A Linux community member shared on Steam, noting a drop of 2% due to the Steam Deck.
A Linux community member shared on Steam, noting a drop of 2% due to the Steam Deck.
I often question how much of the data comes from randomness when they prompt users for hardware details. I've spent years in the Intel iGPU gaming bracket, and Steam usually showed me hardware surveys only when I was using power-saving mode on my laptop. At least we can be confident it didn't alter the numbers completely, since their stats say 106.85% of users have SSE3 extensions—something no human team would ever overlook.
But why leave it out? When you dive into "Linux," you quickly encounter distribution chaos. SteamOS runs the same Steam Linux Runtime and Proton as other Steam-backed distros, and it also works with Flatpaks and Appimages beyond Steam, which seems unimportant in a Steam context.
It seems the addition was made because it works on the Steam Deck, which should function on Linux, making the classification logical.
The current Steam OS version is built on Arch Linux. You won't see any obvious signs of that, and you won't engage with the DE unless you switch to desktop mode explicitly. The option to pause a game and continue from where you left off enhances the experience beyond just a big picture setup. Navigation is also highly optimized for controller use. It feels like a handheld console regardless of the underlying OS. From what I recall, it usually runs around 1 to 2%, but this is the first time it exceeds 2%.
They likely changed their base system, but steamOS is essentially Linux with a larger focus. That means it doesn’t fit the "consoleOS" category such as OrbisOS does in PS4/PS5.
The key lies in how the device feels during use, not just the underlying operating system. In my view, OrbisOS delivers a genuine console experience unlike SteamOS on the Steam Deck. It offers features such as instant resume and a UI designed for seamless control with the deck’s buttons. Most users wouldn’t notice it runs on Linux or Arch, and it shouldn’t be more challenging to operate than any other console.