Don’t like SteamOS? You can install Windows on your Steam Deck instead

By Emily Morrow July 15, 2021

Valve’s recently-announced Steam Deck will be able to run Windows, according to a hands-on demo run by IGN. The portable gaming handheld runs SteamOS by default, but IGN claims that users can completely wipe that operating system and install Windows if they want.

Users will also be able to use the handheld like a PC: it can connect to a mouse and keyboard, run web browsers and videos, and access other digital game storefronts like Origin and the Epic Games Store.

Steam Deck — Steam

In its hands-on with the new system, IGN reports that it “has more in common with a desktop gaming PC” than a Nintendo Switch, its closest competitor. One of the system’s most prominent selling points is that it’s extremely open in terms of usage, giving players the ability to connect their favorite peripherals, visit their favorite stores, and use their favorite operating system.

While IGN reports that SteamOS moves smoothly and quickly when getting into games, it appears that Valve wants players to have the final say in the way they access their software. Steam Deck’s compatibility with Windows raises other questions, namely whether the handheld will be compatible with Windows 11 when the operating system launches.

Valve’s push toward open hardware stands in stark contrast to the Switch, which contains a strictly controlled operating system. Nintendo has traditionally kept a tight fist on its hardware and software, and its latest console is no exception. Anything outside of installing games and a small selection of apps through the Nintendo eShop requires users to jailbreak their device.

Whether the Steam Deck will prove to be real competition to the Switch remains to be seen, but its siren song of Windows compatibility and total customizability is difficult to ignore.

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Emily Morrow is a games journalist and narrative designer who has written for a variety of online publications. If she’s…

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Happy birthday, Steam Deck: console and PC gamers debate its first year

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As the Steam Deck’s one-year anniversary approached, I found myself itching to write a reflection on my past 12 months with it. Though I love the gaming device and use it as much as my Nintendo Switch, I initially found my feelings skewing more negative than I expected. Part of that may have been a little reactionary, as I’ve developed a pet peeve in the past year: hearing people who work in games tout it as a “life-changing” device. Sure, it’s life-changing for anyone whose job hinges on having easy access to games, but some of the Steam Deck’s more frustrating quirks make it harder to recommend to a casual player.

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The handheld market has always been dominated by Nintendo. It essentially invented it with the original GameBoy, and each subsequent device has only gone on to be more popular and financially successful, leading all the way to the hybrid Nintendo Switch console. Others have attempted to break into that lucrative market, PlayStation most notably with its PSP and PS Vita handhelds, but every other company has backed out for failing to hit that sweet spot of price, power, and compelling software. Enter the Steam Deck.

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The Steam Deck is the newest handheld to hit the market and aims to compete head-to-head with the likes of the Nintendo Switch. Unlike the Switch, the Steam Deck isn't meant to double as a home console but is more like the Switch Lite in that it is only usable in its handheld form. Also unlike the Switch, this little machine is a beast in terms of power. With access to your Steam library, there needs to be a lot of processing and graphical power to make these games run as well as PC gamers expect.

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