The Weekly Authority: ???? All Threads, all the time

???? Welcome to The Weekly Authority, the Android Authority newsletter that breaks down the top Android and tech news from the week. The 252nd edition is here, with Threads launch news and impressions, an official Galaxy Unpacked launch date, more exclusive Pixel 8 info, and more.

???? Hadlee here this time, standing in for a sick Paula (get well soon!). This weekend, I plan to eat all the unhealthy things, play some games, and then try to make up for that by going for a forest walk and a quick cycle.

Gaming publisher Valve announced a major milestone this week, confirming that the Steam Deck handheld console now has 10,000 verified or playable PC titles (h/t: The Verge). That’s a huge deal, even if there are some minor caveats.

• It’s worth noting, for one, that “playable” doesn’t mean there are no flaws.
• So expect some of these games to have bugs, varying from minor to potentially game-breaking.
• But this is still a massive, massive milestone for Valve and the Steam Deck.
• The Deck runs the Linux-based SteamOS, so Valve is forced to use Proton software to run Windows games without a native Linux port.
• The milestone shows that Linux gaming is indeed a viable endeavor.
• Does that mean we could see the return of Steam Machines (PCs running SteamOS)? I’m not quite sure, but I’m keen to see more handhelds running this platform.
• Colleague Riley Ballantyne also pointed out that this could be a boon for some PC enthusiasts who build their own computers.
• More specifically, these enthusiasts might think twice about dropping cash on Windows now that Linux gaming is in such a good space. That’s $140 that could go to other components or accessories.
• The news comes a few weeks after Apple launched a toolkit to easily run Windows games on MacOS computers.
• There are still a few problems with non-Windows platforms right now, but Microsoft’s position as the default computer gaming platform seems to be slowly eroding.