Starting with recent compatibility improvements for Intel and AMD platforms, Valve is looking to bring SteamOS to more PCs, with plans to eventually support NVIDIA's graphics cards.
Although the Steam Machine has been widely bashed for its disappointingly weak performance and exorbitantly high price, for some people it's exactly what they've been looking for: a compact console-like PC that runs all their Steam games, yet integrates seamlessly with their living room setup, while providing solid performance for lighter games. The fact that it runs SteamOS was crucial to this niche appeal; the promise of lazy gaming sessions on the couch without dealing with Windows was enough for some people to forgive the quadruple-digit price tag.
However, for those who can't quite stomach the steep price of the new Steam Machine, Valve's got you covered. SteamOS 3.8.10, released last week, brought significant compatibility improvements to Intel and AMD's latest and greatest platforms.
"Starting with the SteamOS 3.8 release, you can put together your own Steam Machine using whatever PC parts you want."
— Pierre-Loup Griffais (Valve), via The Verge
But Valve isn't stopping there. In the same interview with The Verge, Pierre-Loup went on to state that Valve has been collaborating with NVIDIA, all in aid of improving SteamOS's compatibility with desktop hardware. Although the final boss of Linux compatibility - support for NVIDIA's graphics cards - might not roll out this year, Valve will continue working on it "in the background."
Which brings us to an interesting tangent - although the Steam Machine is fresh on everyone's minds, in my opinion, it isn't the most interesting use case for SteamOS. Rather, that would be the Steam Deck, which manages to cash performance cheques you'd never think its silicon would be capable of writing, thanks to SteamOS.
With Intel's newfound efficiency dominance in the handheld space, and compatibility improvements to SteamOS for Intel hardware, it feels like all the stars are aligning for a Panther Lake - or even Wildcat Lake - based handheld with official support for SteamOS.
Regardless, it'll be interesting to see how this affects Linux market share in the future. While distros like Bazzite and CachyOS already deliver a solid gaming experience today, SteamOS carries unique mainstream potential as Valve’s official platform. If SteamOS becomes a truly viable solution for PC gamers with all types of hardware, perhaps we'll finally see the year of the Linux gaming PC come to fruition.
News Source: The Verge
About the author: Rayan is an aspiring Computer Engineer, currently pursuing his undergraduate studies. He built his first computer in the pandemic, and has been hooked on the hobby ever since. He brings a unique blend of academic knowledge and technical know-how to his articles, which include everything from detailed instructional guides to performance comparisons in wccftech hardware section. When not stressing out over finals or writing articles, you can find him reading fantasy books or hitting the gym.
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