TECH NEWS – Gabe Newell’s company is rumored to be moving beyond the Steam Deck and other handheld PCs with its Linux-based operating system later this year.
We may be close to being able to install SteamOS on our desktop computers. Valve has done this with Steam Deck: millions of users may feel like they want to ditch the bloated (and therefore machine intensive) Windows 10 or Windows 11 (full of bloatware) and use SteamOS instead on a daily basis. The easy-to-navigate and game-focused operating system is rumored to be coming soon.
SadleyItsDadley wrote on Twitter that SteamOS is coming soon. He didn’t take the picture and was talking about the version for desktop PCs. Considering that Valve’s operating system has already been released on the Lenovo Legion Go S beyond the Steam Deck (and it’s not out of the question that it will show up on other devices later!), this looks promising, but he didn’t mention that it was for PCs, but you can guess that’s what he meant. According to the tweet, Valve is preparing for a general release of SteamOS, and if true, users will be able to switch from Windows to SteamOS for a more game-centric experience.
I didn’t make the image I posted above. It’s the official generic splash screen for SteamOS general release (non-Steam Deck devices) pic.twitter.com/Q8fwmBe1S4
— SadlyItsDadley (@SadlyItsBradley) March 14, 2025
By default, the SteamOS interface is significantly simplified and lacks bloatware, while Windows 11 requires more and more resources (for example, the minimum for the operating system is now 16 GB due to Copilot). However, there are limitations. The Proton compatibility layer does not support all games, but it reduces the performance and compatibility gap between Windows and Linux. If Linux seriously catches up with Windows, SteamOS could become a convenient alternative for those who don’t want to deal with messy and constant updates, but still want a hassle-free gaming experience.
Valve has some work to do. Nvidia GPUs are not as well supported as AMD and Intel graphics cards. If anyone wants to try SteamOS out early, Valve has a Build Your Own option where you can install it if your configuration meets the minimum system requirements… but this is not compatible with Steam Deck!
Source: WCCFTech