SteamOS beta indicates an imminent general installation with ROG Ally added.

Every now and again I wonder where SteamOS can be found. It's on Steam Deck, dummie. Valve has been talking about a general installation since the original Steam Deck was released. This would allow you to install its impressive Arch Linux distro on other devices that are not Decky. The first glimpse of a SteamOS general install is almost here. The latest beta release, via SteamDeckHQ, has a line that makes me very excited: "Added Support for Extra ROG Ally Keys."

It's exciting, because every SteamOS version has been designed exclusively for installation on Valve Steam Decks. A general install was always frustratingly out of reach. This is the first time that I've seen a patch note referring to a specific fix for an installation on a device from a different company.

Since many years, the only thing we had in that regard was a recovery image that allowed you to install SteamOS 3 on other devices. Valve warns "all the tinkerers" that SteamOS 3 is not a standalone installation and may not work properly if installed on anything but a Steam Deck.

In essence, it has never been considered to support other gaming systems... until now. You can read the last clause in Mr. Cinema Trailer's voice.

SteamOS has had previous updates that have fixed issues with third-party peripherals and other devices you may plug into a Steam Deck. But the addition of support for ROG Ally inputs in this update is new and very pleasing. This is not going to replace Windows 11 on my gaming desktop, but this could be a hint that a new SteamOS version for handheld gaming PCs is coming soon.

It would be a good idea, because even though I've come to terms with Windows on handhelds after playing with the ROG Ally X, Ayaneo, and Ayaneo, I still feel a little envious whenever I pull out the Steam Deck OLED from my drawer.

It's a very satisfying experience, and it's tailored for handhelds. SteamOS 3 will be available on other handheld gaming computers before any desktop PC that is configured in a variety of ways.

Lawrence Yang, Valve's Deck Designer, was my first contact with the OLED when it first appeared. I asked him specifically when a standalone installation would be available.

"Oh, man," says Yang, "it is very high on our priority list, we are working to make it happen. The same people who would make the SteamOS general install available are also the ones that are making Galileo (Steam Deck OLED) work.

"We hope soon, but it is very high up on our list and we want to make SteamOS available more widely. We'll likely start by making it more accessible to other handhelds that have a similar style gamepad controller. Then we'll expand to other devices. I think the most important thing is to make sure that it works on any PC. Because it's very, extremely tuned for Steam Deck."

It was November last year. Nine months later, it seems that the gestation period is finally about to end. A version of SteamOS will be available for any AMD-powered handheld. We hope it's not only the ally and that we get support across the board. Though I wish you luck, if you hope for a version to run on a Meteor Lake portable...

I've contacted Valve to find out if they have any more concrete information coming up soon. I will keep you updated.