Ever since gaming PCs have been a thing, Windows has been the operating system of choice. However, Microsoft hasn't had the same success with handhelds. After the Steam Deck, SteamOS proved itself to be a better gaming system than Windows, and people began trying to get Valve's system onto their handhelds. Now, Valve has reportedly declared war on Windows by prepping a public release for SteamOS so you can turn anything you want into a Steam Deck.

SteamOS is reportedly getting a public release very soon

As spotted by WccfTech, SadlyItsDadley made a post on X with a very ominous message reading "It's almost here" alongside an image of the SteamOS logo. In the replies, they cleared up that their image was actually the splash screen for the boot process of a general release of SteamOS. That's right; a version that isn't tied to the Steam Deck.

So, what does this mean? Well, with SteamOS in the hands of the people, you could possibly install it on...well, anything. The obvious pick is other handhelds; if it's running an OS you don't like, you can stick SteamOS on it instead. However, there's a slight hope that it'll also work on your PCs for a dedicated gaming OS. There's nothing in the X posts that imply that SteamOS will support desktops, but you bet that people are going to try anyway.

Speaking of people trying new things, we may see some wild and wonderful devices becoming "Steam Decks." A Nintendo Switch, a smart fridge, a Raspberry Pi; really, it might become a new "can it run Doom" level of playing games on all sorts of devices.

Still, despite the gamer's support for SteamOS, it may not be a shoe-in over Windows. There are still some things SteamOS needs to do before it can truly dethrone Windows. However, making it publicly available for people to install on anything they like for free is definitely a huge first step to claiming that crown.