Steam Deck may have one of the most iconic operating systems based on Linux to power its PC-like handheld, but Valve has long planned to open it up to its rivals since then. Now, it is confirmed that it will soon offer support to other rival handheld gaming consoles to run the SteamOS, and the company is all about sharing it in the future and not gatekeeping it for its Steam Deck.
A recent update from the SteamOS sparked these rumors, but it is no longer one as Valve gleefully answered the public's bugging questions about it.
Valve's SteamOS is Coming to ASUS ROG Ally, Other Rival Handhelds
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Valve's recently shared its SteamOS 3.6.9 release notes to the world which is under beta testing, with eagle-eyed users spotting a possibility that it would be shared to rival gaming consoles as well. For its inputs, Valve listed a support on SteamOS for ASUS' ROG Ally keys which many thought to be having the operating system available to the rival handheld.
That being said, The Verge shared its latest interview with Valve's designer, Lawrence Yang, who subsequently confirmed that support for other handhelds running the SteamOS is currently under development.
Yang then later claimed that this SteamOS availability to other handheld gaming devices is not yet ready for its application to other consoles for now.
Valve is Not Gatekeeping SteamOS to Steam Decks Only
While Yang denied that the latest patch notes talked about supporting other consoles to run the SteamOS, he talkedabout how in the future, Valve would offer support for adding other devices for its Linux-based platform. It was also noted by The Verge that a previous confirmation from Valve talked about SteamOS' availability to other devices, one that would not be gatekept to the Steam Deck only.
The Steam Deck and Rival Handhelds
After delays faced in its production, Valve's Steam Deck finally hit the stores and shipped to pre-order customers in February 2022, and it marked the massive return of gaming handhelds in the market. In 2023, Valve followed up its gaming device with its upgraded release of the Steam Deck OLED, one that promised to fix the issues the original one brought, as well as bring in a new experience with its better display.
However, it was met with fierce competition in the market like ASUS's ROG Ally, but that was not much of a threat as it suffered from several issues including its weak batteries that could drain immediately.
Handheld gaming was massive in 2023, as Valve and ASUS were followed by Lenovo's take on the new market, introducing the LEGION GO to the world which saw positive reviews.
What is iconic with these portable gaming consoles is how they are mini PCs, with SteamOS based on Linux, and ASUS and Lenovo running on Windows OS for its experience.
Valve once envisioned a world where SteamOS would be used for different companies' take on PC gaming consoles, something which was revealed to be underway and one that it would share with Steam Deck rivals soon.
