SteamosFramework 16 and Me – a look at my patience and SteamOS.
SteamosFramework 16 and Me – a look at my patience and SteamOS.
TL;DR At the end, talk to my kids and listen—there’s a tale about trying SteamOS (one, it’s okay) and hearing all the usual doubts. I know you’re thinking Framework won’t work, but I’m convinced there’s a way. Windows is fine too, and I’ve already messaged support with updates. I’ve tested drives, tried different setups, even filmed myself to prove the point. My goal is to get SteamOS 3.7.7 or newer running. It’s frustrating when things break and communication falters, but I’m ready to keep trying—maybe with a new keyboard or drive. I hope they listen and help me fix this.
I've encountered problems with Bazzite too. It's much more unstable than I anticipated for running pseudo SteamOS. I'm considering switching to a dual-boot setup—Windows 10—to enjoy movies in HDR without issues, while keeping the occasional non-Linux game and a dedicated SteamOS boot.
I aim to install SteamOS and always restart for quick access to the power menu and desktop mode. This setup supports a dedicated gaming PC experience, with Valve as my preferred game platform. Many people focus on switching to other OSes, but I see this as a unified system optimized for controllers. I prefer using desktop mode mainly, keeping a controller handy for fast transitions after reboots.
I contacted Valve support as well. They shared the usual response about the project not being ready yet. What they confirmed publicly is that Valve is working on SteamOS to work with a wider range of devices. The representative mentioned the development team aims for compatibility across laptops and desktops. This reassured me and gave me hope. I told them my thoughts so they could pass along feedback to their partners about supporting modular hardware. They said they would relay the message. It’s possible my input helped guide them in a small way. I’m still not ready to demand anything more, but I feel a bit better now. The main issue seems to be the outdated hardware, which might slow progress. It’s hard to imagine anything faster right now.
Update: Ladies and Gentlemen... We got it.... Framework 16 laptop running the latest version of SteamOS. I've literally only just installed it and completed initial set up and logged into big picture mode then switched to desktop mode. But there's a caveat... You see that little doo-dad on the wrist area of the laptop? That's the connector between the main board and the GPU (7700S). I saw an article linked here that mentioned a Framework 13 laptop and a 7840U CPU. I could not find a real difference between the 7840U and the 7840HS aside from maybe the HS version is slightly more powerful? But that was a while ago that I read that info and I feel like I forgot most of what I read already. Feel free to investigate and correct me if I'm wrong. That article also mentioned the 780m integrated GPU which I know the 7840HS has, so I felt fairly confident that I could remove the GPU, install SteamOS, then try to manually update the kernel or something so the 7700S is recognized and then reinstall it. Then BOOM. Best laptop I could've hoped for AND it's running SteamOS! Now once I got the Framework 16 opened, I was able to find this little... Interposer(?), adapter(?), doo-dad(!) and after removing it, I felt confident that since that part was removed, I wouldn't actually need to disassemble the laptop any further in order to complete the install and test. So far testing is successful, but if anyone has any insight or recommendations for getting the 7700S to cooperate, please let me know!