I just watched a pretty interesting video where a Microsoft employee, Sam Tucker, shared his thoughts on Valve’s SteamOS, a Linux-based operating system built specifically for gaming. It really got me thinking about the future of gaming OS and whether Windows might finally have some serious competition.
The video kicked off by explaining that SteamOS, which is what powers the Steam Deck handheld, is now available for desktop computers. What’s particularly clever about it is that it uses something called Proton. From what I understand, Proton is essentially a translator that lets SteamOS (which runs on Linux) understand and play games originally made for Windows. That’s a pretty big deal for Linux gaming!
Honestly, one of the more surprising points for me, and something Sam from Microsoft also seemed to note, is that SteamOS is based on Arch Linux. I always thought Arch was a bit more challenging to work with, so it’s impressive that Valve has made it the foundation for a user-friendly gaming OS.
The video highlighted some reports that SteamOS can actually run certain games better than Windows. While that’s exciting, it’s not all smooth sailing. Right now, it seems SteamOS only plays nice with AMD hardware, and it’s not fully compatible with all the other desktop software we typically use. So, for now, Windows still holds the crown for general desktop use, especially for non-gaming tasks.
It was pretty entertaining to hear Sam’s humorous take on the competition. He jokingly brought up Windows’ advantage in business software, even quipping about a fictional “Super Mario Office.” He also humorously lamented the pressure from competitors like SteamOS and “NintendOS.”
Overall, this video really opened my eyes to the evolving landscape of gaming operating systems. It’s clear that while Windows has been the dominant force for so long, innovative solutions like SteamOS are definitely shaking things up. I’m keen to see how this rivalry develops in the years to come!
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