SteamOS is about to change portable gaming PCs as HP finally considers abandoning Windows 11

Sales of portable gaming PCs continue to grow year on year, with a steady stream of new releases from companies like Lenovo, Asus and MSI. However, one PC maker, HP, hasn’t unveiled anything new at the moment, and the reason for that may not be all that surprising.

And the reason for that may not be all that surprising.

According to Notebookcheck, citing an interview with XDA, HP is considering a portable gaming PC based on Valve’s SteamOS. This was confirmed by Josephine Tan, senior vice president and president of the company’s gaming solutions division. If you’re wondering why it’s taken so long, the answer lies in Microsoft’s Windows 11 operating system.

And if you’re wondering why it’s taken so long, the answer lies in Microsoft’s Windows 11 operating system.

Tan noted that the company has had trouble using Windows 11, hinting at the operating system’s lack of simplicity, especially for portable owners who want to quickly resume games, a feature that’s been well implemented in devices like the Nintendo Switch and Steam Deck. As a result, HP had no plans for a handheld gaming device.

At the time, HP had no plans for a portable gaming device.

Now that Valve’s SteamOS is available for handhelds other than the Steam Deck (such as the Lenovo Legion Go S), however, Tan has made it clear that it’s open to the idea of developing a portable gaming PC. Despite some of SteamOS’ shortcomings, such as the inability to run games with built-in anti-chit software and the lack of official support for features like frame generation, the user experience could still be significantly better than using Windows 11 on a handheld device.”