With each new SteamOS Preview release, Valve has been making progress toward a general release of SteamOS for more handhelds. Last week, SteamOS 3.7.4 Preview addressed a bootloader crash on certain non-Steam Deck devices, and before that, we saw improvements for ASUS and Lenovo handhelds, likely referring to the ROG Ally and Legion Go devices.

While we’re still waiting to see what the next SteamOS preview update brings for non-Steam Deck handhelds, it appears that the latest Beta Client update for the Steam Deck has added a hidden startup movie, which users are speculating will be used on non-Valve handhelds.

Is this the startup animation for non-Steam Deck devices?

Now, since the animation was technically supposed to be hidden, we don’t know exactly how this user managed to access it, but thankfully, they did record what the animation looked like. There isn’t much to uncover in the video apart from the fact that it’s a generic SteamOS boot animation, but since we haven't seen this on a Steam Deck, it likely means it's for devices other than the Steam Deck, including the upcoming Lenovo Legion Go S with SteamOS.

And that seems to be the case, as one user added that they are testing the 3.8 Beta update on a MiniPC, a non-Valve device, and this is the animation it uses when booting up. So, considering that, it's safe to say this could be the startup animation on all non-Steam Deck devices running SteamOS. That said, we don't have any clue how much work is left for a stable release of SteamOS 3.7.0, but it's clear that Valve is ironing out all the small details, and we should hope for some exciting news soon.

For reference, the SteamOS Legion Go S will be available from May 25th, according to pre-order listings, though you may be disappointed to hear that the price recently jumped up at Best Buy – likely due to tariffs.

About the Author

Hassam Nasir

Hassam boasts over seven years of professional experience as a dedicated PC hardware reviewer and writer.