Playtron hopes to become the Linux-based operating system for gaming on handhelds, laptops, televisions and, er, cars. According to the company, PlaytronOS will be an improvement over Valve's own Linux-based gaming distribution SteamOS because it is not tied to a single storefront: it will be “compatible with every game store and many upcoming third-party integrations.”
Playtron describes itself as “a lightweight gaming operating system optimized for a new generation of powerful handheld gaming PCs.” The Company website also points out that both Windows and SteamOS are not suitable for handheld gaming and promises to get better.
The Playtron website isn't particularly well written, which may explain why SteamOS is described as tied to the “Valveverse” and only compatible with Steam. That's not true – the second part isn't true anyway, I'm not really sure what a Valveverse is. But you can also launch other stores on the handheld: you have to go around Big Picture mode and switch to the desktop to set it up. You can then often add the launcher to Steam itself.
Since the Epic Games Launcher on Steam Deck is awkward, I use the third-party Heroic Launcher instead. These days I probably play more games on Heroic Launcher than on Steam on my Steam Deck, but it would be nice if these launchers were more easily accessible on Steam Deck out of the box. The same goes for GeForce Now, which I was hoping would eventually have some sort of official app on Steam Deck, but to no avail.
Playtron's website suggests that this is exactly where the problem lies. The company claims to have managed to get “every game store” running on its own operating system.
Playtron will be available for download on other handheld devices, including the Steam Deck, and says it is in discussions with “OEMs and mobile operators to build and deploy Playtron devices around the world in the 2025 timeframe,” says founder and CEO Kirt McMaster, who previously set up Cyanogen, an alternative to Android The edge. Handheld maker Ayaneo is reportedly planning to ship a Playtron-native handheld sometime this year.
The company's website says it plans to be present in both x86 and ARM systems, including cars, “in the coming years.”
Although it seems a bit strange that with the support of Linux gaming, Playtron is determined to take a shot at one of today's most successful Linux gaming projects in SteamOS. Windows is currently far more prevalent in the best handheld gaming PCs, and I think there's more than enough room for two Linux distributions.
Steam Deck will also be available for other gaming handhelds in the future. When introducing the Steam Deck OLED, Valve said it was a mission that was “at the top of our list.” The release has been in the works for some time, and perhaps this will make room for another Linux-based gaming distribution to make its way onto the market.
It's an ambitious goal to create an operating system that stands out from the gaming industry's biggest players and offers equal access to your games. However, based on what I've seen on the website so far, I can't say I'm buying PlaytronOS. Maybe it's just the language used or the lack of real functionality (The Verge had some hands-on experience with it and it was reportedly fine), but I'd like to see more than that to get an idea of what Playtron is doing it actually.
Hopefully the operating system and upcoming handheld devices will become something to get excited about in a few years. In the meantime, I'll stick with my Steam Deck.
