The Steam Deck had SteamOS exclusivity until then. At CES 2025, Lenovo is the first manufacturer to unveil a console natively running SteamOS, as an alternative to Windows.
This is a first in the world of portable consoles. Valve will offer the SteamOS operating system, which has proven itself on Steam Deck, on the console of another manufacturer, Lenovo and its Legion Go S.
As a result, Valve officially becomes a frontal competitor to Microsoft and its Windows system in the video game ecosystem. Manufacturers of PCs, and especially portable game consoles, will now be able to choose between equipping themselves with a Windows whose ergonomics still leave something to be desired, or a SteamOS perfectly calibrated for this machine format.
And since Valve can count on game sales through Steam, using SteamOS is inexpensive. The company does not say it, but we can even imagine a completely free license for the manufacturer. Enough to allow Lenovo to announce a console 100 dollars cheaper under SteamOS.
A perfect OS for video games?
As a reminder, SteamOS is a GNU/Linux-based operating system that Valve has reinvigorated with the launch of the Steam Deck.
To go further
I discovered the true potential of the Asus ROG Ally with SteamOS
It notably offers a user interface designed for video game use, but also optimization of games for GNU/Linux using the Proton engine.
It is this software optimization that has allowed the Steam Deck to remain very relevant on the market, while solutions like the ROG Ally or the Lenovo Legion Go are more efficient.
With the arrival of SteamOS from other manufacturers, this may be the promise of combining this software optimization with stronger hardware. After all, hardware is not Valve’s business, unlike Lenovo, Asus, Acer and the others.
Lenovo has the de facto exclusivity
The media TheVerge was able to ask Valve about this important change for the ecosystem. The company confirms that only Lenovo will currently offer a console under SteamOS.
However, Valve seems to be pointing to a future version of SteamOS that would simply be installable on competing consoles. The firm had already pushed in 2024 towards compatibility with the ROG Ally.
At CES 2025, Nvidia unveiled a future native version of its GeForce Now cloud gaming service for SteamOS, and the Steam Deck.
Source: www.frandroid.com
