The company’s own Linux distro has set itself a goal that could make it conveniently absolutely interesting if you really play a lot on, say, a Steam Deck or the Asus ROG Ally, and not just access your games from one interface.

Playtron wants to have _the_ video game operating system on handheld platforms, laptops, TVs and cars. It will be Linux-based (don’t worry: Valve’s SteamOS is too), but PlaytronOS tries to go beyond SteamOS by not being limited to a single storefront. In other words, it would support not only Steam, but all game stores, and many third-party integrations are planned.

Playtron describes itself as a featherweight, game-focused operating system designed for the new generation of handheld PCs. The company’s website, meanwhile, takes a swipe at Windows and SteamOS, saying that both platforms are not well suited for handheld PCs and that it wants to create something better than them. The site is a bit wrong, because SteamOS is not limited to the “Valve-verse” (a term they coined). You just have to switch from Steam Ceiling to Big Picture mode and from there you can access the other platforms (GOG, Epic Games Store). Maybe they should tell Playtron to get their hands on SteamOS for more than two minutes!

Epic Games Launcher doesn’t work very well with Steam Deck, so it’s better to use Heroic Launcher for that, and GeForce Now is another alternative. According to Playtron’s website, the goal is to have all game stores running on PlaytronOS, which is not only designed for Steam Deck, but will also be available for use on other handheld PCs.

According to Playtron’s founding CEO Kirt McMaster, we can expect to see handheld PCs with their operating system available ex-factory by 2025. According to The Verge, Ayaneo is coming out with something like this as early as this year, and they’re looking to be on the x86 and ARM systems in the next few years. McMaster has also previously created the Android alternative Cyanogen…

Source: PCGamer, Playtron, The Verge