Valve is gearing up to extend its Linux-based SteamOS beyond the confines of the Steam Deck to a broader range of handheld PCs, beginning with various models of the Asus ROG Ally. This week, the company initiated updates to its Steam storefront in preparation for a future where the Steam Deck is not the sole device operating SteamOS.
A new label named “SteamOS Compatible” will start to appear “over the next few weeks.” This label will indicate whether a game and all its associated middleware are compatible with SteamOS, specifically addressing aspects like game functionality, launcher support, and anti-cheat measures. Titles that do not fulfill these criteria will be marked as “SteamOS Unsupported.” While this label does not guarantee that games will fail to operate on SteamOS, it does flag potential compatibility issues that may hinder optimal performance.
Valve has announced an impressive figure, stating that “over 18,000 titles on Steam [will] be marked SteamOS compatible from the outset.” Game developers are not required to take additional actions to receive this designation if their games already support the Steam Deck.
SteamOS employs a suite of application translation technologies known as Proton, which allows unmodified Windows applications to run on the platform. This advancement has significantly increased game compatibility for SteamOS compared to earlier versions, which necessitated that games be natively compatible with Linux. However, not all Windows titles are guaranteed to run seamlessly.
According to Valve, the “SteamOS Compatible” label does not specifically convey how well a game will perform on the Steam Deck or any other SteamOS-powered device. The label is characterized as “just the first step,” as the company continues to explore ways to enhance users’ understanding of game performance on their individual devices.
This information is particularly pertinent given that the ROG Ally and other similar devices feature newer hardware than the Steam Deck, which debuted in early 2022 and saw only minor improvements with faster RAM in late 2023. Valve appears to be in no rush to upgrade the internal components of the Steam Deck, creating a situation where third-party alternatives may increasingly offer superior performance as newer CPUs and GPUs enter the market.
At this time, Valve has not clarified whether it intends to release a “generic” version of SteamOS for installation on any PC hardware, akin to the original SteamOS launch in the early 2010s, or if it plans to distribute the software directly to PC manufacturers. Community-maintained distributions, such as Bazzite, exist to provide a Steam Deck-like experience on general hardware, although they typically require more complex installation processes.
