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

Valve’s SteamOS Update Sparks Speculation About Rival Handheld Gaming PCs

In brief: The Steam Deck stands out among handheld gaming PCs for its unique operating system, designed to replicate a console interface on a Linux PC. Valve’s recent software update for the Steam Deck hints at the possibility of bringing this OS to other devices, potentially impacting the handheld gaming market.

The latest Steam Deck firmware patch notes have caught the attention of industry watchers, suggesting that Valve may be gearing up to make its acclaimed Linux build available for third-party hardware. This move could have significant implications for the growing PC handheld sector.

The SteamOS 3.6.9 beta release notes primarily focus on bug fixes and added support for external controllers. However, a mention at the end hints at compatibility with “extra ROG Ally keys,” hinting at potential support for Asus’s ROG Ally handheld PC.

This development aligns with Valve’s previous statements about expanding SteamOS compatibility to a wider range of devices. Last year, Valve expressed its intention to make SteamOS available for other handhelds and PCs with gamepad support before eventually making it installable on any PC.

While rival handheld devices like the ROG Ally, MSI Claw, Lenovo Legion Go, Ayaneo, and GPD Win run on Windows, which offers broader software compatibility than SteamOS, the latter’s console-like interface optimized for gamepads could provide a superior user experience on portable devices.

Valve’s Lawrence Yang noted that resources were diverted from the Steam Deck OLED project to work on SteamOS, with driver optimization posing a significant challenge. While Valve can optimize graphics drivers for the Steam Deck’s hardware, extending compatibility to devices from other manufacturers may complicate this process.

Hobbyists have developed SteamOS clones like Bazzite and HoloISO, but the complex installation process may not align with the user-friendly nature of handheld gaming PCs. Additionally, HoloISO lacks official support for Nvidia GPUs, highlighting the potential benefits of OEMs like Asus pre-installing SteamOS on their devices.