Valve’s newly announced Steam Deck has taken the gaming world by storm, offering a handheld gaming device that promises to bring the power of a gaming PC to your hands. But beyond just being a portable gaming device, the Steam Deck also has the potential to serve as a stepping stone to the Linux desktop.

For those unfamiliar, Linux is an open-source operating system that is widely used in servers and on tech-savvy users’ desktops. While it has a lot of benefits, such as being free and highly customizable, it has historically struggled to gain mainstream adoption due to a lack of software compatibility, particularly when it comes to gaming.

However, Valve’s Steam Deck could change that. The device runs on a custom AMD APU that is specifically designed to run games well, and it will come pre-installed with Valve’s own version of SteamOS, which is based on the Linux kernel. This means that developers who want to target the Steam Deck will need to ensure that their games are compatible with Linux, potentially leading to more games being released on the platform.

But beyond just gaming, the Steam Deck also has the potential to introduce more people to the Linux desktop in general. By using the Steam Deck, users will be interacting with a Linux-based operating system on a daily basis, getting comfortable with its interface and learning how to use it effectively.

This could lead to more users being willing to try out a full-fledged Linux desktop on their PC, especially if Valve continues to invest in its Linux-based efforts. Additionally, as more developers begin to target Linux for their games, the software compatibility issues that have historically held Linux back could start to disappear, making it a more compelling option for mainstream users.

Overall, the Steam Deck has the potential to be a game-changer for Linux on the desktop. By introducing more people to the Linux ecosystem through gaming, it could pave the way for a more diverse and vibrant desktop landscape in the future. Whether or not it will succeed in this goal remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: the Steam Deck has the potential to be a powerful catalyst for change in the world of desktop computing.