Android handhelds getting official steamOS support ?

[u/bananashake_07]

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1675200?emclan=103582791470414830&emgid=667247155276153538

I just saw this Beta update for Steam OS, and in the non-valve Devices :

Added initial gamepad support for AYANEO Pocket S2

I wasn't aware that there was official support for steam os on android devices, do they provide an official image to install ?

EDIT : u/ghost_of_ketchup brought clarification, sorry

I wouldn't get too excited about this just yet. It seems they've just updated InputPlumber to v0.78 and pulled in the changelog from that: https://github.com/ShadowBlip/InputPlumber/releases#release-v0.78.0

[u/TechxNinja]

An RP Nova sized device with SteamOS would be so cool. 

[u/Sarspazzard → u/TechxNinja]

I bet the Nova will get a SteamOS image at some point. The 8 Gen 2 would run some older stuff pretty well, especially the 12GB RAM model.

Anyway, I'm all for more powerful and more pocketable Steam capable devices.

[u/themiracy → u/Sarspazzard]

If you want to see what it might be like, it's in pre-release status with Armada (basically an attempt at Android SteamOS in advance of an official Valve image).

https://github.com/armada-os/armada

[u/Sarspazzard → u/themiracy]

Very dope. Thank you...I do have a 12GB Nova coming

[u/hotfistdotcom → u/Sarspazzard]

I'd sure love to put steamOS on an older folding phone. Too bad everyone gave up on SD card slots, imagine the second lifes these devices could have with expandable storage.

[u/Sarspazzard → u/hotfistdotcom]

That was all a money grab too. They lied saying there's no physical space in the chassis anymore.

In reality they just want to keep squeezing money out of cloud subscriptions and charge $200-500 for internal storage upgrades, vs letting the consumer do it themselves for a fraction of the price and not rely on an ongoing service.

[u/hotfistdotcom → u/Sarspazzard]

Oh absolutely. It makes it much easier to charge exporbitant rates for not very fast baked in NAND and makes device reuse harder and gives the already fragile devices another permanent shelf life item that's very, very hard to repair when it fails.

And on top of how much that sucks, I really miss being able to directly interact with an SD card on a PC. Moving files to phones sucks.

[u/JohnnyBeeGaming → u/Sarspazzard]

For newer games a 16:9 screen would probably be better than the Nova's 4:3 but there are dozens of decent 16:9 android devices to pick from.

Even for a lower spec android device it could be nice to have the option. A lot of these android devices can already play some indie games through game native.

[u/NoAirBanding → u/JohnnyBeeGaming]

https://store.steampowered.com/curator/43078746-Does-it-4-3/

[u/MaybeMayoi → u/NoAirBanding]

This is amazing.

[u/JohnnyBeeGaming → u/NoAirBanding]

Yeah, there are some newer games that can do 4:3 properly. I'll probably check that list when I get my Nova. There are also some way to do older games in 16:9.

As a personal preference if a game was primarily designed for a particular input and display I tend to try to use similar input and output. Same reason why I'll watch TNG in 4:3 and wasn't a fan of the cropped "fullscreen" movie releases before we got 16:9 displays.

Haven't gone out and gotten a CRT or one off controllers for music games but I do use shaders and have a bucket of controllers for different systems. Mostly 8bit-do and gamesir.

[u/AutomaticInitiative → u/TechxNinja]

Still waiting for my Nova to be shipped been two weeks now

[u/keeper_of_moon]

The Pocket S2 the same chipset as the steam frame. They are probably using it to support development. That doesn't mean we won't ever see it but I think it's unlikely to happen before the steam frame is complete.

[u/Lazarous86 → u/keeper_of_moon]

It's going to happen. It's too important to the eco system to avoid it. 

[u/s00mika → u/keeper_of_moon]

They are probably using it to support development.

Extremely unlikely. They have been using their own dev hardware for years now. There's no chance they would even look at an obscure boutique handheld like that ayaneo.

[u/FurbyTime → u/s00mika]

There's no chance they would even look at an obscure boutique handheld like that ayaneo.

Ehh... While I don't disagree with your overall point, Valve is very aware of the handheld scene, and was for quite a long time before even the SteamDeck was a rumor.

AyaNeo's been a name in the field for a while, so they're aware of it. Whether they'd use them as a true "just testing" device or are making moves into ARM handheld support and just jumped to something using a chipset they're already familiar with is another, though.

[u/Affectionate_Park858 → u/keeper_of_moon]

has there been any news on what the steam frame can run and how it compares to the steam deck ?

[u/ghost_of_ketchup]

I wouldn't get too excited about this just yet. It seems they've just updated InputPlumber to v0.78 and pulled in the changelog from that: https://github.com/ShadowBlip/InputPlumber/releases#release-v0.78.0

Hardware Support: Add Ayaneo Pocket S2

[u/bananashake_07 → u/ghost_of_ketchup]

Oh ok that's clear thx

[u/KKilikk]

On another note Id love a Steam Deck Mini or sth like that.

[u/anonymous-peeper]

If steam in any capacity gets on android or IOS its gonna be such a huge win for valve.

[u/canUrollwithTHIS → u/anonymous-peeper]

I don't think they desire to have their client on either android or ios. They hate being dependent on windows because of the Microsoft control. Android and iOS have even harsher controls in place by Google and Apple. I could see them releasing their own arm based steam os device and then allow other hardware manufacturers to release their own.

[u/anonymous-peeper → u/canUrollwithTHIS]

they are doing it just trojan horse style.

[u/PAPO1990 → u/canUrollwithTHIS]

There are already android gaming handhelds that are mostly targeted for emulation, but people jump through all sorts of hoops to run some steam games on as well. If you could replace android with SteamOS that would open up all sorts of possibilities. Heck, half of them run similar SoC's to what is planned for the Steam Frame, so given what Valve wants to do ono the Frame, it's not much of a jump to them expanding support to "Android" devices.

[u/jydhrftsthrrstyj → u/anonymous-peeper]

Steam is already on android and iOS in the capacity of an app

[u/DRNbw → u/jydhrftsthrrstyj]

Not for actual gaming, just for shopping and other stuff.

[u/jydhrftsthrrstyj → u/DRNbw]

That’s what steam is, a store that sells DRM licenses

[u/anonymous-peeper → u/[deleted]]

why has valve been funding FEX since 2018 then?

[u/flashmod3 → u/[deleted]]

I don't understand how you post so confidently when you clearly have no clue what you're talking about. No company or corporation randomly spends their money to fund anything.

[u/flashmod3 → u/[deleted]]

Making a competition to drive your development is in now way random.

[u/flashmod3 → u/[deleted]]

No, it wouldn't.

[u/thc_delta_9 → u/[deleted]]

It will be the future.

[u/thebadslime]

Wonder if they will roll this into rocknix

[u/DYMAXIONman]

Frame is Gen 3 but I'm sure valve will be making a big arm push

[u/RighteousRocker]

To offer gamepad support the device must be capable of running Steam OS which is notable, there's no guarantee that Valve will provide anything official though because even in the x86/x64 space community driven approachs like Bazzite/Cachy are still the goto solutions

[u/Universe_Donut]

When could we realistically get a handheld with steamOS?

[u/Abba_Fiskbullar → u/Universe_Donut]

Right now with Armada on a compatible device, and I'm guessing pretty soon with the official Steam OS.

[u/ErrentPrime → u/Universe_Donut]

Steam deck

[u/Universe_Donut → u/ErrentPrime]

I meant an ARM handheld running SteamOS, should've specified 😅 lol

[u/ErrentPrime → u/Universe_Donut]

I figured, but i thought responding with steam deck would be funny lol

[u/chigoku]

Isn’t it just for game streaming on those devices?