Valve Takes Another Step Toward Making SteamOS a True Windows Competitor (arstechnica.com)
- Reference: 0177511079
- News link: https://tech.slashdot.org/story/25/05/14/2041200/valve-takes-another-step-toward-making-steamos-a-true-windows-competitor
- Source link: https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2025/05/valve-adds-steamos-compatible-game-label-as-it-prepares-to-expand-beyond-steam-deck/
> We've known for months now that Valve is expanding its Linux-based SteamOS operating system beyond the Steam Deck to other handheld PCs, starting with some versions of the Asus ROG Ally. This week, Valve began making some changes to its Steam storefront to [1]prepare for a future when the Deck isn't the only hardware running SteamOS . A new " [2]SteamOS Compatible " label will begin rolling out "over the next few weeks" to denote "whether a game and all of its middleware is supported on SteamOS," including "game functionality, launcher functionality, and anti-cheat support." Games that don't meet this requirement will be marked as "SteamOS Unsupported." As with current games and the Steam Deck, this label doesn't mean these games won't run, but it does mean there may be some serious compatibility issues that keep the game from running as intended.
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> Valve says that "over 18,000 titles on Steam [will] be marked SteamOS compatible out of the gate," and that game developers won't need to do anything extra to earn the label if their titles already support the Steam Deck. SteamOS uses a collection of app translation technologies called Proton to make unmodified Windows applications run on SteamOS. This technology has dramatically improved SteamOS's game compatibility, compared to older SteamOS versions that required games to support Linux natively, but it still can't support every single game that Windows does. Valve says that the "SteamOS Compatible" label isn't meant to imply how well a game will run on the Steam Deck or any other SteamOS handheld but that this label is "just the first step." The company is "continuing to work on ways for people to have a better understanding of how games will run on their specific devices."
[1] https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2025/05/valve-adds-steamos-compatible-game-label-as-it-prepares-to-expand-beyond-steam-deck/
[2] https://steamcommunity.com/groups/steamworks/announcements/detail/532097310616717411
Hopefully... (Score:2)
Hopefully, the first title available will be Half Life 3.
Valve needs to take advantage of Windows EOL (Score:3)
Imagine a campaign saying "Windows no longer supported? Upgrade to SteamOS and never have to buy a new computer again!". It would make Microsoft really butthurt, but I know they don't have the guts to do it.
Awesome! (Score:2)
Finally a move that promotes Linux compatibility. I know, "SteamOS" and all but between the lines is that it works on a Linux system. Sure, it's probably because it's run on Proton (a WINE fork) but it still runs. The chief complaint i hear now is that "games" don't work on Linux. What they really mean is that the high-end triple-A titles don't work. If this can push more companies to ensure it runs on a Linux system then it's a huge win for everyone. It may not be immediate but the effect will be more than
I could see a day that SteamOS runs natively ... (Score:2)
I could see a day that SteamOS runs natively on PCs. Linux under the hood, Proton on top to run Windows games.
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Path of Exile 2 is a boring, tedious, Ruthless Souls-lite grindfest.
Bazzite with fewer options (Score:2)
SteamOS and Bazzite are "Functionally the same thing".
They are not exactly the same thing, but close enough that Steam itself does not give 2 shits about the difference.
(SteamOS is a customized Arch distro, and Bazzite is a customized Fedora distro. Both are set up with a read only binary filesystem, both use btrfs by default, and both use KDE for the desktop mode.)
I run Bazzite on my GPDWin 4 (2024 version), and it works just fine.
Valve does not officially support GPD handhelds with SteamOS at this time,
Is Gabe the hero of prophesy? (Score:2)
The one who will free us from Windows? Please Gabe. Save us.
Re: (Score:2)
I realize it's just Linux under the hood, but I have a really hard time seeing an OS maintained by the company that basically monopolized the PC gaming software market as an improvement over Microsoft.
Besides, isn't Microsoft's desktop dominance mostly due to the stranglehold it has on the business segment of the PC industry? Although, with all the stories about layoffs lately, maybe some people on the business side of the market are about to find themselves with a lot more free time to play games.
Re: (Score:2)
> basically monopolized the PC gaming software market
In what way has Valve "monopolized" the PC gaming software market? Be very careful with words and definitions. Being a monopoly and becoming a monopoly is not the same thing as monopolization. The first two are a state of being, while the last one is an illegal action. What have Valve done that you think they should be found guilty under the anti-trust laws for? Be specific.
And no, providing a good service is not monopolization.
> Besides, isn't Microsoft's desktop dominance mostly due to the stranglehold it has on the business segment of the PC industry?
Microsoft's desktop dominance is in part due to them monopolizing the market thr