SteamOS

SteamOS
SteamOS 3.0 "holo" with the default Plasma desktop running on the Steam Deck
DeveloperValve, Collabora[1]
OS familyLinux (Unix-like)
Working stateCurrent
Source modelOpen source base system with closed source components
Initial releaseDecember 13, 2013; 10 years ago (2013-12-13)
Latest release3.6.19 (October 23, 2024; 33 days ago (2024-10-23)[2]) [±]
Latest preview3.6.18 Beta (October 12, 2024; 44 days ago (2024-10-12)[3]) [±]
Repositoryrepo.steampowered.com/steamos/ (Contains only up to SteamOS 2.0)
Marketing targetGaming, entertainment
Available inVarious
Package manager
Platformsx86-64
Kernel typeMonolithic (Linux)
UserlandGNU
Default
user interface		Steam (gaming mode)
Plasma (desktop mode)
Official websiteSteamOS

SteamOS is a Linux distribution developed by Valve. It incorporates Valve's popular namesake Steam video game storefront and is the primary operating system for the Steam Deck, Valve's portable gaming device, as well as Valve's earlier Steam Machines. SteamOS is open source with some closed source components.

SteamOS was originally built as a client for video game streaming over a local network from a gaming PC and was later extended to support some on-device gameplay, with the intent for lightweight, upgradeable PCs, known as Steam Machines, to run SteamOS for game streaming and local play. SteamOS versions 1.0, released in 2013, and 2.0, released in 2015, were based on the Debian distribution of Linux with GNOME desktop.[6] Valve encouraged developers to incorporate Linux compatibility into their releases to better support Linux gaming options, including SteamOS, with mixed success.

In February 2022, Valve released the Steam Deck gaming handheld, running a dramatically updated version of SteamOS, version 3.0, based on the Arch Linux distribution with the KDE Plasma environment pre-installed, as well as Valve's Proton compatibility layer, allowing many games designed for Windows to run natively on SteamOS.[7][8]

  1. ^ "Portable Linux gaming with the Steam Deck". Collabora. Archived from the original on May 28, 2023. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
  2. ^ "SteamOS 3.6.19 Stable Release". Steam News. Valve Corporation. October 23, 2024. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
  3. ^ "SteamOS 3.6.18 Beta: The Color at the End of the End of the Line". Steam Deck store page. Valve Corporation. October 12, 2024. Retrieved October 16, 2024.
  4. ^ "SteamOS". Archived from the original on October 14, 2019. Retrieved December 12, 2013.
  5. ^ "Steam Support :: Steam Deck Desktop: FAQ". Steam Support. What if I want to do more than what’s available by flatpak?. Archived from the original on November 17, 2023. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
  6. ^ Makuch, Eddie (September 25, 2013). "Valve reveals Steam Machines". GameSpot. Archived from the original on September 30, 2013. Retrieved September 30, 2013.
  7. ^ Duckett, Chris (July 16, 2021). "Steam Deck is an AMD-powered handheld PC from Valve that runs KDE on Arch Linux". ZDNet. Archived from the original on February 16, 2022. Retrieved July 16, 2021.
  8. ^ "Tech Specs". Steam Deck. Valve Corporation. Archived from the original on August 6, 2023. Retrieved July 16, 2021.


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