The news about SteamOS coming to ROG Ally is confirmed. Valve is reportedly also taking this to the next step by preparing the SteamOS for various ROG Ally rivals. This means dual operating systems for handhelds for flexibility.
ASUS ROG Ally users will be able to switch operating systems on the fly
Valve’s plan to equip various machines with SteamOS is coming true. While SteamOS isn’t very popular on PCs, it made a good start with the Steam Deck handheld. Now the report suggests that SteamOS will be coming to its rival, ASUS ROG Ally handheld console very soon. SteamOS is the dream for many ROG Ally users since it is straightforward and easy to use. The ROG Ally with Windows OS has to deal with various Windows-related issues, which won’t be the case if the SteamOS makes its entry into the console.
As reported by TheVerge, Valve’s Designer, Lawrence Yang has confirmed to the publication that SteamOS is indeed making its way to ROG Ally. This comes as a surprise but it was already hinted at in the release notes for the SteamOS’s latest 3.6.9 Beta: Megafixer. The release notes included, “Added support for extra ROG Ally keys“, about which Yang said,
The note about ROG Ally keys is related to third-party device support for SteamOS. The team is continuing to work on adding support for additional handhelds on SteamOS,
This explicitly states that Valve is not only working for ROG Ally but they are also working for the SteamOS to expand to other handhelds. At the moment, their priority is only ROG Ally but Yang says that they are making steady progress for other consoles as well. Another important update is their commitment to include Microsoft Windows OS for the Steam Deck.
Apart from SteamOS, the Windows OS could also become part of Steam Deck soon. However, the company is still working on the ‘remaining’ Windows drivers for the Steam Deck OLED version. Currently, they don’t have any specific date for the release but it’s still their priority. Nonetheless, ROG Ally will be the first to receive SteamOS after Steam Deck but it’s not reported that ASUS will ship the console with SteamOS as the default operating system. Still, users will have the versatility to choose between the two OS according to their needs.
