Valve Releases SteamOS with non-UEFI Support

News
By Kevin Parrish
published

Valve now has a version of SteamOS that not only allows dual boot, but supports BIOS.

John Vert, a Valve representative, jumped on the Steam Universe group on Monday and announced the release of a new SteamOS disk image (ISO) that doesn't require UEFI. This official version stems from one that was created by the community called Ye Olde SteamOSe, which also allows users to dual-boot, among other "improvements."

"I just posted a SteamOS ISO that can be used to install SteamOS on non-UEFI systems," Vert writes. "Thanks to directhex and ecliptik for their work on Ye Olde SteamOSe - this incorporates many of their changes. Dual-boot and custom partitioning are now possible from the 'Expert Install' option."

"PLEASE note there has been very little testing on this, especially any kind of dual-boot setup. So don't install it on any machine you are not prepared to lose," he adds.

The new SteamOS ISO file can be downloaded here. Meanwhile, the latest Ye Olde SteamOSe build can be downloaded here. A list of improvements include support for BIOS-based systems, support for DVD and 1 GB USB stick installations, dual-boot support, resizing NTFS partitions, support for almost any sound card, support for LVM and software RAID, and more.

SteamOS is a Debian Linux-based operating system that was released in beta form on December 13, 2013. The platform is meant for Steam Machines, but it's also made available to anyone wanting to build their own. However, because it's focused on playing Linux-based games, the platform is rather limited; by default, it doesn't provide an image viewer or a file manager.

Last week Valve sent out invites to Steam game streaming. The initial batch will be for development partners, but Valve will add more and more people as the service becomes more solid. This service will allow gamers to stream their favorite Windows-based PC titles to their Linux-based Steam Machine or a machine that uses SteamOS.

Read about all the latest Steam Machines here.

Kevin Parrish
14 Comments Comment from the forums
  • bejabbers
    I love the way Valve is doing this! It's so refreshing to see a company that listens to, and incorporates ideas from the userbase into their products. Not only that, but makes the OS open to anyone who wants to try new things. This is definitely going to be a console killer, in my opinion. Game devs should definitely be jumping on this bandwagon.
    Reply
  • vmem
    on good, finally a SteamOS that is somewhat accessible to the public...now if only it has games that I can't already play by using Steam on my PC... I might actually be interested
    Reply
  • captaincharisma
    not trying to pick a fight but why would you dual bot this? i mean its nothing but a stand alone steam client that you can just install within an OS like windows
    Reply
  • antilycus
    Im excited to put my HTPC to use... Size of Wii, more graphical power than 360...yay 7850k APU
    Reply
  • bustapr
    not trying to pick a fight but why would you dual bot this? i mean its nothing but a stand alone steam client that you can just install within an OS like windows
    Its still a separate OS, not a standalone steam client. the reason you might want to dual boot is because steamOS is built for gaming performance, unlike windows. Of course theres the problem of a lacking linux library, but the few games that are available are really good and the library is bound to grow exponentially in the next year or 2. again, this aint for everyone. But it is a good thing for people who like or are interested in linux.
    Reply
  • damianrobertjones
    Nah... I have absolutely ZERO need for this. None. Zero. Nadda. I'm already, kind of, stuck with Steam under WIndows so I'm NOT going to get stuck with their OS as well.
    Reply
  • Aaron Briggs
    Nah... I have absolutely ZERO need for this. None. Zero. Nadda. I'm already, kind of, stuck with Steam under WIndows so I'm NOT going to get stuck with their OS as well.
    Exactly I have 0 need for this as well, my windows PC runs all my games on steam, orgin, Uplay, old games, roms my Network SaN all without any issues,and its pointless to sit and wait for valve to add stuff into the OS that windows has had for years and years. Sorry but I am not going to support a OS just cause the owner of valve hates windows, also there is no game exclusives, controller works for windows I just fail to see the point unless you love Linux and love to tinker.
    Reply
  • Darkk
    Nah... I have absolutely ZERO need for this. None. Zero. Nadda. I'm already, kind of, stuck with Steam under WIndows so I'm NOT going to get stuck with their OS as well.
    Exactly I have 0 need for this as well, my windows PC runs all my games on steam, orgin, Uplay, old games, roms my Network SaN all without any issues,and its pointless to sit and wait for valve to add stuff into the OS that windows has had for years and years. Sorry but I am not going to support a OS just cause the owner of valve hates windows, also there is no game exclusives, controller works for windows I just fail to see the point unless you love Linux and love to tinker.
    You don't have to use Steam OS if you don't want to. This is about choice. Now for first time people have a choice to install a game designed OS without paying a Windows license if they use it on a separate computer such as HTPC. Granted not everybody is Linux savvy but the install process is pretty straightforward with predefined settings and programs already installed. More importantly it's not locked down like a game console so if they want to tinker with it they can.
    Reply
  • sanctoon
    12507553 said:
    not trying to pick a fight but why would you dual bot this? i mean its nothing but a stand alone steam client that you can just install within an OS like windows

    It's not for everyone, yet, Valve themselves say it's only for Linux tinkerers in it's current form.

    I for one, am going to dual boot SteamOS, I like to test out a new OS, and try to find its limits or even break it.
    First I'm gonna benchmark all my Steam games that support both. Then i'll ad some usefull software to SteamOS, like a file manager, firefox, openoffice, VLC, and some needed proprietary libraries, and do the benchmarks again.

    So yeah, dual booting is great for people like me, tinker on one OS and get real work done on the other. Still I'll give it 2 years before it's ready for a real living room OS, but you have to start somewhere.

    Hope that sort of answers your question/fight.

    Happy Gaming :)
    Reply
  • K-beam
    I agree there may not be a very valid reason now for SteamOS adoption, but a few years down the line, with the development of the OS, I can see two important aspects that would give the extra flexibility:- Configurable and downloadable SteamOS bootable live CD/DVD/flash images with pre-installed few of the best free-to-play games and/or Demos- A "SteamOS-Light" solution for older single-core systems that are on outdated OSs like Win2000 that have currently zero access to Steam
    Reply