SteamOS was once considered the future of gaming. But now Valve has announced that they are doing away with their operating system. Why have they done this? And does this mean that steam machines are doomed as well?
SteamOS was developed by Valve, a company that also makes games. The idea behind SteamOS was to create a Linux-based operating system that would allow PC owners to play their favorite games on their TV. This was to be achieved by integrating the Steam Controller, a controller specifically designed for playing games on a TV.
Originally, Valve had planned to release SteamOS in 2014. However, due to technical challenges, the release was delayed until 2015. In 2017, Valve decided to discontinue support for SteamOS.
The company has since released a statement explaining why it discontinued the operating system. According to Valve, the main reason for discontinuing SteamOS was that it did not meet the hardware requirements to run.
Since Valve is focusing on the free Linux operating system, it's not surprising to see hardware issues; after all, most hardware is optimized for Microsoft Windows, and many drivers and patches are made by the Linux community.
In early 2020, a SteamOS developer responded to an email from a user about how SteamOS will continue:
Yes, there is definitely still a lot of work being done. Right now the focus is on the core technology itself rather than its distribution, but we plan to come back to it in the future. I wouldn't expect much to happen with the Debian-based Brewmaster yet, though.
As it seems, the base of SteamOS is being developed to some extent, especially the kernel, which is the central element of an operating system. For example, Valve could transfer the kernel or parts of it to another system after a modification and breathe new life into SteamOS.
It remains to be seen what Valve will do with SteamOS. The company does not want to completely abandon this project, which was supposed to offer gamers a cross-device gaming experience.
