Steam Deck Receives Massive Update Adding Highly-Requested Feature
Valve's new Steam Deck platform just received a massive new update that gives the platform the ability to use a highly-requested feature. Specifically, that feature happens to be Windows 10, which is the operating system from Microsoft that most PCs run on. And while it might seem strange to add Windows 10 to your own Steam Deck, doing so can unlock new aspects of the platform that previously weren't available.
As of today, Valve announced that it has pushed out new drivers for the Steam Deck that give you the ability to download Windows 10 the handheld. At this point in time, only drivers for GPU, WiFi, and Bluetooth have been released, with audio drivers still being in the works. With this in mind, the only way you'll be able to actually listen to audio coming from the Steam Deck is via Bluetooth or a USB-C connection.
Perhaps the most important part of applying Windows to your own Steam Deck is that you'll have to completely wipe out the data on your hardware to do so. The reason for this is because, in its current form, the Steam Deck doesn't have a dual-booting option. "For now you can only perform a full Windows install. While Steam Deck is fully capable of dual-boot, the SteamOS installer that provides a dual-boot wizard isn't ready yet," Valve said on the matter.
Lastly, if you're someone who would prefer to add Windows 11 to your Steam Deck rather than Windows 10, Valve explained that this should be possible in the future. "Windows 11 requires a new BIOS that is currently in the pipe (which provides fTPM support) and will be shipping soon," Valve explained. So if you'd prefer to wait until Windows 11 becomes compatible with Steam Deck, that support should be coming soon enough.
If you happen to have a Steam Deck for yourself right now, are you going to look to download Windows 10 to your own platform? Let me know either down in the comments or shoot me a message on Twitter at @MooreMan12.
Conversely, you can find more information about how to install Windows 10 to your Steam Deck right here.
[H/T The Verge]