Honestly, what would you get out of SteamOS on PC anyway? Just install Linux, set up the drivers you need, launch Steam at startup, and default it to Big Picture Mode.
Boom, SteamOS.
Does it have more oomph? More chutzpah? More mileage? More HP? More pep in its step? More ability to go the distance? More firepower? More brass? More boldness? More flavor?
Right, and I never said it was only Big Picture. What can it do that Linux + Big Picture can’t?
In what way? Sure… If you compare just big picture mode to an entire OS, but that’s hardly what was meant.
My desktop with endeavour OS and SteamDeck can do all the same things… In fact doing some things on the deck is more tricky because it’s limited to installing flatpaks.
In fact doing some things on the deck is more tricky because it’s limited to installing flatpaks.
That’s the advantage. A PC with a layer on top is a PC with a layer on top. It still wants you to have a mouse and keyboard. You still have to update it like a normal desktop PC.
Steam OS is controller and controller only. It’s a no bullshit durable system designed to be put on a box and just leave it that way.
You can do the same things, but I’m not putting a norma lLinux box running steam under my TV.
SteamOS is a less flexible distribution of Arch Linux. You can do the same and even more with other distributions. Even on the Steam Deck.
The lack of flexibility is power when it comes to use as a console. “You can do the same” isn’t true when the desire is to have a no bullshit “just works” experience with minimal setup.
I dunno but I tried that and it didn’t work at all. Had to go searching around online for how to even install a damn game. Then when I launched it, the game started running at like 2FPS.
The same game runs on the same PC on Windows at 144FPS.
And that’s the story of the time I tried to game on Linux.
Installing games is same as Windows, download and launch via Steam. As for lack of FPS, willing to bet you had an Nvidia card but didn’t install the drivers for it.
Installing games is same as Windows
So it sounds a lot like you’ve never actually done this before because that’s factually incorrect.
As for lack of FPS, willing to bet you had an Nvidia card but didn’t install the drivers for it.
Wrong again.
Had to go searching around online for how to even install a damn game.
Wait, you had so much trouble to look if the “Enable Steam Play” checkbox was ticked? 🙄
I dunno but I tried that and it didn’t work at all. Had to go searching around online for how to even install a damn game.
Just for shits and giggles I fired up a VM and did a clean Steam installation from Flathub. This is the default:
Steam Play (=Proton) is on for supported Windows games. For unsupported games it’s off.