Valve integrates NVIDIA drivers into SteamOS development

Valve has reached a technical milestone in bringing native NVIDIA GeForce support to SteamOS by integrating the company’s proprietary driver directly into the operating system’s primary development tree. While SteamOS has historically been optimized for AMD hardware, such as the custom APU in the Steam Deck, this move aims to expand compatibility for a wider range of hardware.

Despite this progress, Valve notes that significant work remains regarding performance and stability. Achieving a polished experience requires addressing complex issues including power management, display handling, variable refresh rate, HDR, and seamless suspend/resume functionality. Valve engineer Pierre-Louis Griffais described the effort as a top priority, noting that such deep integration is a multi-year project.

Successful integration could allow manufacturers to develop new SteamOS-based devices, including living-room PCs and handhelds utilizing discrete laptop GPUs. However, there is currently no official release date, and some estimates suggest polished support may not be finalized until 2026.