Quick summary
Valve is still interested in bringing SteamOS to the ROG Ally and other handheld consoles.
Sadly there's no timeline for when this might happen.
When it comes to handheld gaming, the ROG Ally is one of the best options out there. This device runs Windows, giving you access to games and a whole lot more in a portable package. But what if its skillset expanded by including SteamOS as well?
That might just happen, meaning that you can turn your handheld Windows device into a Steam Machine and benefit from a streamlined OS designed for a handheld device, rather than for a desktop computer.
While talk about the creation of a standalone install of SteamOS has been circulating for some time, an interesting reference to the ROG Ally appeared in SteamOS' release notes, claiming "Added support for extra ROG Ally keys". This has reignited speculation around Valve releasing SteamOS for the ROG Ally, with the expected excitement ramping up to 11.
The Verge has followed up with Valve designer Lawence Yang to get confirmation that "the team is continuing to work on adding support for additional handhelds on SteamOS". So while Valve is still working towards releasing SteamOS for devices including the ROG Ally, if you want SteamOS now, your best bet is still the Steam Deck.
That works in the other direction too. We'd previously reported that there was work on making Steam Deck compatible with Windows too, with Yang saying "As for Windows, we’re preparing to make the remaining Windows drivers for Steam Deck OLED available … There’s no update on the timing for dual boot support - it’s still a priority, but we haven’t been able to get to it just yet."
What advantages would dual boot options bring to handheld consoles?
Widening support sounds great, but why might you want to do that? The obvious thing is that it give you choice, so you can choose what OS your device runs when you turn it on. The appeal of SteamOS is that the user interface is better for smaller displays and the sort of controls you have on a handheld console.
Beyond that, many games just work on SteamOS without having to tinker with any settings which is sometimes the case with Windows. Optimisation could also reduce demands on the battery, for example, as you're not running all of Windows at the same time.
SteamOS's Proton compatibility layer makes many games playable on SteamOS, but at the same time, the advantage of having Windows on your device means you can run pretty much anything - and for many people, it's a familiar environment from laptop or desktop use, so it's versatile.
Exactly when any changes might come down the line for SteamOS, the ROG Ally or the Steam Deck remain to be seen. From what Valve says, it wants to do all these things, but isn't quite there yet.
