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.

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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…

Gaming

The Ayaneo Next Lite is the first Steam Deck rival to feature SteamOS

A person uses SteamOS on the Ayaneo Next Lite.

We're in the middle of a renaissance for PC gaming handhelds thanks to the success of the Steam Deck, but all of those alternatives tend to default to using Windows or their own custom interfaces rather than Valve's own SteamOS, which makes using the Steam Deck feel so seamless. Ayaneo is taking a different approach with the Ayaneo Next Lite, as the gaming handheld that was revealed today utilizes SteamOS.

The Ayaneo Next Lite comes with SteamOS preinstalled as the primary interface on the system, which should make it very easy to get your Steam game library up and running on the handheld. The convenience of that definitely bolsters Ayaneo's idea that the Next Lite will be a "value-for-money option" for its handheld PCs.

Computing

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Steam Deck held between two hands.

Ever since Valve released the original Steam Deck, the PC gaming world has been on the hunt for a Steam Deck killer. Asus went first with its ROG Ally, and Lenovo followed shortly after with the Legion Go. That's not to mention the swath of smaller brands that have been chipping away at handheld gaming PCs for years, such as Ayaneo and GPD.

You can't kill the Steam Deck, though, at least not with the current offerings. Valve has a particular advantage with the Steam Deck that it's been building for years, and it will be hard for a true competitor to emerge in the growing market of handheld gaming PCs.
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Gaming

The Steam Winter Sale ends tomorrow, so don’t miss this fantastic bundle

Humans jump over a gap in Humanity.

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This nine-item bundle collects every game by developer Enhance, as well as DLC and soundtracks for the four included titles. While that would usually cost $150, it's currently discounted to $78. That might still seem high, but you're getting a heck of a deal considering what it comes with.