this post was submitted on 13 Jan 2025
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Steam Deck

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A place to discuss and support all things Steam Deck.

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Microsoft should be terrified of SteamOS (www.pcworld.com)
submitted 1 week ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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[–] [email protected] 31 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Microsoft attempted to address this with Windows 8, but by forcing touch interface styling to a desktop user they created a massive flop. Adding Windows Mobile trying to do it's own thing in 2015, and failing to gain market share by not investing enough early enough, and they were solidly outclassed. If they had hot the right points, we might have seen smooth Mobile Microsoft gaming 10 years ago.

What might be the real killer feature of SteamOS is the ability to run a Linux desktop. For $400 one can have both a mobile gaming console that can dock with their television and also dock with a traditional PC for other traditional uses.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 week ago (2 children)

SteamOS already runs Linux desktop, at least on the steamdeck (it's just "switch to desktop" in the power menu). The default desktop environment is KDE plasma. Paired with a USBC laptop dock, you have an easily switchable desktop experience too.

Hopefully they don't plan to change this!

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

My bad. I read that it had to be enabled on the console.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 week ago

No worries! I agree it's a killer feature - hoping to pass the word along. Sorry if it came off as a correction, I meant it more as a "wait til you hear this too!"

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Just need a fucking printer support

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

From what I've read, you just need to start the CUPS service.

sudo systemctl start cups.service

Start on boot:

sudo systemctl enable cups.service

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (1 children)

For such a "stripped down" OS to fit in a 5GB / partition, it is very funny that they included printing but just left it turned off.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 6 days ago

5 GiB is plenty of space for a Linux root filesystem, at least if you move all writeable parts (logs, temporary files, etc.) to different filesystems. Unless you want to install LaTeX, then you probably need 15 GiB or so.

However, CUPS has had a fair share of security issues (for instance https://www.evilsocket.net/2024/09/26/Attacking-UNIX-systems-via-CUPS-Part-I/), so it is probably a good idea to have it disabled by default, unless the user needs printer support.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Man I bought one of those windows phones, the Lumia 920 and boy did it suck. Had bugger all apps. I feel like I had it for nearly a year before I got sick of it. YouTube app was constantly borked and would crash frequently. The fb app once they got it going just felt like a shitty web app disguised as an app. And that was it, like they just released the phone OS and the Lumia series and just hoped devs would come across to the platform. One of the few times I tried to get off iOS and boy did it burn me hard. Hey at least the screen was strong enough to hammer in nails. So free hammer?

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I heard that the gesture navigation was amazing. Relying on you brand to coerce developers for nothin for them.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Ah, it was. I’m still very fond of it’s UX and integrity.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 week ago

I picked up a cheap Lumia as the whole WinPhone thing was winding up. They were actually quite nice. The whole winphone project must have been too low-key for the usual Microsoft Management to stick their noses into, and left competent people running the show.

If WinPhone had actually caught on, I'm sure that some asshole manager would have taken over and turned it into yet another Windows 11. But for a brief moment, MS made a good OS. With no apps.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (2 children)

Steam deck changed my life.

I have used Arch Linux as the main OS of my PC since 6 years ago, but I always need to use Windows to play games. I never used Windows again after I got a Steam deck

iPhone + iPad/Mac + Steam Deck can meet all my daily needs.

I like it, want the Steam Deck 2, and also want the Steam console or Steam machine series.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 week ago (1 children)

You should be able to play just fine with Arch Linux... The SteamOS is based on arch after all.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (1 children)

Yes. I can and I did. But it costs much extra time to download, install, and adjust. Using the Steam deck is convenient because the default settings have already done everything, I just need to pick it up and play games.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 days ago

It really doesn't. Since a few years it's basically plug and play.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 week ago (2 children)

I understand that people are hyped about a Linux distribution developed by a company they really care about. However, please be aware that SteamOS is focused at being an (almost) exclusive gaming OS with very limited hardware support. It doesn't support NVIDIA video cards, for instance.

Steam already runs perfectly fine in most generalist distributions and you'll have a wonderful time if you install them.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 1 week ago (2 children)

It doesn't support NVIDIA video cards, for instance.

Rather NoVideo doesn't support their video cards on Linux

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (3 children)

~~No, their Micro-compositor was written exclusively for AMD cards.~~ The SteamOS setup just borks if you try to install it with nvidia. People coming from Windows won't really care who is to blame, they'll just be baffled it doesn't work.

It makes sense since steam deck only has AMD cards. SteamOS is targeted at gaming devices, not as a generalistic distribution.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 week ago (1 children)

No, their Micro-compositor was written exclusively for AMD cards.

Because NVIDIA drivers suck. That's on Nvidia, not Linux or Valve.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 week ago

Sure, nvidia drivers suck and I haven't had the best experience migrating to Wayland. However, it's important that people know this "limitation" in using SteamOS, especially since many other Linux distributions run both steam and Nvidia video cards just right.

SteamOS is a distribution that is great for a gaming device but I see people believing this is going to be a generalist Linux distribution and it's not. Having a clear idea of what SteamOS is, what is good for and what are the current limitations is very important. Linux is amazing, Valve is amazing but SteamOS is not replacing Windows. Which is fine, that's not the goal. I can recommend a bunch of distros that do replace windows if you want...

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

This thing?

https://github.com/ValveSoftware/gamescope

It runs on Mesa + AMD or Intel, and could be made to run on other Mesa/DRM drivers with minimal work. AMD requires Mesa 20.3+, Intel requires Mesa 21.2+. For NVIDIA's proprietary driver, version 515.43.04+ is required (make sure the nvidia-drm.modeset=1 kernel parameter is set).

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 week ago

It borks when you try to install SteamOS. It does not work. Bazzite just added beta support for nvidia, so check that out if out really want something as close to SteamOS as possible.

Or just use a generalist distribution because gaming on Linux is in an amazing state right now. Install steam, boot games.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 week ago

It works on Intel.

Are you sure about your statement?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago

That's odd. They've always worked fine for me.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/dlss-3-added-proton/

You may want to update what you said because they will soon do so.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 week ago

When it happens I will. Currently, installing SteamOS with a nvidia card just borks.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 week ago

Most windows users I know focus-build their PCs for games, then use them as they need to for other stuff. I can imagine having an OS that’s also focus-built for games as well being enticing.

If I ever built my own gaming rig, it’ll be to run SteamOS.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 week ago

I do not think Microsoft is afraid, I think they are just not that focused on the gaming market, yes they have a console and a bunch of game studios, but I believe that is right now a secondary focus.

No Microsoft is focused on the tech heroine called AI, trying to inject it wherever they can. They see this as the new frontier. So even though I would have loved seeing Microsoft scream in pain as they realise another competitor has actually a more enriching product that will eat their lunch, unfortunately they are in another boardroom discussing how they can get more AI, does anyone know where they can get more AI