey with 'Call of Duty on Steam Deck' has taught me that while it's technically possible, it comes with trade-offs. If you're a hardcore Warzone player, the native Windows installation might not deliver the competitive edge you need. But for a quick, fun match or to just scratch that COD itch on the go, it's a cool project. For COD Mobile, the experience is generally better. It's all about managing your expectations and being willing to tinker a bit to get it working!