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SteamOS expands beyond Steam Deck (upcoming SteamOS beta for other devices)
(store.steampowered.com)
this post was submitted on 07 Jan 2025
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Linux Gaming
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The comment section there is all "please release steam os for desktop.and I'll switch immediately". And I'm just sat here with EndeavourOS running all my games perfectly like, "just install Linux already with steam"
I get wanting the manufacturer to support the os. I really want to see more hardware manufacturers support and come with a linux install and having it gaming focused sorta makes sure it will function. If they do anything to make it work they should be contributing it back to the kernel or distro they are based off of. I really would like to see microcenter jump on this in some way and act as a genuis bar for something like this.
I am increasingly disheartened by the obsession over "Desktop SteamOS". People don't want Linux or even "a desktop computer"
They want a video game console experience on their PC. Some other company manages everything and they just run updates any time people post stability memes.
Which... is not too much of a shock considering the trajectory of things over the past decade or two. But also more or less confirms that things are gonna go real bad from a computing standpoint (as opposed to every other standpoint where we already know this...) over the next decade or so.
But it SHOULD at least mean Valve can be confident about releasing the Steam Box 2 (meh) and associated Steam Link 2 (woo) and Steam Controller 2 (HELL YEAH!!!) sooner than later. So.. silver lining?
My guess is that people how the installation will be made easy enough for noobs that they aren't even aware they're installing an OS, or it will be the default on devices. The latter is much much stronger than forcing some poor sod to deal with installing an OS and Valve also makes money in the process, which they can hopefully dump into Linux.
My hope is that the linux community wises up and learns about the power of defaults + not estranging noobs. The elitist "oh eternal september" and "but muh terminal" users can get fucked. Linux needs more people, not less.
Anti Commercial-AI license
I'm looking at all these "news" reports and think to myself: "... but bazzite is already there! How is this news?"
EndeavourOS is nice, but I wouldn't suggest noobs to start with an arch based distro.
As crazy as it sounds, some people only trust software backed by a large corporations.
Valve for the most part has extremely good will amongst the typical gaming crowd. While Linux as a whole doesn't.
I've tried to sell people on Bazzite before when they've brought up wanting SteamOS for the desktop, But I always get 'But it's not "REAL" SteamOS, just some random Linux devs clone'.
I agree it's the wrong way to go about thinking of it, Probably backed up very few people outside the Linux space understanding what a distro actually is. But it's still the general consensus among your average gamer sadly...
Still I'm hopeful an offical SteamOS release will be good for getting more people to try and explore the Linux space.
Tell a normal gamer to install bazzite. I bet you the majority will stop at "put the installer on a USB stick" or any other step in the installation. From getting the PC to boot from the USB stick, figuring out MBR vs UEFI, or "install $distro" or "install $distro (OEM)", partitioning, or whatever other technical stuff pops up. Most people want it to Just Work ™ . Nothing more, nothing less.
Anti Commercial-AI license
I'm not sure if those people actually want Linux, then.
Well, while I love Bazzite, I wonder if steam os will run the built in controller on my rog ally x as a signal piece of hardware rather than 5 controllers in a trench coat. That and the fingerprint reader possibly getting a driver. But other than that I haven't had any problems with Bazzite that I can think of off the top of my head.
I get it, but no one is stopping asus from making the drivers public.
I also get why asus likes the "blessing" of Valve for marketing purposes, etc. But I have a bad feeling that this could result in a new part of the linux world where hardware manufacturers don't contribute to the driver ecosystem.
I don't want a world where the only sensible way to run your rog ally is through SteamOS and all the other distros have driver issues.
Buy hardware that is compatible with Linux then.
You're not getting my point. I'm talking about the linux infrastructure, not individual purchases.
I did get your point. You don't want the Android situation. So I say again, buy hardware that is compatible with Linux then.