People have been making SteamOS work on their Intel hardware after Valve added early support for MSI Claw devices in a beta version earlier this month. Now, examples of the Linux-based operating system running on hardware such as a flagship Intel Arc B580 GPU-powered desktop demonstrate just how well the OS works with Team Blue hardware.

Valve has already explained how to install SteamOS on your device, but proper support was previously limited to AMD-powered handhelds such as ROG Ally and Legion Go models. Intel handheld chips have largely remained exclusive to the MSI Claw series (excluding the Ryzen-powered A8), but the introduction of Arc G-Series handhelds means more competition.

MSI Claw 8 AI+ and Intel Arc B580 tested

Popular creator ETA PRIME has already been testing SteamOS on their MSI Claw 8 AI+, which features an Intel Core UItra 7 258V processor (part of the Lunar Lake series). This is currently MSI’s flagship gaming handheld, at least until the new Intel Arc G3 Extreme-powered Claw 8 EX AI+ launches later this month.

In its SteamOS 3.8.7 Beta, Valve noted “Improved compatibility with recent Intel and AMD platforms” along with “Initial firmware for upcoming Intel handhelds” – and support has been improving since then. ETA PRIME has tested the Claw 8 AI+ with the main 3.9 branch, with basic functionality and playable performance.

However, some issues are present – such as the left-side menu button, which fails to open the SteamOS menu, and a lack of support for TDP controls without installing a third-party plugin. While performance is playable, it’s not quite as convincing as Windows, even though SteamOS has come out on top on other handhelds. Frame generation was reportedly choppy, too.

With Intel Arc G3-based handhelds such as MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ and Acer Predator Atlas 8 soon on the way, Valve will likely continue to improve support with these handhelds. The introduction of a handheld-focused chip from Intel is big news – the company promised an “entire gaming platform” at CES in January, before the big Arc G3 reveal a couple of weeks ago.

As seen above, Reddit user SaperPL has tested SteamOS on their Intel Arc B580 gaming desktop. This is currently Intel’s flagship gaming GPU. It did take some extra work, however, as the SaperPL first installed it with an AMD Radeon GPU on board before swapping to the B580 card. Again, performance was below that of comparable Windows benchmarks.

About the Author

Jack Goodall

At PC Guide, Jack is mostly responsible for reporting on hardware deals. He also specializes in monitors, TVs, and headsets and can be found putting his findings together in a review or best-of guide.