Valve's latest SteamOS beta provides better Intel hardware compatibility and that's great news for upcoming handhelds
Date:
Fri, 12 Jun 2026 13:05:59 +0000
Description:
Gaming on SteamOS with Intel hardware hasn't been ideal performance-wise on handhelds, but it looks like Valve will change that going forward.
FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Valve's latest SteamOS beta offers improved compatibility with Intel platforms It also sees initial firmware added for incoming Intel G3 Extreme-powered handhelds Performance on SteamOS with Intel hardware should improve further with future updates Handheld gaming is set to reach new heights in 2026 and beyond, with Intel 's latest Panther Lake mobile processors providing more power for high-level performance and Valve has just made life better for Intel-based handhelds.
Valve's SteamOS 3.8.8 beta includes improved hardware support for Intel platforms, additional controller support for MSI Claw devices, and initial firmware for upcoming Intel handhelds. That includes handhelds like the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+, OneXPlayer 3, and the Acer Predator Atlas 8, all of which will use the Intel G3 Extreme processor. Intel-based handhelds running SteamOS (or Bazzite ) aren't anything new. However, performance with Intel hardware on
the operating system hasn't been great, with devices like the MSI Claw 8 AI+ delivering worse game performance than Windows 11 but it's the complete opposite for AMD-powered handhelds on SteamOS compared to Windows 11. Latest Videos From Watch full video here:
The appeal of SteamOS, besides its ease of use and console-like user interface, is its optimization for gaming in terms of memory usage, which Windows 11 lacks (and still falls behind Valve's SteamOS even with the Xbox Mode ).
With that in mind, switching from Windows 11 to SteamOS for worse performance doesn't make much sense, and that's what has kept some owners of
Intel-powered handhelds away from the Linux-based operating system. You may like Valve gets the Steam Machine wheel rolling with SteamOS 3.8.0 preview Microsoft's project K2 could finally make Windows as fast as SteamOS MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ with Intel Arc G3 Extreme inside revealed at Computex 2026 Full
Steam ahead for Intel chips (Image credit: Acer) Fortunately, it's now
evident that this is being addressed by Valve, as handheld enthusiast ETA Prime highlights with the MSI Claw 8 AI+ and its fluid performance results in games like Cyberpunk 2077 and Forza Horizon. Functions like sleep mode work
as expected, which is great, but navigation and menu options still need updating, and the TDP (power consumption) can only be controlled via a Decky Loader plugin plus the Steam menu button config needs to be added on Intel handhelds.
Regardless, this is a step in the right direction for these portables, and with more updates from Valve leading up to the launch of the new
Intel-powered handhelds, this is definitely something to get excited about
for those who don't have AMD -powered hardware. Get daily insight,
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Link to news story:
https://www.techradar.com/computing/gaming-pcs/valves-latest-steamos-beta-prov ides-better-intel-hardware-compatibility-and-thats-great-news-for-upcoming-han dhelds
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