Valve promised earlier that SteamOS would be available to third-party handheld consoles. As of today, that goal inched closer to reality with the new SteamOS 3.7.0 Preview update.
As per the official Steam website, Valve released SteamOS 3.7.0 for all testers to try, along with a note that reads “Beginnings of support for non-Steam Deck handhelds.” Of course, it goes without saying that the preview update also brings with it several improvements, including a newer Arch Linux base, updated Mesa graphics driver base, as well as improvements to controller support.
We already know one of the non-Steam Deck models that will be running on SteamOS, the Lenovo Legion Go S. To be precise, the company announced during CES 2025 that it would be launching two models: one running on Windows OS and the other on Valve’s operating system.
The internet is filled with arguments as to why SteamOS feels more the ideal operating system for gaming handhelds than Windows, and vice versa. One argument that stands out is battery efficiency which is fair, given that gaming handhelds like the ASUS ROG Ally barely lasts more than two hours, regardless of the title you’re playing.
You can read the update in full via the Steam page we’ve put in the source below.
