Its already got Arch Linux on it, doesn't it?

Yes, but it's pretty nerfed. For starters, there's been heavy rumors that it uses a flattened OSTree for the root directory, mostly to prevent consumers from mucking up anything by accident. That also means that you can't install software that isn't a Flatpak, which severely limits the usability of the device for a lot of people.

If I end up getting one, I'd probably install Arch over the Arch-based distro they use. I don't mind the OSTree approach (I guess it makes sense for consumer tech), but I'd like to get the most out of that thing; ProtonGE and MangoHUD included.

After watching those clowns at Linus tech tips, its hard to disagree.

My jaw dropped when I saw how poorly Linus manhandled Linux. No wonder he hired his own in-house Gentoomen to handle his onsite...

Yeah, Linus Tech Tips is considered harmful at this point. Even Luke, who has used Linux before, played along. I guess dont bite the hand that feeds.

That was my thought too. If your entire career was dedicated to shilling consumer technology, I can't imagine many of your sponsors would be happy to hear about a focus on OSS. What really pushes it over the edge is the soyfacing over the Steam Deck; Linus showed up on The Wan Show a few days ago just gushing about how the Steam Deck is going to revolutionize PC gaming, meanwhile he failed to play Don't Starve on Linux less than a month ago. It's almost like a comedy routine.

> Linus showed up on The Wan Show a few days ago just gushing about how the Steam Deck is going to revolutionize PC gaming, meanwhile he failed to play Don't Starve on Linux less than a month ago.

Is that really relevant? The Steam Deck is not trying to be Desktop Linux - it boots directly to Steam and most users won't ever care what runs underneath. Just because you can run other Linux programs does not mean that problems with Linux (even the self-inflicted kind) will apply to the Deck.

> Is that really relevant?

I'd like to think so. Linus' conclusion was that Linux is inappropriate for any PC gaming, so I'd really like to hear his line of reasoning that has given him newfound hope in the platform if his own experiences were so rough.

> it boots directly to Steam and most users won't ever care what runs underneath.

Correct. It still uses DXVK though, and it's arguably even worse than desktop Linux for gaming since it's harder to tweak the files that might be necessary for smooth gameplay. We'll see how things turn out, but certain titles like Fallout 4 and the Battlefield games are borderline-unplayable on Linux without hacking a few INI files.

I'm hyped for a long time and apparently you can install whatever you want. It's just a very small computer. Steam has a history of working on tho support of Linux gaming, so I think Ubuntu should be no problem. Edit: they even release a docking station for the real desktop PC feeling