SteamOS Breaks Free From Steam Deck—Now Supports ROG Ally, Legion Go S
Pictured: Steam Deck OLED Limited Edition White
For years, Valve promised to extend support for SteamOS beyond the Steam Deck, and today the company’s first major step toward fulfilling that promise sees the light of day. Nope, the Legion Go S powered by by SteamOS isn’t quite here yet. But today’s SteamOS update not only adds several welcome features for Steam Deck owners, it also marks the release of an official installer for SteamOS on other AMD handhelds like the ROG Ally from Asus.
At first glance, the headlining feature of SteamOS 3.7.8 (aptly codenamed “Go Country”) appears to be a welcome improvements like a newer Arch Linux base and updated graphics driver, but for non-Steam Deck owners who want Valve’s polished, console-like experience on their Windows handheld, the real gem is this line in the patch notes:
Updated the SteamOS recovery image for repairing SteamOS on Steam Deck and Legion Go S. If you would like to test SteamOS on your own AMD powered handheld, you can use this SteamOS recovery image and follow the instructions here.
Before this, you had to use an alternative OS like Bazzite, or jump through some hoops to get the official SteamOS image installed on Windows-powered AMD handhelds like the original Legion Go, current Legion Go S, and ROG Ally.
Valve’s SteamOS recovery image probably isn’t ready for prime time just yet, but more people testing it beyond Steam Deck will certainly help smooth out any rough edges. Just be aware that within the current installation instructions, Valve warns that “support for all devices that is not officially ‘Powered by SteamOS’ is not final.”
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Other highlights of SteamOS 3.7.8 – especially for power users and those of you not using a Steam Deck – include being able to tweak AMD P-State frequencies, as well as support for frame limiting with both internal and external VRR displays.
The SteamOS update of course adds official support for the Legion Go S powered by SteamOS, which is days away from release. The Windows version of that handheld nails the aesthetics, is ridiculously comfortable, and boasts a terrific display. Hopefully the SteamOS-powered version will unlock its true potential, without the clunkiness of Windows dragging it down.
Click here to read Valve’s patch notes and see what additional features Steam Deck owners can look forward to.