Valve is actively working with both Intel and Nvidia to expand SteamOS support beyond its existing hardware, the company confirmed in June 2026. While Intel collaboration is already showing early results, Nvidia support is not expected to arrive this year.
Valve’s Pierre-Loup Griffais told The Verge that the company is working “closely” with Intel, crediting the chipmaker with doing “a lot of hard work on getting the graphics stack up and running there and making sure everything’s optimized.” The recently released SteamOS 3.8 update reflects that progress, adding initial firmware for upcoming Intel handhelds and controller support for select MSI Claw devices, including the Claw 8 AI Plus.
YouTuber ETA Prime has already tested a beta of SteamOS 3.8 on the MSI Claw 8 AI Plus, describing the experience as “not perfect” but largely functional. Separately, a Reddit user reported successfully booting SteamOS on an Intel Arc B580 desktop GPU. Valve also announced that SteamOS 3.8 will allow users to build their own SteamOS-powered desktop machines, similar to the newly announced Steam Machine.
Intel’s Nick Mijuskovic said the company had nothing to share “timeline-wise” regarding SteamOS support for its Panther Lake architecture — which includes the G3 Extreme chip powering the MSI Claw 8 EX AI Plus — but confirmed Intel is “working on the Mesa driver” and collaborating with Valve. “We’re very aware of the demand on the Linux side,” Mijuskovic said.
On the Nvidia front, Griffais confirmed Valve has “a growing team” dedicated to Nvidia driver work and is collaborating with the company “very closely,” but he does not expect support to be available in 2026.
For users of Intel-based gaming handhelds like the MSI Claw lineup, the developments suggest a path away from Windows toward SteamOS, though full support across both Intel and Nvidia hardware may still be some time away.
Source: The Verge