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Valve’s brilliant Steam Deck is an amazing tool for handheld PC gaming. While other gaming handhelds like the ROG Ally are also fantastic options, their Windows operating system is far more clunky to use.
With Valve now opening SteamOS to third-party companies, devices like the Lenovo Legion GO are able to offer Windows-less versions of their devices. For HP executive Josephine Tan, this is the way forward for all PC gaming handhelds.
HP’s Steam Deck clone will run SteamOS
In a since-removed interview with XDA developers, archived here, Tan explained that the clunky nature of Windows 10 and 11 turned HP away from making its own handheld for gamers.
“If I don’t like it, I don’t know how to do a product for it,” the executive said.
With SteamOS offering a “very simple setup” for users who just want to play games, HP is now finally looking to jump into the fray with its own handheld. However, if it releases, the company needs to use Valve’s operating system instead of Windows.
When asked if HP would be interested in making a gaming handheld running on Valve’s operating system, Tan responded with a simple “yes”.
While the Steam Deck is nowhere near as successful as, say, a Nintendo Switch, the handheld has sent waves through the hardware industry. Before now, Windows was always the OS of choice for PC handhelds like the GPD Win, but the Microsoft lead is ever-so-slightly slimming due to Valve’s Linux dedication.
As Proton compatibility improves and companies like Ubisoft specifically target the Deck for new games, there’s a long life ahead for the system. But, even better, there’s an even longer life ahead for SteamOS.
For more Steam Deck news, read about the reason why Valve won’t be releasing constant revisions for the device.
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