[LINK] SteamOS maybe General Distribution Release

[Stephen Loosley]

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SteamOS could see a general distribution release, work with other handheld gaming PCs soon

A firmware update mentions the Asus ROG Ally, but could also make it to your Linux desktop PC if you wanted

By Daniel Sims August 10, 2024 at 2:28 PM 11 comments https://www.techspot.com/news/104205-steamos-could-see-general-distribution-release-work-other.html


SteamOS could see a general distribution release, work with other handheld gaming PCs soon

In brief: One of the Steam Deck's primary advantages over more powerful handheld gaming PCs is its operating system, which is designed to mimic a game console interface within a Linux PC environment.  Valve has long planned to bring the OS to other devices, but a recent Steam Deck software update includes the first mention of a rival handheld.


[Photo caption: A mention in this week's Steam Deck firmware patch notes has some observers speculating that Valve is preparing to release its well-regarded Linux build for third-party hardware] 


The move could significantly impact the emerging PC handheld space.

The notes for the SteamOS 3.6.9 beta mostly consist of bug fixes and support for additional external controllers. 

However, a line toward the end confirms that the firmware now supports "extra ROG Ally keys," possibly referring to the buttons on Asus's ROG Ally handheld PC.

The mention aligns with Valve's prior comments on its plans to make SteamOS compatible with a broader range of systems. Late last year, the company told PC Gamer that it considers a general SteamOS release a high priority. 

The OS would first appear on other handhelds and PCs that use gamepads, then become available for installation on any PC.

Rival handhelds like the ROG Ally, MSI Claw, Lenovo Legion Go, Ayaneo, and GPD Win all use Windows, which supports more software than SteamOS. 

However, being designed for large screens and keyboards, Windows can feel cumbersome on small devices that only use gamepad buttons. 

The option to install SteamOS on numerous portable PCs might dramatically improve the user experience.

Valve's Lawrence Yang explained that work on the Steam Deck OLED diverted resources from the project (let's not forget Valve's teams and employee count are not that big), and that driver optimization is the main challenge. 

Many games likely perform well on Steam deck because Valve can optimize SteamOS graphics drivers and shaders for a known, static hardware configuration. Bringing devices from other manufacturers into the equation would likely complicate the process.

Hobbyists have released SteamOS clones like Bazzite and HoloISO that support arbitrary hardware, but the complex process of installing them might run counter to a handheld PC's pick-up-and-play design goals.

Furthermore, HoloISO doesn't officially support Nvidia GPUs. Allowing OEMs like Asus to ship devices with SteamOS out of the box would likely accelerate the spread of Valve's software.

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loki1944Aug 10, 2024, 2:46 PM
No thanks; big reason for me refunding the steam deck was what an utter mess steam os is; in terms of desktop experience linux is a massivve PITA still more akin to old command line interfance than an OS useable by the average person. Window XP and W98SE ard still more reliable and user friendly. Linux is a disorganized mess. Linux like the FARDC vs the 1945 US Army.
4 people liked thisReply

seeprime seeprimeAug 10, 2024, 3:58 PM
I hope "later" becomes "sooner". I'd love to try it out on a PC.
3 people liked thisReply

Burty117 Burty117Aug 10, 2024, 6:00 PM
I’d love to see a SteamOS release, it’s been the easiest Linux distribution to get games working.

The other day I wanted to see if I could get WoW to run, it’s not officially supported at all, but it only took a few minutes of playing around and had WoW working in no time. Took longer to get the game controller mods to play nice.

After having the SteamDeck since launch, I wouldn’t ever get a Handheld that’s Windows based, it just sucks too much.
4 people liked thisReply

Dimitriid DimitriidAug 10, 2024, 8:24 PM
Honestly there is a little bit of Valve time already in play: Steam OS would have been an unquestionable upgrade to the launch experience of Windows 11 on say, the Legion Go.

However both Lenovo and Asus have been updating: for example right now even if a tad slower than the Steam Deck, both suspend and hibernate work just like on the Steam deck on the Legion Go: I can suspend or hibernate right in the middle of a game, turn it back on and pick up right there no problem.

It's not ideal but it's far more usable now and Valve its still not out with Steam OS: they might be better served by focusing on moving ahead with a version 2 of the Steam Deck itself given how nice the latest Ryzen Strix Haven APUs are looking now that they bumped to 16 compute units instead of 12.
4 people liked thisReply

Fanboiism101Aug 10, 2024, 9:27 PM
This isn't good news. Microsoft needs to do something about their OS for the handheld system, or Linux will take over such a huge market from their hands. And, I don't want to see that. I mean, who in this world wants to use a free OS where you can tell it to do whatever you want?
Reply

WatzupkenAug 11, 2024, 12:15 AM
loki1944 said
No thanks; big reason for me refunding the steam deck was what an utter mess steam os is; in terms of desktop experience linux is a massivve PITA still more akin to old command line interfance than an OS useable by the average person. Window XP and W98SE ard still more reliable and user friendly. Linux is a disorganized mess. Linux like the FARDC vs the 1945 US Army.
Expand quote
But the unfortunate reality is that both XP and Win 98 are no more supported by Microsoft. So rather than being held hostage by Microsoft because of the "ease of use" or basically not coming out of our comfort zone, I rather give other OS a go. You can clearly tell over the past few years that Windows is being a buggy and intrusive mess that keeps tab on what you are doing and spamming you with ads.

I do feel that Valve took too long to bring Steam OS to other devices. Previously their focus was on their own Steam Deck, but I think the Deck is pretty stable for sometime. I suspect they are turning their attention outside of Steam Deck is because of other competing Linux based OS such as Bazzite that is quickly gaining popularity because it looks and feels the same.
2 people liked this
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Burty117 said
The other day I wanted to see if I could get WoW to run, it’s not officially supported at all, but it only took a few minutes of playing around and had WoW working in no time. Took longer to get the game controller mods to play nice.
Expand quote

That has also been my experience on Ubuntu, Got WoW running in Lutris very easily, Getting my gaming keypad setup took longer and was clunky. I also found everything in my (admittedly small) Steam library works perfectly.
Reply

yRaz yRazAug 11, 2024, 3:00 AM
This is exciting news! If compatibility layers are the way of the future than I can't wait to de-microsoft my life. Windows 10 started out great but turned into a dumpster fire and I don't even know what windows 11 is.
2 people liked thisReply

loki1944Aug 11, 2024, 5:10 AM
Fanboiism101 said
This isn't good news. Microsoft needs to do something about their OS for the handheld system, or Linux will take over such a huge market from their hands. And, I don't want to see that. I mean, who in this world wants to use a free OS where you can tell it to do whatever you want?
Expand quote
lol; linux will never touch MS; linux is not for the average user
Reply

ScottSoapboxAug 11, 2024, 7:27 AM
Boot ROG Ally X.
Tap Steam icon.

or Tap Epic icon.

I don't see what I’m missing with SteamOS except certain games.
Reply

ATI Ruby ATI RubyToday 11:13 PM
ScottSoapbox said
Boot ROG Ally X.
Tap Steam icon.

or Tap Epic icon.

I don't see what I’m missing with SteamOS except certain games.
Expand quote

Transparent per-game automatic HDR, for one.

That being said, no one is forcing anyone's hand; people should be free to game on whatever platform they want.
Reply

dangh dangh21 minutes ago
loki1944 said
lol; linux will never touch MS; linux is not for the average user
I think you're stuck in 2004Wink ;)
Steam Deck proves very well that it is, as it facilitates many consoles gamers who never touched a pc. If that is not an average user then nothing is.
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