SoylentNews

Freeman [soylentnews.org] writes:

https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2021/08/valves-upcoming-steam-deck-will-be-based-on-arch-linux-not-debian/ [arstechnica.com]

As Ars Technica confirmed [arstechnica.com] in May, two months ahead of its official reveal, Valve is about to re-enter the hardware space with its first portable PC, the Steam Deck. This custom x86 PC resembles an XL version of the Nintendo Switch and will begin shipping to buyers by the end of 2021, starting at $399.
[...]
Shipping on Linux cuts manufacturing costs for Steam, insulates the company from competition with the Microsoft Store on Windows, and avoids exposing Steam Deck players to the world's premiere malware ecosystem—which also runs on Windows.
[...]
"The main reason [to switch to Arch] is the rolling updates [that support] more rapid development for SteamOS 3.0," Valve designer Lawrence Yang told PC Gamer. Yang says that Arch is a better choice given the massive number of updates, changes, and customizations Valve needs to make in order to provide the best gaming experience on the Steam Deck.

Valve promises [arstechnica.com] that the Steam Deck will run "the entire Steam library" at 30+ fps, so that means a lot of customizations indeed.

Previously:
AMD + Valve Working on New Linux CPU Performance Scaling Design [soylentnews.org]
Steam Deck is Valve’s Switch-Like Portable PC: Starting at $399 this December [soylentnews.org]

Original Submission