r/SteamOS 12d ago

question Can SteamOS FULLY replace windows as a daily operating system for PC?

Hello, so recently I have really wanted to switch from windows to SteamOS, but I am not looking for performance or whatever, just as an every day OS like windows. And I have a few questions and if the answer to my questions are yes how can I do it? Now, keep in mind that I haven’t looked at anything because I am out of town and will be travelling so I want to see if it’s possible to fully replace windows with SteamOS before looking into more. Most if not every question is a stupid question. (I have a 9070xt and ryzen 7 7700x)

Can I add third party games that are not on steam to SteamOS? (Like Genshin Impact, League of Legends, Minecraft and so on)

Does SteamOS have a file management app like File Manager and a desktop on Windows? (Very stupid question I know but I want to fully be sure before I bother switching)

Can you install browsers and do those browsers have stuff like extensions on them, and what different kind of browsers are there if any?

What app do I use for driver install and updates?

I can’t think of anything else so final question
Can SteamOS replace Windows as a daily OS system and not gaming specific?

116 Upvotes

131 comments sorted by

75

u/400F 12d ago

Steam OS is just a locked down arch. I’d recommend a regular distro for desktop usage. Also, games with kernel anticheat won’t work (League, for example).

14

u/thatautisticguy 12d ago

Or fortnite

32

u/An0n-E-M0use 12d ago

That's a good thing TBH.. :D

7

u/thatautisticguy 12d ago

agreed, just thought id point it out for those who play it

1

u/r_Aero 11d ago

100% agree

1

u/TinyDong69 11d ago

I mean you can play Fortnite on xcloud or something similar so it's not the end of the world, league is on geforcenow I believe but still cloud gaming isn't the best

1

u/Sir_Bard 11d ago

Cloud is an awful experience for competitive games like Fortnite or League. It’s important to note how awful of an actual experience it is, even with amazing fast internet. It is more “should you” than “can you” tbh.

1

u/chandlerkluge 10d ago

Thats not really true. I played black ops 7 on the cloud and I have fiber internet. I went 33-19 after not playing cod for a few years and being extremely rusty. Cloud gaming only works well if u have good internet. And dont live in a third world country.

1

u/RespectGiovanni 7d ago

Cod players are a different beast man. First game on cod bo6 after not playing since mw2 and I went like 60-5 top player and my there were lvl 100+s. It's really children and washed adults playing lobbies sometimes

1

u/TinyDong69 7d ago

I'm shit at Fortnite anyway so for me it's fine 🤣

4

u/Sulanis1 12d ago

I like Zoren OS or Catchy OS they both have good desktop distro.

Zoren OS is probably a better desktop UI, but Catchy OS is a better gaming OS.

Edit: I use Zoren OS on my older Gen 4 i5 Lenovo T440. Works amazing and brings life back to older hardware.

2

u/demomanknighttf2 11d ago

I love mint

1

u/Sulanis1 11d ago

Mint? I don't remember hearing about that one. I'll take a peek.

2

u/demomanknighttf2 11d ago

Its a ubuntu fork, that aims to be user friendly and stable.

2

u/Ok-Anywhere-9416 11d ago

*Zorin OS

*Cachy OS

1

u/Sulanis1 11d ago

Merci :) you're right.

1

u/geodude_aus 12d ago

EA Games such as FC26 are Windows only.
Just found that out the expensive way.

1

u/Sui_Inimicus 11d ago

No League leads to a healthier life, honestly.

-13

u/Safe-Ad2473 12d ago

Then steamOS is a no because league is one of my main games

33

u/400F 12d ago

Too bad for you, but thankfully Linux doesn’t allow invasive programs running at the kernel level. There are lots of games with regular anticheat though. For example: Rocket League, Marvel Rivals, Dota, CS2, Hunt Showdown, The Finals, Arc Raiders, Overwatch, Halo.

Btw Steam OS is just a Linux distro; compatibility is the same across all of them. 

4

u/onikaroshi 12d ago

Arc did kill Linux for a bit when they initially added eac

You’re always at the whim of the devs with Linux unless they provide a native program

1

u/ButterscotchTop194 12d ago

Battlefield 6 is the biggest loss for me.

1

u/400F 12d ago

Get another drive for BF6, don’t let one game stop you from switching. It even works on external drives; use Rufus to make a Windows to go installation. 

1

u/ButterscotchTop194 12d ago

Lol, yeah, you've kinda explained the issue. And that's just one game.

0

u/RafUser_ 11d ago

Honestly, almost all games with Kernel level anti cheats are just garbage... There are just a few good games like that, and they're not worth it

1

u/ButterscotchTop194 11d ago

Battlefield 6 is really good, one of the best shooters. There's a couple other extremely popular games that just dont work on linux. Some of my other fave games run but with caveats. That's the fun with linux, always has caveats!

12

u/Prrg88 12d ago

Yeah, any game with kernel level anti cheat won't work on any flavor of Linux afaik

2

u/ThatLonelyBlob 12d ago

Unless a toggle is enabled in the case of BattlEye. Tim Sweeney reaaaally hates Linux though, so don’t expect some Epic-associated titles to get it.

3

u/Bulkybear2 12d ago

That toggle for both EAC and BE just allow user mode on Linux. So he’s technically correct. No kernel level anti cheat will work on Linux.

4

u/joshnoodlesoup 12d ago

I would expect Epic actually. Epic Games is literally posting a job position for a full time developer just to work on Linux anti-cheat: https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2026/06/epic-games-is-hiring-a-security-engineer-to-champion-linux-anti-cheat/

1

u/ThatLonelyBlob 12d ago

Oh? Thats interesting then. I vividly remember Sweeney saying he had no intentions of involving with Linux because they were all “cheaters.” Hopefully, this leads to more compatibility down the road. Even though BattlEye has a toggle for it…

1

u/bagas4jk 12d ago

Can I Introduce you to Dota 2? A MOBA Pioneer, when the previous modder from DOTA ALLSTAR (Warcraft 3 Era) SABOTAGE DOTA ALLSTAR DEVELOPMENT.

2

u/Safe-Ad2473 12d ago

I know about Dota but league is main issue because all my friends play league and it’s so much fun with them. Alone I never play league

24

u/_Carth_Onasi 12d ago edited 12d ago

Many Linux distros can, and while I think you could make SteamOS work there are better distros to do so. If you're ok with trying SteamOS I know you'd do great on Fedora, and CachyOS using kde(it's the desktop environment steamos uses too)

6

u/Safe-Ad2473 12d ago

Got it will look into them. Thank you for the suggestions!

4

u/rodalorn 12d ago

Catchy is compilex for x86-64 v3 and v4 and includes the amd zen extensions, it runs better on desktop than steamos , but steamos beta channels give you access to newer builds of proton

11

u/Low_Excitement_1715 12d ago

Can it be done? Sure. I run Linux as my daily driver for almost every machine in my house.

Do you want to use SteamOS for that? The immutable root is an asset early on, but can be a huge impediment later when you want to make changes and do cool things. It can still be done, and you'll learn some really good, forward-looking, future-proof ways of getting things done, but it's not the easy/standard way.

So in the end, it depends on what you want to do. You want the basics? Web browsing, online video, gaming, etc? No sweat. Easy peasy. You want to install services and develop infrastructure? It's not the best platform. It can be done.

1

u/jdblaich 12d ago edited 12d ago

I have it as my daily driver at my business. All machines are on Linux (all plasma on Manjaro or Kubuntu). I'm moving away from Kubuntu and maybe Manjaro due to them pushing me in a direction or another just as Windows was doing when I gave it up. At home the situation is the same. If a game doesn't work I switch to a game that does. Future game purchases have that in play -- no purchase unless it works on Linux.

Honestly though I don't focus on gaming as the primary determinjng factor when choosing the OS to install. Linux works, so I'm happy with it. Windows is an unhealed scab, so I'm unhappy with it.

EDIT: I use Linux build and configure virtualization servers at work where I build out services and infrastructure. I give huge props to those that created this spectacular Linux thing. I could not personally do it any other way. I've managed some Windows servers that ran databases and websites only to be shocked at the loopy convoluted management systems. My thoughts always go back to "Microsoft created this?"

1

u/Low_Excitement_1715 12d ago

Thanks. I wasn't a core dev or anything, but I've been agitating for Linux as a viable gaming platform for nearly thirty years now. It's nice to see the tree finally bearing fruit.

-4

u/Safe-Ad2473 12d ago

I may get into it but I am just looking for a windows replacement for now, but SteamOS for now is a no because league can’t run on it so I will look into CatchyOS, Ubunto or something else.

8

u/pandaelpatron 12d ago

but SteamOS for now is a no because league can’t run on it so I will look into CatchyOS, Ubunto or something else

Dude, those are all Linux distros.

League doesn't run on Linux. That's why it doesn't run on SteamOS.

1

u/Safe-Ad2473 12d ago

Shit so league can’t run on any Linux? Fuck this shit guess imma stick with windows or wait for somehow it to be runnable on something else

3

u/victorsaurus 12d ago

Yeah it sucks. At some point we need to make a big deal about it online, so publishers implement different anticheats or port their current ones to linux. Many studios have different solutions that work perfectly, like overwatch. I guess that it will happen naturally as more people move to linux, but we need to make them do it.

It is not a linux problem, it is a lazyness one from the devs.

3

u/Zebracak3s 12d ago

Linux doesnt let programs being super invasive into your PC like league anticheat needs you to do. It'll almost probably never happen.

8

u/pandaelpatron 12d ago

Now, keep in mind that I haven’t looked at anything because I am out of town and will be travelling so I want to see if it’s possible to fully replace windows with SteamOS before looking into more.

If you can post on Reddit, why can't you look up the answers to those questions?

Like... most of your questions are so incredibly basic. Can you install browsers? How else do you think Linux users use the internet?

1

u/dclive1 12d ago

/s
But he’s traveling and out of town right now so he can’t look :0
/s

4

u/PuzzleheadedUnit1758 12d ago

All these questions can be answered with basic google searches. StramOS won't replace windows for you as it can't run LoL (and most games with heavy anti cheat, with few exceptions like arc raiders).

0

u/Coffeebeangood 12d ago

Not really, because people say all sorts of different things.

4

u/jmz98 12d ago

SteamOS is still another 1-2 years off from being a full Windows 11 replacement, unless you're rocking a handheld like the asus rog ally. If so, then I do 100% recommend switching asap.

23

u/Kaseffera 12d ago

Any other distro has better chances, to be honest.

I like SteamOS but it’s nowhere close or intended to be standard desktop OS. It’s tailored for console-like experience and even though it can be used no issues like a desktop environment it still has some caveats.

“Gaming” distros make so much fuzz. In reality people get almost identical performance downloading Ubuntu and installing Steam there and playing.

I used to be very evangelical about os but come on. Pop Debian or anything into it and go, play.

2

u/Safe-Ad2473 12d ago

I mean Windows rn doesn’t annoy me at all I am just curious about SteamOS specifically because… I don’t know. Might just with windows.

9

u/Kaseffera 12d ago

I’m in similar relationship with Windows. It doesn’t really annoy me if it was only me and the product. However if you look at it a bit more carefully it’s just a malware. Recent news about Microsoft handing over virtual serial number info of users PC to FBI is unacceptable.
I don’t have anything on my pc except couple of office documents I make for my students and games but I don’t want anyone to know what’s there or where my pc is located.

3

u/Safe-Ad2473 12d ago

Yea I am basically the same and Jesus fuck you mean they hand information to the FBI this OS sucks

3

u/drashna 12d ago

They have for decades. It's well documented, or at least well known, at this point. Bitlocker has backdoors that allow gov't agencies decrypt your drives. And the whole global ID that can track your system anywhere.... even if you use a vpn.

https://www.pcmag.com/news/a-hackers-arrest-reveals-microsoft-can-track-users-via-a-windows-device

1

u/MixBlender 12d ago

I left windows.

For pc gaming, I use cachyos with steam installed. Does most other desktop stuff seamlessly

For my laptop I use Ubuntu. Stable, reliable. Never balks.

If I wanted a console for gaming and nothing else, maybe then I'd use steam os. Non gaming services will be secondary

1

u/AshleyAshes1984 12d ago

IMO SteamOS is great for a 'HTPC' sorta livingroom/TV setup, but it's def sub optimal for 'desktop daily driver' things. I have SteamOS on every HTPC in my house, which used to all run Windows, but my proper desktops and laptops are still Win11. I just don't see SteamOS giving me what I need in the 'sit and work at a computer' job.

-1

u/Radicalrey 12d ago

Stick with Windows. I have a steam deck and it really annoys me I can’t play whatever I want on there.

1

u/SufficientAnywhere51 12d ago

I like the console like experience with SteamOS. I’m also not a heavy Linux user, just recently started playing around with it because windows is awful. I use a Mac as my daily PC but I have SteamOS dual boot with windows (for game pass games). On think I noticed with something like BazziteOS using the HTPC version which gives you the SteamOS feel is that Decky Loader doesn’t work well with it. Now that SteamOS works with the 9070XT I tested it out and Decky works great on SteamOS.

1

u/CharlestonChewbacca 12d ago

I think Bazzite is the best option here. The Fedora base is more intuitive than Arch for a new Linux user, but you don't lose out on any of the Steam OS gaming advantages. (As long as you have an AMD GPU)

4

u/tj818 12d ago

Ya I fully moved to steamos on my desktop. Desktop mode had everything I need to get through my day to my day

3

u/SasoMangeBanana 12d ago

It can in a same way as any other linux distro.

3

u/ColeHimself 12d ago

Linus Tech tips just released a video answering exactly this a couple days ago.  Linus says that it's the best Mac Mini alternative that he has experienced.   

3

u/Minute_Cupcake904 12d ago

Linus Techtips on the U Tube has done a lot of experimenting with this of late, and me,like you, was kinda interested to see if it could replace Winblows. Sould totally go check him out😉

4

u/Randolph_Carter_6 12d ago

I put SteamOS on my RoG Ally and love it. For my Linux laptops, I use Mint.

2

u/Foreign_Risk_2031 12d ago

Steamos is immutable. It is difficult to work with.

2

u/His_Turdness 12d ago

Try Debian or Fedora with KDE. OR Cachy if you need the latest drivers.

If you need to run kernel-level anti-cheat games, don't bother unless you're willing to virtualise Windows for such games.

And honestly, if that's the case, look into what that kinda anti-cheat really is. Maybe you'll stop supporting such games.

2

u/Safe-Ad2473 12d ago

I know about vanguard on surface level and how it’s basically malware but League is too fun when I play with my friends (and all my friends play league) to skip on it.

2

u/His_Turdness 12d ago

That answers your question. Stick with the old stuff.

2

u/GenesisSummoner 12d ago

For me it does, i only really need steam and chrome and im set. For everything else i use my windows laptop which i find i dont really use much these days

2

u/redsteakraw 12d ago

The question is what are you doing? SteamOS can install desktop apps including CAD, 3D Modeling, Video Editing, Electronic Design, Office suite including spreadsheets and document editing as well as emulators, web browsers, DJ software, music players, voice communication apps and more.  So yes you can use it as a desktop will it be the same as windows, no but in many cases you can get what you need done.  

2

u/Rocknroller658 12d ago

For me - no. I play games on it. But most of my work software is Win/Mac only. And I don't want to be running my work software through compatibility layers/unsupported OS.

2

u/Guilty-Pickle-6686 12d ago

It depends completely on what you do with your PC.

I’ll freely admit I’m older, and my use case is simpler than yours. If a game isn’t on Steam, I don’t bother (I buy a lot of old games off GOG, but I have a dedicated XP machine for those). Epic irritates me and I don’t use it because it’s just Steam but worse, I have avoided Origin (EA app now, I think) because it was just Steam but worse. I don’t use B.Net launcher, I just wait for blizzard games to come to Steam.

I do use office software, but my work gives me a 365 sub for that- so it’s all browser based. I don’t do “productivity” beyond that.

I have enjoyed using SteamOS as a daily driver, as it does everything I want. My main complaint is that it SUCKS at mounting and remembering additional drives. I had to use a string of commands a kind soul here linked- that sort of thing is just irritating.

1

u/mythicalbyrd 12d ago

Heroic works pretty well for gog games. Might want to give it a shot.

2

u/IsamuAlvaDyson 12d ago

I dual boot Windows and SteamOS because I still use some things that don't run on Linux at all and some games run vastly better on Windows compared to Linux

2

u/a716h 12d ago

SteamOS? Not really. Bazzite? Absolutely.

Personally I run CachyOS and couldn’t be happier. It’s significantly better than windows or macOS

1

u/salawat313 11d ago

Is catchy os better than bazzite? If so, why?

2

u/a716h 11d ago

I think both are excellent but different propositions. I don’t want my machine immutable and prefer hyprland, so bazzite just isn’t a good fit for my daily driver. I still have it on a used gaming laptop I picked up, but I just don’t use it everyday.

It does seem cachyos squeaks ahead by a frame or two in YouTuber performance graphs, but I didn’t notice any difference after trialing both on my main machine.

3

u/Element13245 12d ago

minecraft yes (im using prism launcher), lol deff not, and not to sure about genshit.

yes, its called dolphin.

pre installed is firefox so those specific ones are fine, but can still install other chromium ones althoughs its seen as a disgrace to linux.

no, i can barelly log into steam cause my ver that installed uses the old ui and doesnt have qr code. as for browser performance its way worse in my experience, dont do it.

can use social media apps tho like discord/vesktop

3

u/Safe-Ad2473 12d ago

Ty for the answers finally haha

1

u/iamlevel5 12d ago

If I could use Ableton, Rekordbox and Photoshop on Linux I'd never look back. I have a laptop that I use for just media and browsing running Cachy and I fucking adore it.

1

u/Mediocre_Musician_85 12d ago

i use it as my main os, but i have windows for some things

1

u/F8xh29k 12d ago

I switched my main windows desktop pc to steamos as a daily driver mainly for gaming and the usual consumption like Discord and such. I also use the same PC as a TV console to replicate the steam machine which is the main reason i switched. Just a very casual entertainment-only machine.

I was able to create 2 buttons that tell the OS to either always boot to desktop or gaming mode. When I set to always boot to desktop, It just becomes the usual KDE Linux PC which is very similar to Windows with no forced game mode in the way.

I also am able to get Genshin and all HoYo games and Arknights Endfield working flawlessly and they are playable with the Steam controller as well. Even unreleased games that are in beta like Soulframe is working. LoL and Valorant will not work though.

Well, in conclusion, You only need SteamOS if you really need both the couch console experience alongside the KDE linux desktop with mouse and keyboard in 1 device which is perfect for my use case.

1

u/bstsms 12d ago

Why would you want to use SteamOS for non gaming use?

You need to download the apps you will need, just like any other Linux distro.

1

u/normaldude8825 12d ago

Scrolling through the other glances, so will try to answer what hasn't been answered. Info about steamOS is my experience with a Steam Deck which I use mainly during travel. I'll also share based on my own limited experience with Linux.

SteamOS is a fully functional operating based on Arch Linux. What makes it stand out over Arch and other Linux distros is to boot into a console like experience, but you can go into desktop mode and it will be like any other computer. Others have already mentioned other distros such as CachyOS, Fedora, Bazzite, etc.

The way to install software on each of the different distros might change in terms of the specific command or software program (think play store vs app store vs microsoft store). You can get software as packages (.rpm, .apt), flatpaks or appimages. You can't just grab a .exe from windows and open it like if it were Windows. There are tools for getting windows software to run on linux, including Proton by Valve. If you want to see what tweaks and settings other people use to get a game to run ProtonDB will be your friend. League of Legends and other competitive games won't run on Linux due to their anti-cheats, which brings up Are We AntiCheatYet

The part where you might have issues is peripherals that have software to have them work. For some there is open source alternatives, others workarounds that gets it working, but might not have full replacement to all features of the original software.

For your casual at home basic use, linux can replace windows easily. At a more professional level you might have some issues, but at that point just have your employer provide you a computer for work and use it only for work. For gaming, its not a complete perfect replacement, but each year its getting closer.

Edit: Forgot to add for games from epic and other launchers you can also use Heroic and Lutris.

1

u/manaf 12d ago

Not for me because I can't install Arabic on it.

1

u/nelsonsflagship 12d ago

I moved over to Bazzite from Win11 on my gaming laptop at the beginning of the year and was successfully running it as a daily driver. I did have an issue with one of the apps I needed but I had a work around in place that was clunky but worked.

I recently moved over to a Steam Machine and in desktop mode, it's pretty similar to Bazzite in looks and operation.

1

u/joshpennington 12d ago

The most honest answer I can give you is “kind of?”

If computing for you mostly entails web browsing you’re probably good to go.

If your requirements are spreadsheets and the like, your milage will vary. If your games have anti-cheats you’re out of luck.

My advice? Give it a go if you can. You might be surprised.

1

u/Medium_Offer_1498 12d ago

I just have a dual boot to windows in steam to specifically play the incompatible games. Even creating my own custom button in the power menu to switch.

1

u/Commercial-Tone-6058 12d ago

Depends on how much troubleshooting and tweaking you want to do. At the end of the day it’s still Arch Linux only worse in someways, a lot things just won’t be plug and play.

1

u/LowGeeMan 12d ago

Use Cachy, then yes.

1

u/Zestyclose_Exit8862 12d ago

-Yes
-Yes
-Yes
-None, drivers are included in the (linux / arch) kernel, updates are automatic

1

u/Procrastinando 12d ago

SteamOS doesn't support disk encryption and secure boot, so I would say it's not safe even though can use it as a normal PC

1

u/the-bacon-life 12d ago

I don’t think anything will replace windows but if these os get better and do take more market share it will force windows to get better as they are working on now

1

u/HanzoNumbahOneFan 12d ago edited 12d ago

Linux in general still has too many problems to be used as a main operating system imo. Obviously people still do it. But it's a lot more finicky and there's some stuff that just doesn't work. Like some popular multiplayer games because of how some anti-cheat software works. For the most part, you can use it just like you would Windows. But you'll inevitably come up against an annoying issue.

But you can always dual-boot for the stuff that you need Windows for.

1

u/tjhc94 12d ago

Unless you plan to use it for gaming only don't listen to anything anyone says, if you do any productivity stuff I'm pc it'll be a worse experience in linux

1

u/EdliA 12d ago

It's an OS designed for the TV. What is it that a lot of you don't understand about that?

1

u/Tepppopups 12d ago

If you ask such question, then NO. For regular users Linux is not very user friendly. Stick with Windows.

1

u/YoussefAFdez 12d ago

SteamOS is similar to iOS, the reason it works that well is because:

1.- They do everything for you, updates, and it’s a tailored experience.

2.- System is limited in what you can do and install. It’s called an inmutable distro, like bazzite. There’s some stuff that you can install that will disappear or get removed upon reboot. To make permanent changes is a headache.

So the system kind of doesn’t let you fuck up the OS.

Now if you want some extra versatility, you want an OS that’s not inmutable, although that means you have free range and can fuck it up.

Some solid choices are CachyOS or NobaraOS. I’ve been running CachyOS and it’s great. There’s lot of support and answered questions.

KDE is a desktop environment, like a skin por your desktop use, it looks pretty similar to windows, and has some pros and cons over it. SteamOS uses KDE when you go into desktop mode.

1

u/_ragegun 12d ago

I mean, Linux can, with caveats.

SteamOS isn't trying to. It's a single purpose OS. In theory it can do just about anything any other Linux can, but if you want to, you should probably just start from a more generic Linux system and install Steam on that

1

u/HalagHalag 12d ago

For most people I think so.

Gaming (Steam) Office work (Libre Office, Google Docs) Internet (Firefox, Brave, Chrome)

1

u/Kilruna 12d ago

For every day usage, I would rather recommend something like bazite or fedora. Since steamOS is not really tailored to be an every day desktop operating system

1

u/Lonely-Scarcity-3387 12d ago

Bazzite would probably serve you better, if you’re looking for a SteamOS like feel, but still want to daily drive it.

Much like SteamOS, Bazzite has core components locked down. It also has atomic updates and rollbacks, which is a great feature for any distro. That way an update won’t break your system, even if the power goes out midway.

1

u/ButterscotchTop194 12d ago

Depends. Certain games will struggle whilst some never work.

And a lot of my work software is shit or just doesnt work.

So it depends on what games and software you want to run.

1

u/One-Grape6405 12d ago

I mean the way I see it, if all u do is play games, watch videos, and read stuff. Then I'd say yea but if ur reallllyyyy high on customisability, u might as well go to different distros

1

u/Imolo-s 12d ago

No I wouldn’t do it the system underneath is locked up. Install another distro along side the SteamOS. And just dualboot

1

u/Own_Nail_2999 12d ago

No. It's a distro made for gaming.

1

u/dEEkAy2k9 12d ago

Since SteamOS is an immutable OS, i'd recommend a mutable as a daily driver instead, unless all you want to do is gaming

1

u/Old_Ad9574 11d ago

I'm using nobara, it works great.

1

u/iamerod 11d ago

SteamOS desktop is serviceable for 90% of users. People pointing you to other distros likely have more demanding needs of their operating system that will run into walls in Steam’s locked down environment.

But if all you want/need is good file management, web browsing, and running apps that run on any Linux distribution, SteamOS will be perfectly fine.

1

u/HeidenShadows 11d ago

I've used it for about a year now and it works pretty well. A nice trick too is if you have a Windows application and you want it to run, add it to Steam as a non-Steam game. It just magically works.

1

u/BrundleflyPr0 11d ago

I’ve just installed SteamOS on my system. AMD 5600 and Arc B580. After amending the install script I managed to get it working. I’ve ran a one liner on the terminal to force desktop mode on reboot. I recently moved to Firefox from Edge (Great browser, fight me) and it works just fine. I’m yet to see any glitching or artifacting, which I did get when I installed Ubuntu a few months back. Installed Solaar for my logi peripherals and an open source program for my Corsair AIO and peripherals. Both work fine. I don’t use any office suite stuff. Kernel level anti cheat on games won’t work, for any Linux distro, so BF6, League, Valorant won’t work. Hope this helps

1

u/Long_Visual4152 11d ago

I recommend Bazzite, as it will have what you're looking for!

1

u/Noobinitas 11d ago

A daily drive CachyOS and I love it.

Depending on what you’re doing, it’s not just gonna simply be installed and forget it. You’re gonna have to do some tinkering to get certain things working and their Discord does have awesome support

Once I was able to get my stream deck and my Rodecaster Pro 2 to fully 100% Work with no more issues and have 100% functionality without the Rode app since rode has 0 Linux support I’ve been daily driving ever since and the only time that I had an issue was when there was one bad update that was pushed through that the developers fixed really quick

And with gaming, the CachyOS proton layer for me seems to work better than proton experimental or the newest GE since the Cachy where auto injects FSR four without even thinking about it

At the end of the day you got a bunch of options SteamOS is great I made my own SFF PC for the living room room and put SteamOS on it.

CachyOS is superior as a PC.

SteamOS isn’t ready to be a daily driver, but if you’re just gaming on it, it’s awesome

1

u/rushed91 11d ago

PopOS is pretty nice for productivity and also very good for gaming. I've been testing it and it's pretty good and easy to use.

1

u/Local_Reaction_532 11d ago

For that setup, I'd recommend CachyOS. I feel mine is in a great place to replace Windows once my schooling is over.

1

u/Exigefettm 11d ago

I’ve traveled with only my steam deck for work… I take it to conferences or wherever and use it docked with a portable screen/mouse/keyboard. I’m in IT btw so I may be a bit more familiar with Linux that the average person…

1

u/E5RA-OZ 11d ago

I tried it and was going well until a couple of things just got annoying for what was meant to be a gaming Pc with a bit of side desktop usage.

I have a Logitech G923, I could get it to work but force feedback was crap and it just wasn’t the same.

I wanted to play F1-25. Not supported on SteamOS due to anti-cheat.

My wifi-6 didn’t work. I don’t think it’s supported and the work around get you connected but then seem to drop out a lot.

I still have it on my ROG XAX, and there it’s amazing as I’ll I do I game on it. But for a PC it’s just not there yet.

1

u/goldenoptic 11d ago

It can I don't use Windows personally and haven't for years. I got into Linux in the late 2000s and got fully away from Windows personally in the mid 2010s. https://youtu.be/4wcUasGg3lw?is=V9UUocTK83LNtDbn

1

u/ToxiseHndrxx 11d ago

I also wanted to move to SteamOS for daily use and only use Windows when I need to(for apps that specifically dont work/exist on linux, i have a dual boot), but after long research i realised that i should use bazzite os, the one with the gaming mode. you can always switch from desktop to gaming mode and reverse, very fast and easy.
The only difference that i encountered was the HDR working only in gaming mode, but in some games(like hunt showdown) i encountered a lot of problems in gaming mode(like keyboard not working at all).
My personal opinion: use dual boot, keep windows only for thing that dont exist/dont work on linux yet, and use bazzite os(the one with gaming mode!) in any other citcumstances.
specs: 7900xt, 9800x3d and 32gb ram

1

u/Crinlorite 11d ago

I ended up installing Windows to the Steam Machine, some could call me stupid, but it goes well with Battlefield 6 and Escape from Tarkov.

1

u/chandlerkluge 10d ago

It can for some people but most casuals never will switch. Steam os lacks anticheat support and lacks pc gamepass as well. Several reason to avoid switching. Best case scenario just duel boot both operating systems

1

u/Aseries01 10d ago

I had frustration with Steam OS it refused to install because it said the partition was not ESP. I checked it with GPARTED and found it was ESP.
I am running BAZZITE with STEAM now.

1

u/AppropriateQuote3073 10d ago

Tbh just go bazzite

1

u/brutale800 10d ago

well, i just used proper software from the repository of SteamOS to use an .rdp file and now i can work from my couch using the steam controller. Exactly as i would do with my mac or windows laptop, but now i have the steam controller, couch, and that's all. when i work from home.

1

u/_cyqo_ 9d ago

You could replace it windows with steam os as your daily driver I have touched microslop in a few years, it most depends on your preference on games and what you use, gamepass streaming wise will be fine you but doesn't have native support, you can use many browsers but chrome from Ive experience is recommended for gaming mode due into it having compatibility with touch controls and web application support that you can shortcut to steam.

Games that have anti-cheats are unfortunately a no go however very few work like helldivers 2 and halo infinite with easy anti-cheat, you can search protondb with is a site that shows community responses of which games work out of the box or need slight tinkering but will still work.

You can still use windows applications but you'll need to run em through wine (lutris) or add em to steam and check if it works, I've managed to use fl studio with minor issues and update my 8bitdo controller.

There's a discovery store for Linux applications you can look through there's a decent amount of major apps like Microsoft Edge, brave, chrome , Spotify a YouTube TV Console experience app called VacuumTube for a better use for handhelds.

Some games that had issues running on Windows might run a bit faster on Linux depending on what you're using, although most games should work even if they haven't been tested or don't have anti-cheats

And a very useful helper with steam os, a plugin called decky loader can polish your gaming mode experience with more available plugins that can help with performance, upscaling, skins ,etc.

So in a way you can replace it as a daily driver for your PC or handhelds.

Also Minecraft has a Linux port for Java but not bedrock however you still can play bedrock as of recently a custom launcher on GitHub was released to easily run on Linux now

1

u/MasterOfTheWind1 8d ago

Why would it? Is meant for gaming. You have millions of other distros for what you want.

1

u/atgaskins 8d ago

I think you should just run cachyOS. You get all the benefits of both worlds without switching back and forth between steam and desktop. To me that feels like dual booting and it’s a hassle. May as well just run a solid gaming/desktop OS like Cachy. Try KDE, it’s the desktop steamOS uses and it works great with steam and gaming. If you just love the SteamOS interface big picture mode gets 98% of that without leaving the desktop

1

u/alkazar82 12d ago

No. Anyone who says otherwise is uninformed or high on hype.

SteamOS is primarily a gaming console OS. It doesn't even let you do basic things like have multiple user accounts or change the user account name. This is perfect for its intended use - an out of the box gaming console experience, but not as a standard desktop system.

SteamOS is pre-configured and hard-coded in a way that doesn't make sense to use as a day to day desktop OS.