Looking soon to update my gaming rig. Asus Gryphon z97, i7-4790 32GB RAM, GTX 3060 (12GB!), and a couple of SSDs…
As Win 10 support is finally being ended by Microsoft, and the logic board can’t run the TPM2.0 (not even with a firmware update) the options appear to be SteamOS or continue to run unsupported Win 10…
The caveat for sticking with Win10 is that the PC is for gaming ONLY. No email, but some light browsing (youtube how-to videos mostly) and just going to the game-related sites and of course nexus mods.
If I do opt for the Steam OS will my GOG Galaxy run on it or will I just have to launch the games directly? Most of the titles I play (other than the Halo games and Forbidden West) are using the Galaxy app.
What GOG support will there be from SteamOS, if any?
Thanks to anyone that can help!
So the secret sauce here is that SteamOS is a version of Linux built for the deck, but all the cool stuff done by Valve can be accessed easily by other Linux distributions. So we can pick from a range of fully featured Linux distros designed for PC. I currently use and highly recommend Pop!_OS but another one called Bazzite is super popular for gaming setups. I think SteamOS could possibly be missing some things that you might want/need for regular pc stuff, although hopefully someone else can say more on that. GOG has native linux support for some games apparently but everything should work via Proton (the real magic of steamOS) anyway. I guess there is a learning curve here but installing SteamOS on PC would be its own (pretty similar) challenge.
EDIT: It appears SteamOS is no good for PC. Join the dark side, we have Penguins.
Penguins it is then!
I’m currenty an Apple user looking at the EOL of my ancient indestructible Intel kit (my newest Mac is a 2010 MBP which is running an unsupported macOS install) and deciding that, given Apple’s interminably frustrating OS decisions (walled gardens and all that rubbish…) on top of their switching yet again to a different platform - Apple SIlicon - that Linux is going to be my next adveture in OSes…
Will start with the PC and Bazzite, and may need a bit of help, as while I do know a few Terminal commands in the Mac, the PC presents a bit of a mystery (though I hope it’s gonna be less alien than I think, once the Linux OS is in…)
Much thanks to everone!
Bazzite is built very similarly to how SteamOS looks and works but there is also Pop!_OS which a lot of gamers use as the person you replied to said.
There is also Garuda Linux which is another gaming centered distro, but it can be a bit intimidating for newbies.
You might also check out CachyOS (what I’m currently using) and Nobara, which a lot of gamers are also using now.
CachyOS is similar to both SteamOS and Bazzite in having a dedicated mode for gaming much like is found on the Steam Deck. I personally have not tried it but saw it and thought it was interesting.
I personally use CachyOS as a desktop on my gaming PC and it’s been working pretty well with very limited setup on my part. As far as drivers, I haven’t actually done anything and everything was dedicated and playable. Versus when I was on KDE Neon, I needed to manually configure the driver for my RTX 4080 Super because my monitor’s refresh at 180 was not coming across until that fix happened. Didn’t need to do any of that on CachyOS.
The big thing about CachyOS that a lot of people like is the speed, as it does feel very fast and loads my games up very nicely. I personally have not done any testing, but gaming has felt good on this over the last month and a half of me using it.
It looks and feels a lot like Windows 10 does but that is mostly down to it using KDE Plasma. Not everyone uses the desktop on a Steam Deck, but its default desktop environment is KDE Plasma too. So whatever distro you use, I highly recommend going with KDE Plasma as your desktop since that’s what you’ve been most familiar with. You’ll notice when you go to different distro’s download pages that they’ll have stuff like a Gnome or Plasma distro option or they’ll ask you when you are installing it what desktop environment you want.
Ok, thats good to know. The limited access to Linux I’ve dabbled with in the past used Gnome - which was fine - but I’m always up for learning something new.
If I do opt for the Steam OS will my GOG Galaxy run on it or will I just have to launch the games directly? Most of the titles I play (other than the Halo games and Forbidden West) are using the Galaxy app.
What GOG support will there be from SteamOS, if any?
You’ll be able to access those games through the Heroic Launcher, it should be able to handle any GOG games you have just as easily as Steam will handle Steam games.
I have good news and bad news.
Bad news is that Steam OS doesn’t work with Nvidia GPU’s or Intel CPU’s due to how optimized it currently is for handheld AMD APU’s. If you had a full AMD system you could make it work though.
The good news is that Bazzite is effectively the same thing as Steam OS but supports Intel and Nvidia components.
If you’re up for installing Bazzite, I recommend picking the dropdown to not boot into Steam Gaming Mode. Every other choice should be rather straightforward. After that, make a bootable flashdrive and put the installer on there.
As for your GOG games, like others said you can use Heroic Games Launcher to run them, alongside games from EGS, EA, Itch.io, etc.
I recommend picking the dropdown to not boot into Steam Gaming Mode.
Good to know…
Thank you!
I recommend the opposite. Steam Game Mode essentially turns your PC into a console and has lots of in-game settings that are all controller friendly, and has a built in MangoHud for performance metrics. This is what SteamOS uses. But it really depends on how you use your system. You can always just disable game mode with a single command, and the invoke it manually from the desktop using
The problem is that Steam Game Mode has spotty support for Nvidia GPU’s, hence why I recommended against booting into it directly
I’m not going to disagree, other than to offer the obligatory “it works on my machine!”.
When I saw the post and writeup, I knew it would be Linux (or Bazzite).
Steam OS really needs a simple to use installer with the option to automatically add a partition to an existing Windows PC. Even if you don’t dual boot, it would encourage more people to try it and wean themselves off of Windows.
Firstly if you’re looking to upgrade your system and switch to Linux, I would recommend switching to team Red. For a variety of reasons really but generally they are a better value and also will just work better with Linux.
GOG games can be run on SteamOS and SteamOS-like distros through Heroic and Lutris. Though YMMV. You’re going to have a much better time playing games on Steam.
Valve is not going to give you support for GOG but Linux is a community-driven project and probably the vast majority of Linux users are going to want to run games from other stores.
I have not used it myself but you should be able to run typical linux desktop software with steamos. That being said, I don’t think there’s gog galaxy for linux. You can use HeroicLauncher for GOG (and epic and prime gaming) instead.
I think this post provides a pretty good high level introduction: https://www.gamingonlinux.com/guides/view/how-to-install-extra-software-apps-and-games-on-steamos-and-steam-deck/
Alternatively, you could try a gaming focused Linux distribution like bazzite (based on fedora/ublue) which comes with a lot of gaming related stuff preinstalled or easy to install. The base system is mostly read only though and if you need the latest version of some software that’s not on flathub, it can be a little limiting.
cachyos (based on arch) is a good alternative if you would like to be able to get your hands dirty tweaking your system or want more freedom wrt installing software.
In any case, you should check https://www.protondb.com/ if your games are supported.
Some games with certain anti cheat software can not be run (e.g. anything using vanguard, riot’s anti cheat).
Do note that if you’re in the EU (or can convince Windows/Microsoft that you are, I assume) you should get Windows 10 patches for another year without doing anything.
I have not used it myself but you should be able to run typical linux desktop software with steamos.
I just want to confirm, yes you can, and shortly explain limitations. SteamOS on the Steam Deck (because SteamOS is not released as a general install for desktop) has a desktop mode you can switch to. The gaming mode is fullscreen gaming like a console controlled with controller. In desktop mode, its literally the KDE desktop.
The only caveat is, that the system is locked down by default. You can unlock it, but after system update, the changes to the system (system package manager installs in example) will be reverted. But Flatpaks are installed by default and the preferred method of installing additional software. You can also run any binary from user space without changing the system. And SteamOS has official builtin support for Nix packages. Meaning you can actually install packages from Nix repository on the Deck, sticking permanently in a dedicated directory.
SteamOS is not available as a general install media for your PC. SteamOS from Valve is based on Archlinux. There are many different base Linux systems other operating systems / distros use them and build a new system around it (just like what Valve did with Archlinux into SteamOS). In general, SteamOS itself does not integrate GOG or any other launcher out of the box. You would need manual installation in desktop mode (normal PC mode) and add them into the Steam as non Steam game. Its just like on your regular PC. But as said, that does not matter, because SteamOS itself is not available for general PC.
But there is Linux distribution that aims to fill that gap, called Bazzite: https://bazzite.gg/ Its base system is different from SteamOS, but it is gaming first oriented. It’s quite popular. And integrates other stores as well:
Own games outside of Steam? Lutris (Pre-installed) and other launchers can not only run games from most game stores, but cleanly integrate them into Steam Gaming Mode, including: Xbox Game Pass (via battle.net), EA App, Epic Games Store, GOG.com, itch.io, Rockstar Games Launcher, Ubisoft Connect, your dad’s old CDs, and more!
There was also one called HoloISO, which was much much closer to SteamOS. But that one did not see any development since over a year, so I would rule that out.
Exasperated Sigh
SteamOS™ is only for handhelds.Currently, the only devices officially 'Powered by SteamOS' are Steam Deck and Legion Go S.Consider Bazzite instead.
Heroic Games Launcher is available on Flathub.
Microcenter has spiffy AMD deals. And 9070xt on sale for $599.
Exasperated Sigh
LOL! Sorry! Newbie nitwittery on the loose!
I’m actually an over four-decades long Apple user who’s main usage was graphics and music.
The PC was a former hackintosh running El Capitan and used for video production and Aperture… I bought it from the guy that built it and slapped Win 10 into it just to game on. (I did add the nVidia 3060…) Not really familiar with things outside of the Apple ecosystem, but I’m now fed up with the constant churn there and looking to expand into new territory.
I saw SteamOS mentioned and tucked it away in the back of my head and just remembered to ask about it earlier.
So now I know! You gotta ask somewhere no? So it might as well be here…
Am going to suss out the Bazzite and probably add it on a separate SSD - I have connectors for 3 drives in the PC and a Thunderbolt expansion card which may or may not work that is currently in a drawer with the USB 3 card…
Dual boot, (which I do use on my old MacPros) shouldn’t be a problem on the PC - I do that from the PC’s UEFI, amirite? - so I will keep the Windows install and just play with the Bazzite until I get comfy with it.
Thanks!
Exasperated Sigh
I understand the frustration, but this isn’t helpful.
