Quake. The original, the granddaddy, the game that probably made your parents yell at you to get off the internet because it was tying up the phone line. It just got Steam Deck Verified. BOOM. You probably thought, like me, that it was already a given. I mean, it’s Quake. But nope, Valve officially stamped that green checkmark on it, and frankly, it’s a bigger deal than you might think. Not gonna lie, I kinda thought it was already verified, or at least one of those games that just worked perfectly out of the box. Turns out, there’s a process. And now, the OG gets its due.

Green Checkmark, Green Light, Go Go Go

So, what does this actually mean? Because let’s be real, a game from 1996 getting a shiny new badge in 2024 feels a little… redundant, right? But here’s the thing about the Steam Deck Verified program: it’s not just a suggestion. It’s Valve’s official seal of approval. It means they’ve actually tested it, from the controls feeling right to the text being readable and, crucially, that it runs smoothly without a bunch of fiddling around. This isn’t just some casual “yeah, it runs” kind of thing. This is Valve saying, loud and clear, “We tested it, we tweaked it, it’s good to go.”

And honestly, who cares if it’s a 28-year-old game? If you want to blast some eldritch horrors on the go, you want it to just work. No messing with ProtonDB, no hunting for obscure community layouts, no squinting at tiny fonts. Just download, click play, and you’re fragging demons. It’s that instant gratification we’ve all come to expect, and frankly, demand, from our modern gaming machines. It’s the difference between a fun retro experience and a frustrating tech support session. And nobody wants the latter when all they want is to hear that glorious “You got the Quad Damage!” announcement.

The Valve Way

It really speaks to Valve’s commitment, doesn’t it? They’re not just chasing the shiny new stuff, the AAA blockbusters that are obviously going to sell a gazillion copies. They’re making sure the classics get their due, too. I mean, think about the sheer volume of games on Steam. It’s a literal ocean. And to go back and verify games that came out when some of their current developers were probably still in diapers? That’s dedication. It shows they understand the value of a deep, historical library, not just the bleeding edge. And that, my friends, is a pretty smart move for a platform that’s trying to be the portable PC gaming solution.

But Seriously, Why Now?

This is the question that nagged at me. Quake has been around forever. The Steam Deck has been around for a couple of years. Why the sudden official verification? Was it just finally its turn in the queue? Or is there something more? I’ve seen this pattern before, where older games get a bit of a refresh or a new push, especially when a new generation of gamers might be discovering them for the first time. It’s a smart way to keep classics relevant and introduce them to a whole new audience who might only know the name from history books (or, you know, YouTube retrospectives). You gotta admit, there’s a certain timelessness to Quake, even with its blocky graphics. It’s pure, unadulterated run-and-gun. And that kind of gameplay, that kind of energy, it never really goes out of style, does it?

“The game’s legacy isn’t just about graphics; it’s about pure, unadulterated fun.”

And let’s be honest, we’re all basically just trying to recreate our childhoods, but with better screens and no dial-up modem shrieking in the background. Who wouldn’t want to revisit those early days of FPS gaming, where the rules were simple and the enemies were delightfully grotesque, all from the comfort of your couch or commute? It’s not just nostalgia, though that’s a huge part of it. It’s also about the fundamental, raw enjoyment of a perfectly designed action game. Quake just nails that feeling of speed and power, even today. It’s fast. Really fast. And that’s what we love about it.

The Bigger Picture

This isn’t just a single game getting a badge. This is a signal. A pretty clear one, if you ask me. It tells me that Valve is committed to making the Steam Deck a true all-encompassing gaming device. Not just for the latest and greatest, but for everything in between, and everything that came before. It means they’re still looking at the long tail of the Steam library, not just the blockbusters. And that’s important for the Deck, you know? It’s not just a fancy new console; it’s a portable Steam library, all of it. Every weird indie, every forgotten gem, and yes, every foundational classic like Quake. It boosts the perceived value of the Deck because it truly expands what you can reliably play on it. It says, “Your entire Steam library? Yeah, we’re working on making it all work seamlessly on this thing.”

And think about the ripple effect. If Quake is getting this treatment, what other old school titles might be next? Doom (the original, obviously), Half-Life, maybe even some of the more obscure id Software titles or early 3D platformers. It sets a precedent, and it gives confidence to people who are maybe on the fence about getting a Deck because they’re worried about compatibility with their existing, older game collection. Valve is basically saying, “We got you.”

What This Actually Means

Look, if you’ve got a Steam Deck and you’ve never played Quake, or you want to relive those pixelated glory days, this is basically a permission slip to do it. It’s not revolutionary, not like some groundbreaking new title, but it’s a solid, comforting win for the Steam Deck ecosystem. It just reinforces what we already kind of knew: the Deck is a powerhouse for playing damn near anything. And having that official verification for a cornerstone like Quake? It’s just… satisfying, isn’t it?

My prediction? We’re going to see more of this. Valve will keep chipping away at that massive backlog of games, slowly but surely adding those green checks. They’ll probably prioritize the really popular ones first, but then they’ll get to the cult classics, the deep cuts, the games that just refuse to die. So yeah, go on. Kill some Shamblers. You earned it. And you don’t even have to wait for your turn on the family computer. The future, apparently, is portable, even for the past.