Since Valve first revealed that it was bringing the Steam Deck's SteamOS operating system to more handheld devices earlier this year, we've been waiting for the gaming giant to kick things off. Well, it looks like it's happening, with the new SteamOS 3.7.3 Preview alluding to software support for Lenovo and Asus handhelds.
For those who don't know, Lenovo and Asus are responsible for some of the top picks from our guide to the best handheld consoles. However, while the Lenovo Legion Go and the Asus ROG Ally X offer fantastic performance, often beating out the Steam Deck in benchmark tests, both devices utilize Windows 11. Microsoft's software might be great for laptops and PCs, but it doesn't feel nearly as optimized for handheld use as SteamOS, and it's one of the main reasons I still use my trusty Steam Deck OLED more than anything else.
While the SteamOS 3.7.3 Preview notes aren't all that long, they point to support for the power button and inputs on Asus and Lenovo handhelds. That makes a lot of sense, as we've seen examples of SteamOS running on both the Asus ROG Ally and Lenovo Legion Go S, and while it works, it seems that you have to spend a lot of time setting up your own inputs. With any luck, this latest software update should solve that problem.
It's worth pointing out that, as this is a Preview update and not a Beta or a Stable release, it still might not be perfect, and you should expect some bugs. Still, it's a sign that Valve is sticking to its promise to support more consoles, and in time, we should get a Stable version that makes running all the best Steam Deck games easier on an Asus or Lenovo handheld. Until then, it's your call whether you want to try out this version of SteamOS on your device.
Following this latest Preview update, we'll be keeping an eye on the official SteamOS update page for any more releases pertaining to software support for non-Steam Deck handhelds. In the meantime, be sure to check out our Nintendo Switch 2 hands-on preview for our thoughts on this year's most anticipated console launch, or check out our list of the best Steam Deck alternatives to see what other hardware might benefit from the wider rollout of SteamOS.