Valve’s latest offering, the Steam Machine, continues the legacy of the Steam Deck by delivering a seamless gaming experience powered by SteamOS. This innovative device boots directly into SteamOS, allowing users to dive straight into their game libraries without the distractions of a conventional desktop environment like Windows.
However, the Steam Machine retains the flexibility of a traditional PC, enabling users to install alternative operating systems if they so choose. Many gamers may opt for Windows, particularly as game developers increasingly focus on creating Linux-compatible anti-cheat solutions. To facilitate this transition, Valve has taken a significant step by releasing official drivers tailored for Windows, ensuring that users can easily set up their machines.
Windows on the Steam Machine
On its support page, Valve clarifies that the Steam Machine operates as a standard PC, granting users the freedom to install other operating systems. To assist in this process, the company has made available a suite of Windows drivers that encompass essential hardware components, including graphics processors, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and SD card readers. These drivers are designed to ensure that the primary hardware features function smoothly under Windows.
It is important to note that these resources are provided “as is,” meaning that Valve does not offer official technical support for users who choose to run Windows on their Steam Machine. In the event of complications or if users wish to revert to SteamOS, Valve advises following its official recovery instructions to restore the device to its original state.
- Installing Windows necessitates a complete wipe of the Steam Machine, as it replaces SteamOS with Microsoft’s operating system.
- While both the Steam Deck and Steam Machine are capable of dual-booting, an official dual-boot setup wizard is not yet available. This functionality will be included with a future update of SteamOS.
Source: Steam Support
For those considering the switch to Windows, Valve has provided some essential installation notes. To access the boot menu on the Steam Machine, users must fully power down the device and then restart it while repeatedly pressing the Escape key until the boot menu appears. Additionally, since the Windows setup process requires an internet connection to enter a product key or complete various setup steps, users will need to connect the Steam Machine via Ethernet during installation. Wi-Fi connectivity will not be operational until the official wireless drivers are installed post-setup.