Fun fact: Whenever a console maker launches a new console, ahead of launch the user base is 0.000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000%. And yet no one of them would even think about not incentivizing game development for the upcoming platform.

Actually, no. There's a reason why for multiple generations we've had only 3 console selling companies, because all of them have a pre-existing user bases. We saw when a new player wanted to come to the market, Google tried with Stadia. Not exactly a new console, but a new platform where to play games. Sure, they literally paid companies to get their games on their platform, but in the end they still failed because they could not build a user base. And to bring this point back to Steam Deck, Valve doesn't need to incentivize native Linux builds because Proton can make those games available on the Steam Deck. Steam deck is literally a success without Valve ever incentivizing Linux builds. Oh, and Valve also had a pre-existing user base to make Steam Deck a success. What you're saying is so wrong I shouldn't even be explaining any of it.

Based on which argument? Games on occasion break on updates. Players get banned for using Proton. That’s negative publicity.

With those negatives you've shown that at best native builds retain the existing user base. That is not the same as growing a user base.

Doesn’t change the fact that native games lead to a better experience for consumers (which I already outlined).

That is not a fact. That comes down to implementation and considering most developers are not familiar with Linux it's very much a stretch that they could actually give a better experience than what Proton gives by default. Proton does a really good job, I personally have had minimal issues with Proton and considering the impact it has had on Linux gaming I don't think I'm the exception here.

I also urge you to look at it from a game dev perspective. You see your game run acceptably on Proton. Do you really want to put in the effort to learn Linux to such degree that you can make the native experience better than the acceptable experience Proton gives, for no additional effort? If I was a game dev, I wouldn't do it. I'd put that effort into making a next game.

Start by offering a proper SDK that plugs into Visual Studio. You’re acting as if incentivizing would cost insane amounts of money, based on no fact at all.

Sequeing from the previous point. Okay, Valve offers the proper SDK. What's the incentive for the game dev to actually use it? Why should they spend time learning how to make a game for Linux when they could make another game for Windows and know that it probably also works on Linux thanks to Proton? Unless they themselves want to make a game for Linux there's no reason for them to actually use it.

You barely explained anything. I explained why emulated Windows games lead to worse user experience. You refuted nothing of that.

Because it needs to explanation. Just go into any Linux gaming community and ask what has been the most impactful thing in Linux gaming for the past decade. The unquestionable number 1 reason is Proton. If there's anything right now growing the Linux user base it's Proton.

Does Proton do a worse job than a developer making the game natively for Linux. As I alluded to before, not that clear cut of an answer. But the part you're so adamant on ignoring is that does making a native build pay off compared to just having Proton handle it? I imagine most game devs would say "no". Linux playerbase is still too small for developers to give it any attention, which is why Proton is a fucking godsend because it allows users to play games on Linux even if the developers don't even consider Linux support.

As long as the user base is too small for developers to care all efforts should go into Proton. Valve can't make developers care unless Valve literally throws money in their face to make them care. And Valve does not need to do that because Proton does a good enough job to not need to throw money at the developers.

That's it, I'm done. If you've got anything to say I have my middle finger up towards the camera. I get it, your pet dream is native Linux gaming. Nothing I say matters because you want to believe your dream. Nothing you say matters because I'm not going to believe your unrealistic dream. I literally don't care what more you have to say because to me it comes across like a flat earther explaining why the earth is flat. I'm not going to waste any more time explaining how the world is round and with that I consider the discussion concluded.