r/SteamOS • u/CasualGamer97 • 1d ago
An Average Gamer Review on Trying Out SteamOS on PC after Roughly1 Month of Use
Background: I've been mostly a console gamer (Playstation played a big role since childhood), and a prominent handheld fan! Dabbled in PC gaming for a year but it never stuck with me (mainly because I feel that the Windows experience makes it a hassle). I really went deep into Steam and built my game library when I got my SteamDeck that I bought on launch. I work in IT but I always gravitate more towards simpler console-like experiences for gaming.
Upgraded my PC with an AMD GPU just for SteamOS (9060xt 16gb)
TLDR; I'm super impressed and satisfied with the living room console experience that SteamOS is able to provide, albeit you'll need some googling skill to remove some obstacles (as of SteamOS 3.8.10)
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Disclaimer: I'll only be talking about the experience of transitioning from Windows to SteamOS from an average gamer standpoint, the overview of using it in a living room setup for the last 1 month compared to a handheld (especially the SteamDeck). And to make things easier, I'll break it down mostly in a list of pros and cons. I won't touch on other Linux distros as I don't have extensive experience using them!
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Okay now I'll try to list out the pros and cons in a chronological manner, here comes the fun part first:
PROS
- The initial setup and installation process literally took only 5mins, maybe 10mins at most.
- Once you sync with your Steam profile, almost everything carries over and is ready (save files in the cloud, even the settings in-game lmao)
- Most of the popular controller options have their own UI in the settings (in my example I was using the 8BitDo Ultimate 2 controller)
- The home button (Steam) and QAM button (...) that we normally have on the SteamDeck now requires a button combo. You can click the home button to get to the left home panel, and home button + A for left QAM panel
- Almost everything you need can be done via a controller
- QAM panel is super useful imo, especially being able to toggle the view on the gamescope readings!
- Playing it on a big screen in the living room does feel like a proper console compared to being on a PC table hooked up to a monitor
- Sleep function works perfectly! You can be in mid-game, go to sleep and later just boot it up again and pick up where you left it before! Same as SteamDeck!
- You can install DeckyLoader and tweak/adjust the UI to your liking (again, same as the SteamDeck!)
- Desktop mode is....well...desktop mode? Lmao it works and I'm currently exploring it as my first time properly diving into Linux
BONUS PROS:
- Recently tried to stream from my PC via the default built in Steam Remote Play and legit it worked like a charm! Minimal lag, smooth connection process. Felt like chiaki connecting to PS5 (though the TDP is 1-2W higher?)
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Okay now comes the not so fun part...
CONS
- I did have to wait for this super long duration at the end of the installation process where I think it's downloading something from Valve which took around 1 hour to finalize
- I personally faced an issue when it was doing the initial network searching during the initial setup (refer to the pics). Had to go into a separate TTY (TeleTYpewriter) to do a network manager reset via sudo line
- There's no fan curve settings in the QAM menu (weird because I remember it was there on the SteamDeck?)
- Tried using some plugin via DeckyLoader to control fan curve, but none worked
- Had to go back into the BIOS menu to tweak the fan curve there
- Although sleep function works, you cannot boot up the system again from a controller. It NEEDS to be triggered from a mouse/keyboard
- Sometimes the keyboard view doesn't come up (happened twice)
- I don't think game recording works? Screenshots are fine but no video recording
BONUS CONS:
- Seems to have issues with my QD OLED tv where really dark scenes would create these rainbow-pixels around them (refer to pic)
UPDATE: It's fixed by updating SteamOS(again, simply by googling)
The root cause and the fix that I found: It's a known bug in SteamOS's HDR direct-scanout path on AMD GPUs where it's specific to Gamescope's "Game Mode" (Big Picture UI), and doesn't happen on Desktop Mode or on any other HDR source (like YouTube on the TV's own apps), because those don't go through Gamescope's direct-flip HDR presentation path at all.
*It's been officially fixed in SteamOS 3.9*
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u/koolaidicecubes 1d ago
I’m using an old HP OMEN mobo, Edoras is the name of it. I can wake the system with my Xbox series X controller. I used AI (don’t crucify please) to run konsole commands and get it set up. Maybe your system just isn’t compatible with that?
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u/CasualGamer97 1d ago
No worries brother, I've used my fair share of AI and resolved issues by doing so.
I did read that there's a BIOS setting to enable USB wake up function, so maybe you're onto something here
Will find some time to try it out! Thanks for the hint there!
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u/ProfessorKaos64 1d ago
yea it's very tricky to get WOL to work, here's how I did it for my PS4 controller: https://github.com/mdeguzis/SteamOS-Tools/blob/master/utilities/controllers/install-ps4-wake-on-usb.sh
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u/werpu 1d ago
many people do, I let claude run wild on my steamos installation to provide rest endpoints for shutdown wakeup, local ai installation startups etc...
save me a month of work. The end result now is a nice web interface and that my programmable remote now can turn on hibernate and awake the steam machine within the connected hifi chain!
(although for wake up on lan I had to turn on wakeup by pci in the bios) Controller wakeup from standby works for me (you probably need to flip a bios switch for that)
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u/kyara12 1d ago
Is it possible to choose which drive to install SteamOS to? I wanted to dual-boot my PC to try it out but it looked like that wasn't an option at the time
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u/purplepharoh 1d ago
It only installs to NVMe. The installer will default to the first NVMe drive it finds and wipe, format, and install onto that (no prompt for user to select). Ensure the steam os drive you want to use is the ONLY connected drive when installing steamOS. And as long as you setup steamOS first without wiping anything important it is possible to setup to dual boot. But I havent done so myself so cant provide anything more than knowledge of how steamOS installs itself.
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u/PenneyWiise 1d ago
I believe its possible but not recommended as SteamOS hasn't quite gotten there yet with being friendly on dual boot setups. It tends to cause issues, though I'm sure it's on the to-do list for updates in the next year or so.
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u/Suisnide 1d ago
Purplepharoh is right about only having the drive you want steamOS on connected when flashing the OS. However, you can run steamOS on an SSD just fine. I have two SSD's one with windows 10 and one steamOS. Not had any issues whatsoever, they both boot smoothly.
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u/CyberTrav 1d ago
My system is dual-boot between Windows and Bazzite. I ran into some issues installing the SteamOS image--I downloaded the "deck repair" image but was having trouble installing.
Bazzite provides much of SteamOS functionality, including the gaming mode, but includes more robust hardware support. I started by installing Kinoite and subsequently re-based the Kinoite OS to a Bazzite OS file system image.
BONUS: You can configure grub to present a menu at boot to manually select a boot device. If there's no input, grub can boot up a default OS
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u/Aesthet1k 1d ago
I know it doesn't solve your problem with the 8bitdo controllers, but the Steam controller will wake up the PC from sleep mode.
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u/CasualGamer97 1d ago
Would be so happy to get that if it's properly available (in my country, it's selling for around 2-3x the MSRP!)
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u/PhoenixWright-AA 1d ago
Did you make sure wake from USB is enabled in the BIOS? If you’re using a dongle for your controller this might work for you.
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u/CasualGamer97 1d ago
That I am unsure, saw other people suggesting that as well, will check as soon as I can!
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u/Aesthet1k 22h ago
Are you using the dongle for your controllers or just Bluetooth to the motherboard? If your keyboard/mouse wake the PC then wake from USB should be working. I would definitely try the dongle if you aren't using that. If you are, then maybe their dongle just doesn't support PC waking. I dunno
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u/kevin_whitley 23h ago
Can confirm this. It wasn't a big deal to hit the button my my machine, wait a few seconds (for it to resume), then hit my PS5 controller (to connect)...
...but the Steam Controller naturally wakes it up via the dongle, skipping all that. Nice bonus!
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u/AShidler 1d ago
I use Wake on USB to get USB controllers like the 8BitDo to wake up the system from sleep. Works flawlessly for me with them.
Good write up. thank you for the work you put into it.
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u/likwidtek 20h ago edited 13h ago
This is awesome. So for context, I use Bazzite and I've always been able to wake from USB using my wireless mouse or keyboard, but since I run this machine in my living room like a console, that isn't ideal. Controllers didn't work, so I said screw it and just enabled Wake-on-LAN through Alexa/Home Assistant. It worked like a dream, so I never looked into it further, but having controller wake is pretty killer.
My setup is a little different, though. I'm running Bazzite instead of SteamOS, and I'm using 8BitDo Ultimate 2C controllers (2.4 GHz) rather than the Ultimate. I also have four controllers, each with its own USB receiver, since the machine is basically a family console.
A few questions:
- Have you or anyone else tested this on Bazzite specifically?
- Does it matter if there are multiple 8BitDo receivers plugged in, or does the script just enable wake for all USB root hubs regardless?
- Have you seen any issues where putting a controller to sleep or turning it off accidentally wakes the PC?
- Does wake work reliably if the controller has been idle/asleep for a long time, or do you have to wake the controller first before it'll wake the PC?
- Any known compatibility issues with the Ultimate 2C receiver versus the regular Ultimate?
- Out of curiosity, do you know if the limitation is Linux disabling USB wake by default, or do some wireless receivers simply not generate a wake event at all? I'm trying to understand whether this is a universal fix or if it depends on the controller/receiver firmware.
Really appreciate you putting this together. This is exactly the kind of polish that makes these Linux gaming boxes feel more like a real console.
Edit: Weird. I installed the script and it's running fine, but my controllers won't generate a wake event. Is it possible it's related to my specific controller model? My wireless keyboard and mouse wake the system without issue, but none of my controllers do.**
Edit2: I think I found the root cause. The script currently enables wake only on the USB root hubs. That works when the wake event reaches the root hub directly, but it fails in my setup because my four 8BitDo Ultimate 2C receivers are connected through an intermediate USB 2.0 hub (it's just a different set of USB ports on the back of my motherboard). The receivers themselves don't expose a writable power/wakeup attribute, but the intermediate hub does. I enabled wake on that hub immediately allowed the controllers to wake the system. It seems like this could affect any controller or receiver connected behind an internal or external USB hub, so enabling wake on downstream USB hubs (not just the root hubs) might be a more scalable solution for the project.
Edit3: I fixed the issue and submitted a patch to the original dev here: https://github.com/Solaris17/SteamOS-USB-Wake/pull/3
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u/AShidler 7h ago edited 7h ago
Edit: Just read through your submititon on the wake-on USB and I see you commented on the wake on any state situation.
About the only quirks I had to deal with was putting the system to sleep while a controller was still on, then when the controller went to sleep it woke up the system. My guess is, the underlying process simply watches for change of state on USB device and any change will trigger the wake.
I have 3 docks connected to my system directly and using SteamOS on it with no issues. I have a BC-250 running at my coffee shop that has the controllers connected via USB hub and now I have to go try that and see how it goes (BC-250 sleep sometimes has issues and I just chalked it up to that).
If you were able to track that down and they can integrate it into the main branch, AWESOME!
I had more luck using SteamOS direct than Bazzite on my BC-250 once I found the https://github.com/keyboardspecialist/bc250-steamos collection that I stuck with SteamOS (consistency across my many devices Deck, BigSteam, and bc-250)
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u/molinaaka 21h ago
i literally tried this and it kept having issues anyone else ?
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u/likwidtek 18h ago
Not working for me with my 8BitDo Ultimate 2C Wireless controllers (2.4 GHz) either but my wireless keyboard and mouse will wake the system no issue.
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u/Potter91 1d ago
I'm experimenting with steamOs on my brand new mini itx-like Pc, but I have no luck with a wifi/bt card that I chose. I thought it was not working, then I bought a USB dongle. No luck.
Tried to install drivers: learned to "unlock" the system, download from git, compile the drivers, install dependences... Well, the whole Linux experience, although it didn't worked.
The finally installed windows just to try and check, installed the driver and it worked as indeed. At least it's not a hardware problem.
I'm thinking to try bazzite or any other Linux flavor since I reeeeeally want console experience that SteamOs give to us, but didn't know if any other dristo can emulate this "turn on, sit down and play with a controller" easily.
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u/CasualGamer97 1d ago
When you say you have no luck with the wifi card/but card that you choose, do you mean wireless connection having issues? Have you tried resetting the wireless controller like what I described?
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u/Potter91 1d ago
Right from the start, the system wasn't detecting any Wi-Fi networks or any Bluetooth devices available for pairing. At first, I thought the wireless card was working, but once I entered Desktop Mode, I realized it wasn't. I also tried running a few commands in Konsole—I believe they were supposed to reset the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth—but unfortunately, that didn't solve the issue.
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u/CasualGamer97 1d ago
Not sure if this would help, but it resolved my issue on my end (resetting it via sudo): https://youtu.be/3PzEmiSDgd0?si=uu1hNB7TJvogcIE7
From 8:45 onwards!
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u/Potter91 1d ago
Had the same issue and same solution, but for my wifi card, it didn't worked, only for wired connection unfortunately. :-(
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u/Silver_Hotel3886 23h ago
Are you trying a network interface card, or the inboard WiFi for the motherboard. If it’s a NIC, or Bluetooth adapter some of those don’t play nice with linux
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u/HockeyMike24 1d ago
Great to see as I'm seriously considering this as an option for my next "Console"
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u/CasualGamer97 1d ago
I can't recommend hard enough! If you already have a large Steam library (or if you want to venture into PC gaming in a simple way), going the SteamOS path is very enticing!
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u/center311 22h ago
I only have an Nvidia 2080ti lying around, so I'd have to do something with Cachyos until Valve figures out the whole Nvidia thing with hdmi. I tried both bazzite and steamos, and it seemed fine on a 1440p non-hdr monitor using display port, but it was a pretty crappy experience on a tv w/ HDMI. Display driver was constantly freaking out and crashing.
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u/shepardman22 20h ago
I had some luck with turning on my StemOs PC with a steam controller (or 2.4 dongle) by enabling power on USB1 from inside my bios. It's under 'advanced' then 'usb configuration'. Before that I could only get power off and sleep on and off to work. Just missing the cec/ screen on and off functionality, but I don't mind much.
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u/XxDank420AdversiusxX 1d ago
Please, as someone with the exact same case, please run the rgb purely on orange to make it fit the case
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u/CasualGamer97 1d ago
Believe me I initially wanted it to just be orange, but kinda liking the rainbow vibe now haha
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u/MillzwooT 1d ago
what case is that?
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u/Dcybokjr 1d ago
Jonsbo z20 it's my favorite case of all time.
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u/CasualGamer97 1d ago
I was surprised to learn this case is quite hot on the market. I bought it because it seems to be a good matx size :)
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u/generic_canadian_dad 1d ago
Maybe you haven't tried this, but how is it using discord while in game?
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u/CasualGamer97 1d ago
I have tried actually, working just fine (of course you'll need a mic input, I used a headphone)
You can look up how to set up discord in gaming mode if that's what you're wondering about (you'll basically run both the discord and the game at the same time)
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u/GCarlo69 1d ago
When you turn on the normal way (not the controller), does the tv detect the input?
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u/CasualGamer97 1d ago
By keyboard, yes it works to wake it up from Sleep mode. Not successful to boot it from a shutdown.
I've seen some people suggesting either using a CEC dongle or even an in-BIOS menu, so I'm planning to check them out as well
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u/SteelMan0fBerto 1d ago
Does HDMI-CEC work on it? Or do you need specific hardware support for that?
I know the Steam Machine has it, but it was probably built with the console experience in mind.
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u/CasualGamer97 1d ago
Saw some commenters sharing various ways to get CEC to work, worth looking into them!
I'll update the post if I find any of them works for me!
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u/Least-Mistake-707 1d ago
I’m curious to what setting on the CSS plugin on Decky are you using to have the image of the game in the background?
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u/LyvenKaVinsxy 1d ago
The rainbow pixels is your gpu artifacting. It’s dieing slowly. My 9060xt can’t handle 240hz anymore without it happening. So I’m on 144hz. Clearing my amd cache fixed it for a couple days but it came back and I didn’t want to kill my gpu
What is your tv hz?
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u/CasualGamer97 1d ago
Up to 165hz
But I've attached an update to that issue, already found the solution and had been fixed by updating to SteamOS 3.9 -> Haven't seen the issue reappearing since more than a week ago
Also I just bought the GPU, kinda weird it's dying already
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u/LyvenKaVinsxy 1d ago
It could be driver related too. It’s just classic sign of dieing gpu.
If you fixed it it’s most likely was a driver.
If you see artifacts it means the gpu is struggling in some way as a user you should try to resolve before it gets worse. Just a quick google for some details. https://www.google.com/search?q=gpu+artifacting&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-us&client=safari#lfId=ChxjMe
Cheers to your build though. 🍻
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u/CasualGamer97 1d ago
Thank you as well for the heads up, will keep an eye out for any more artifacting issue (now I'm scared hahaha) cheers mate!
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u/LyvenKaVinsxy 1d ago
Try not to be scared and have fun. Can’t live in fear. I saw you asked in bonus cons and no one answered.
🍻
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u/cristix 1d ago
how is dota on the controller. i assume you were one of my last teammates
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u/CasualGamer97 23h ago
Lmao I know that frustration man
But no, I use MKB whenever I play dota (which is not as often anymore unfortunately T__T)
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u/syde1020 23h ago
I just set mine up. Same purple controller. I made a script to wake from the controller input using the 2.4ghz dongle. The best tv console I’ve ever had.
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u/KelhamKnowsGaming 22h ago
What are those fans especially the one at the back that is absolutely gorgeous
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u/HuyMeo2k20 16h ago
re-bluetooth wake: you can try to switch the steam controller to bluetooth mode. Should wake as normal
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u/a4moondoggy 15h ago
Most of my issues were getting an xbox controller to run via bluetooth(kept dropping), getting 4.1 to work-needs a script even with rdna4 gpu, and 3.1 framegen breaking after passing a door like re9.
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u/WhoIsJazzJay 4h ago
the fan curve issue is really disappointing tbh i hope they add a fix for that soon
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u/Altruistic-Catch8541 24m ago edited 9m ago
Cool i have 2 8bitdo controllers as well, they rock
Also recently i got a aromman g1 pro from minisforum and put bazzite on it, now i’m waiting for the nvidia drivers to make it even better.
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u/RY-en 1d ago edited 1d ago
Have you tried the UGreen CEC adapter from Amazon? It supposedly will turn on your PC with a controller rather than MNK
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u/PaulThatKoala 1d ago
can confirm my ugreen adapter works with cec too (and got vrr and 120hz and 10bit and hdr working no problem)
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u/Vastlymoist666 1d ago
What's the adapter? All I can find is display port to HDMI?
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u/RY-en 1d ago
That’s all it is: amazon
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u/PenneyWiise 1d ago
Sorry, I'm just trying to understand this.. a display adapter provides a way to be able to wake your PC via controller? I've been wanting to find a cheap solution to this but just not getting how that would work.
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u/CasualGamer97 1d ago
Yeap I got recommended that as well, will try it once I get my hands on one!
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u/iDontKnowConfused 1d ago
Did you try to Force Composite in the Developer menu to fix the image issue? I think that’s a known easy fix.
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u/4aaa_batteries 1d ago
I understand why you went with SteamOS considering where you're coming from. But I just don't get a gaming os on a desktop, you will use your PC from productivity also, just use a regular distro like Debian or Fedora.
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u/nervendings_ 1d ago
What if it’s solely a PC for gaming? SteamOS makes sense in that case imo
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u/4aaa_batteries 1d ago
PC solely for gaming ? First world problem
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u/CasualGamer97 1d ago
Funny as it may seem, I am currently using this machine solely for gaming as well as light exploration on Linux. I have another dedicated work machine that I run Windows on.
I understand the notion that buying or building your own PC simply for gaming does seem like a first world privilege, but I would argue that you can technically build a pretty good machine at a pretty good budget price that would appeal to have it simply for gaming
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u/nervendings_ 1d ago
That’s the beauty of SteamOS. You can scrounge together basically any AMD hardware and make a console. This guy is calling it privilege when in reality it’s the exact opposite.
For people who don’t want to pay the insane cost of new tech, especially with the next gen consoles on the way, they can grab a bunch of cheap stuff used and make their own. It’s honestly revolutionary
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u/FarSetting7225 1d ago
Tu peux facilement accéder au mode bureau et l'utiliser comme un PC sous linux pour faire ce que tu veux ...
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u/emerytech 1d ago
I made a companion phone app that pairs with a living room steamos/bazzite setup so you can do a lot of things from your phone if you want like switch between desktop and game mode and also use your phone on screen keyboard to type into text fields similar to how Apple TV does it. https://couchside.tv
Edit: use your phone as a trackpad is also helpful I use that a lot if I want to do anything in desktop mode no more mouse and keyboard hunting