Valve quietly broadens SteamOS support for third-party devices
▼ Summary
– SteamOS 3.8.25 Beta adds initial gamepad support for MSI’s Claw 8 AI+, an Intel-based handheld, marking continued compatibility efforts for Intel devices.
– The update also newly supports controllers on Ayaneo’s Pocket S2 and Konkr Fit, with improved support for older MSI Claw and OneXPlayer devices.
– This follows June’s SteamOS 3.8 update, which focused on better Intel and AMD platform compatibility, including controller fixes for GPD Win, Anbernic, and OrangePi handhelds.
– The Lenovo Legion Go S remains the only non-Valve device with full “powered by SteamOS” branding, but these updates signal Valve’s ongoing push to support other hardware.
– The update includes an updated Linux driver for the Steam Controller, enabling it to work with native controller apps even when Steam isn’t running, benefiting Desktop mode users.
SteamOS is quietly expanding its reach beyond Valve’s own hardware, and the latest beta release signals a continued push toward broader third-party compatibility. The freshly issued SteamOS 3.8.25 Beta, rolled out this weekend, introduces “initial gamepad support” for a handful of recent gaming handhelds while also refining performance on several existing devices.
Among the newly supported systems is MSI’s Claw 8 EX AI+, a premium handheld powered by Intel’s Arc G3 processor that hit the market earlier this summer. While SteamOS has long offered beta-level support for “other AMD powered handhelds,” Valve has only recently turned its attention to Intel-based devices like the MSI Claw series. This latest update indicates that work is still very much in progress, and Intel chips remain a part of the SteamOS roadmap.
The beta also adds support for the built-in controllers on Ayaneo’s Android-centric Pocket S2 and the newer Windows-based Konkr Fit. In addition, Valve notes “improved support” for older MSI Claw models and the OneXPlayer line of portable gaming PCs.
This weekend’s release follows June’s SteamOS 3.8 update, which highlighted “improved compatibility with recent Intel and AMD platforms.” That earlier patch specifically mentioned better controller support on handhelds from GPD Win, Anbernic, and OrangePi, along with enhancements for various Lenovo Legion Go, MSI Claw, and OneXPlayer units.
To date, the Lenovo Legion Go S remains the only non-Valve device to carry the full “powered by SteamOS” designation, meaning it’s officially certified for complete compatibility with Valve’s Linux-based operating system. But updates like this one suggest the company is still committed to making SteamOS run smoothly on a much wider array of hardware.
Elsewhere in the new release, Valve has refreshed the Linux driver for the revamped Steam Controller, enabling it to function with “native controller applications” even when Steam isn’t running. That’s a meaningful improvement for SteamOS users who frequently boot into Desktop mode to fire up emulators or other Linux-native games outside the Steam client.
(Source: Ars Technica)