That's an illogical either or question because it's both. Valve moved from Debian to Arch because of its more recent upstream packages, yes, but Valve's upstream contributions in turn made Arch (and the other distributions) better for gaming.

[–] bright_side_@lemmy.world 3 points 4 days ago

Good point!

[–] lonesomeCat@lemmy.ml 5 points 5 days ago

Definitely the latter

[–] sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works 2 points 3 days ago

~~Arch~~ Linux totally rocks for gaming.

Any disto with a reasonably recent kernel and drivers will rock for gaming.

[–] Kecessa@sh.itjust.works 13 points 5 days ago (1 children)

It's very funny to see so many people waiting for a desktop version to switch to Linux on their computer when it wasn't developed to be a desktop OS in the first place and there's similar OS actually meant to be used on desktop PCs that exist...

[–] ripcord@lemmy.world 11 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Yes, like any Linux running KDE. With Steam installed.

[–] Corigan@lemm.ee 5 points 4 days ago (3 children)

This is the worst part of linux. I want to make the switch but the number of distros is overwhelming. Steam OS is appealing because honestly I just want the most tuned for gaming hands off version I can find.

If it exists just send me the link to the iso lmao.

[–] Mic_Check_One_Two@reddthat.com 13 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (3 children)

If you’re looking for a desktop version of SteamOS and are used to using Windows, your best bet is likely Bazzite with the KDE desktop environment. There are mixed feelings among Linux users about immutable distros, (many of the more advanced users feel it is too limiting), but there’s no denying the Bazzite is the most straightforward way to get things like Nvidia drivers and HDR.

[–] coaxil@lemm.ee 3 points 4 days ago

I love bazzite on my gaming rig, does what it says on the box, and for the gaming rig I just want a turn key, no faffing, coz it's game time, not work time, and this is what bazzite delivers.

[–] zipzoopaboop@lemmynsfw.com 2 points 4 days ago

Isn't steam os immutable anyways? They wouldn't be waiting for much

[–] Corigan@lemm.ee 2 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Awesome. Thank you .

Is it niche or does it have a pretty big community for trouble shooting?

[–] Mic_Check_One_Two@reddthat.com 6 points 4 days ago

It has a decent community, yes. It’s basically the go-to gaming distro for many people.

[–] BlameTheAntifa@lemmy.world 1 points 3 days ago

Bazzite is the most “SteamOS” flavor of Linux you can get right now.

If you want an OS that has a little more control, go with Kubuntu, which is very friendly. When you’re comfortable with that and familiar enough with Linux to unhappy with Snaps and Canonical, switch to Fedora or OpenSUSE.

[–] FreeBooteR69@lemmy.ca -1 points 4 days ago

Omg i hate choice in the marketplace, gimme good old fashioned monopoly any day. /s

[–] crowbar@lemm.ee 2 points 4 days ago

And here i am using steamos for work 😂

[–] Cethin@lemmy.zip 2 points 3 days ago

You can without using it if you really want to. I probably wouldn't though. I use Garuda, which is Arch based, but I don't say I use Arch ever. However, basically everything on the Arch wiki will apply (which is probably the greatest resource for Linux even if not on Arch), and also the AUR will work.

Just so you're aware though like others have said, this should probably not replace Windows for your desktop. It's designed for a handheld, not a desktop. Use a distro designed for desktop if you want to. Garuda has a great version for gaming that gets you up and running in minutes. There are a lot of other great choices too.