Windows 12 could be another costly upgrade for supporters of Microsoft operating systems. A new report reveals that the AI-dominated OS will require AMD and Intel CPUs with a dedicated NPU. Possibly surfacing in late 2026, the follow-up to Windows 11 may also rely on subscriptions.
Hopefully, SteamOS Desktop will be in the wild and shaked off any teething issues. I want to switch to an OS that is suitable for a power-casual. If it looks like a 2nd American Civil War or WW3 is on, I might switch early to Cachy.
If your a power-casual then why are you waiting for Steam OS? You realize that any distro with steam installed is basically Steam OS?
Because I want a 800lb gorilla to perpetually support my gaming distro, working Nvidia drivers, have enough freedom to use mods and whatnot, documentation suitable for people who aren’t terminal-brained, and so forth. Valve is the kind of company that can tick these boxes, simply through sheer inertia.
I tried Mint back in early 2025. It wasn’t quite right for my purposes, so I wanted to wait for something friendlier.
Outside of what’s essentially steam big picture mode, steamOS is just an immutable arch, there’s not much support from valve for desktop mode use, you still need to know how to linux, particularly containerized programs.
The GabeCube is going to be console-like first with linux desktop features a side-thought. Mess around with a steam deck sometime so you can know what to expect. I love mine but doing anything outside of the big picture mode does have a learning curve.