Valve confirms it is working on spreading the Steam Deck SteamOS to other platforms, including rival ones.
Steam Deck OS Now Has Support for ROG Ally Keys
It took years for Valve to create its own handheld/tabletop console the Steam Deck. While it still needs to catch up to its Nintendo Switch rival’s popularity, having sold around 3 million units so far, the company still dreams of spreading its Linux-based SteamOS to other devices.
Valve has said in previous statements that it plans to let other companies use SteamOS, meaning that even rivals such as the Asus ROG Ally gaming handheld, could also run it in the future. This was all but confirmed a couple of days ago when users saw an interesting line in Valve’s latest SteamOS release notes. “Added support for extra ROG Ally keys,” the notes say, confirming the company is taking steps to spread the Steam Deck OS to other platforms, even rival ones.
At first, some fans and users thought this meant that Valve was simply supporting said keys in the Steam desktop client on Windows, where it offers a Steam Deck-like Big Picture Mode interface for any PC. However, none other than Valve designer Lawrence Yang confirmed that the company is indeed working on adding support to other platforms.
“The note about ROG Ally keys is related to third-party device support for SteamOS. The team is continuing to work on adding support for additional handhelds on SteamOS,” Yang said in an interview for The Verge.
What’s the Catch?
While Valve has announced this update to the operating system of the Steam Deck, this does not automatically mean that Asus will officially bless the installer or sell the Ally with SteamOS. Currently, the company ships its product with Windows. A main reason for this is that Microsoft has dedicated validation teams that ensure its operating system works across many different hardware configurations and chips.
Furthermore, Valve isn’t really suggesting it will offer SteamOS for rival handhelds anytime soon. While what is not out of the question for some time in the future, Yang said the company is making steady progress and “isn’t ready to run out of the box yet.” However, considering Valve is soon going to release SteamOS 3, which can be installed on non-handheld PCs as well, it’s certain that the company is firmly planning to spread its operating system to other devices.
How Did Users React?
It seems that the reception to the news was somewhat lukewarm at best. On one hand, many players saw this as great news as they saw SteamOS as a better operating system for gaming compared to the ROG Ally X’s Windows 11.
On the other hand, a decent number of Steam Deck users seemed positive, but not too interested in the news. Many said that while it’s nice to see the operating system spread to other devices, they will continue using their Valve consoles.
This lack of interest could be explained, at least in large part, due to the lack of hype by Valve themselves. The news comes from just a simple line in some recent update notes and Valve has yet to make a big announcement on the matter. However, considering Yang’s words, we will likely one day see Valve announce its SteamOS will be officially available on multiple platforms.
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