Valve has gone live with the latest beta update for SteamOS. It brings a number of important bug fixes and changes to the gaming-focused operating system, such as preliminary wireless support for the upcoming Steam Frame VR headest, with the full list laid out on the Steam website. For some handheld owners, though, the biggest win will be expanded gamepad support across a growing number of models, allowing more gamers to install SteamOS on handheld devices beyond just the official Steam Deck.
As laid out in the SteamOS update notes, this latest beta build brings ‘improved support’ for unspecified MSI and OneXPlayer handheld models, while also bringing ‘initial’ gamepad support to a number of specific models – the Intel x86-based MSI Claw 8 EX AI+, and the ARM-based Konkr FIT and AYANEO Pocket S2 models. As with any beta update, however, and Valve’s wording of ‘initial’ support, there’s no guarantee that everything will work perfect just yet, so it’s only worth making the switch if you can live with potential teething issues.
There’s only a few handheld devices that ship with SteamOS preinstalled from the factory – Valve’s own Steam Deck, and the SteamOS variant of Lenovo’s Legion Go S and Legion Go 2. However, the devices mentioned in the latest SteamOS beta update join a growing list of third-party gaming handhelds which now have beta compatibility when SteamOS is installed by the user after purchase. Other devices which Steam already identify as having ‘beta’ SteamOS support include the ASUS ROG Ally and Ally X, Lenovo Legion Go, and ‘other AMD powered handhelds’.
There are several reasons to consider installing SteamOS on a third-party handheld with beta support. You might lose access to some multiplayer games that rely on anti-cheat software only supported on Windows such as GTA Online and Battlefield 6, but in exchange, SteamOS ditches bloat such as Copilot, typically delivering a stronger battery life and faster UI navigation – exactly what you’ll want if regularly gaming on the go. If you still want Windows on the device for those incompatible games, there are methods to dual-boot both Windows 11 and SteamOS on a single handheld.