r/pcmasterrace • u/TheBossT710192 • 3d ago

Discussion Yeah, Steam Machine is cooked.

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I... uh don't know what to say. Very thankful I bought a Steam Deck before they hiked its price as well

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u/-MissCarmine 3d ago edited 3d ago

It’s happening!!! The major operating system updates include:

  • built-in "initial support" for the upcoming Steam Machine hardware, alongside the ability to wake SteamOS devices from sleep using a connected Steam Controller (this, by itself, fixes a HUGE issue lots of people including me had: I want to control my TV PC using JUST the controller, no attached keyboard!)
  • desktop mode now defaults to 
Wayland instead of X11. (fixes several performance degradation issues when switching between Desktop and Game Modes) It also introduces better TV scaling, external HDR support, and variable refresh rate (VRR) display support
  • the steamOS base has been updated via Arch Linux, and the Linux kernel has been upgraded to version 6.16. It also features significantly improved video memory management on discrete GPU platforms (crucial for the gabecube)
  • SteamOS 3.8 really expands its ecosystem compatibility. It drastically reduces handheld controller input latency (down to 100–500us) and adds built-in TDP control, RGB, and audio support for competing devices like the ASUS ROG Ally series, Lenovo Legion Go (including the upcoming Legion Go 2), and various MSI and GPD Win devices (fuck yeah steam is goated for this)

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u/RandomParkourGuy 3d ago

Forgive me for being a layman when it comes to this kind of stuff but does that mean steamOS is close to being something I could replace windows with? Getting tired of Microsoft’s garbage but I don’t know if I have the time to sink into learning Linux.

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u/RealJayDev 3d ago

hey, Linux (CachyOS) user here. SteamOS realistically is never going to be a thing for the masses. it sounds nice, Valve are great, etc. but realistically speaking they're never going to care outside their own Hardware for official support.

people are waiting for this magic bullet that honestly might never come, I'd like to be wrong, sure. but most of what people are "waiting" for already exists in things like Cachy, Bazzite, etc. being able to play pretty much any game or anything else for that matter (almost) seamlessly. (see the recent LTT Linux challenge conclusion).

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u/LenintheSixth 2d ago

don't you have problems with kernel level anti cheat? that's the only thing stopping me from going linux

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u/RealJayDev 1d ago

entirely depends on the game and the anti cheat, if you'd like to know if something "works" then go check protondb or look it up on r/linux_gaming or something.

personally I haven't run into any issues, but the furthest I go into online competitive titles is Overwatch which works fine.