> Ubuntu was likely too difficult for Valve to keep modified and up to date for their needs.
SteamOS was based on Debian directly, not Ubuntu. Ubuntu is just what they officially support for the desktop Steam client.
It also means more games will run on my PC and Ill less likely run into Linux only issues in games though they're pretty rare anyway.
Re:Valve Steam Deck
by beermonster on Friday July 16, 2021 @04:47PM
(#27861016)
> Not to mention, a default install of Arch is tiny and minimalist.
I wonder if they considered alpine? Though arch is a fine choice and makes me want one all the more!
Canonical doesn't have any reason to be friendly towards the specific features Valve needs to make SteamOS a thing, and Valve probably doesn't want to maintain their own fork of the entire Ubuntu distro.
Not to mention, a default install of Arch is tiny and minimalist. It's the perfect base to apply your own packages on top of without having to worry too much about conflicts with system packages, or anything else that might break between Ubuntu LTS version updates.
It means Valve can mostly have their own custom distro without having to do most of the work required to maintain a custom distro.
It also means Valve can deploy the latest package of something that boosts gaming performance (like some new graphics driver or whatever), again, without jeopardizing the core os. Arch is well known for being "bleeding edge" and getting the latest packages out immediately which is something gamers (the target audience for SteamOS) want (every single extra FPS matters, etc).