Valve’s SteamOS is now available for third-party handheld devices and gamers want more

SteamOS is expanding beyond just the Steam Deck and can now be licensed to third-party handheld gaming devices. The first one to do so is Lenovo with the Legion Go S revealed during the CES 2025 and as revealed by Valve the same can be done with any other handheld devices. The devices running SteamOS will also get proper stability updates.

Back in 2024, Valve revealed that they were working to bring SteamOS support across other handheld devices. This likely came due to the popular demand from gamers after the release of Steam Deck. The Linux-based operating system is lightweight and highly optimized for gaming.

It is also one of the reasons why Steam Deck was among the best performer in terms of gaming benchmarks. The Legion Go S can prove as a good upgrade with the new AMD Z2 chips, although, benchmarks are yet to come. It’ll also be interesting to see how it compares to the Windows version of the Legion Go S which features a bit better specifications.

Also Read: There is no Steam Deck 2, Valve employee debunks ongoing rumour

Valve increasing competition in the handheld gaming market

The Legion Go S isn’t the only handheld as people can install the beta available publicly to try the OS themselves. “Ahead of Legion Go S shipping, we will be shipping a beta of SteamOS which should improve the experience on other handhelds, and users can download and test this themselves. And of course, we'll continue adding support and improving the experience with future releases,” Valve wrote.

The availability of SteamOS across various handhelds will further increase the competition as it currently most usually opts for Windows which can be unstable at times. What’s impressive is that Microsoft has already announced its game plan, and that is to combine OS from Xbox and Windows for a better experience.

Do note that Valve has warned that SteamOS is currently not a replacement for current user desktop, however, people aren’t opposed to having it on their PC. It is currently not intended to be focused on non-technical users, but the company has provided an installation guide nonetheless.