Steam OS on PC is actually GOOD?!

In this video I explore just how good Steam OS (HoloISO) is by deleting Windows and running it on my main PC. Is Linux finally usable enough for the average PC user?
Note: This video features my subjective experiences for entertainment purposes, it is not supposed to be a tutorial or objective review.

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Music by Own3DMusic: @royalty-free-music-tracks
Stock footage courtesy of Pexels

[SpatchyIsOnline]

CORRECTIONS:
Thanks to the comments that informed me about the following, I will update this pinned comment with anything else that needs correcting:

- Apex Legends does in fact run on linux and is rated gold on ProtonDB
- Maya does have a linux version and there is a package available on the AUR


I'll be more sure to double check all my information in future videos, even that I make one-off throwaway comments about. Thanks for the support!

[TurboPikachu]

I just really hope Valve officially releases a proper PC version of SteamOS 3.x before Windows 10 goes out of support in 2025. My gaming computer is my final remaining Windows device, and gaming is the only reason why I still have yet to put it on Linux.

I understand most what I need is achievable on Debian-based distros anyways, but Valve’s GUI-based tools in SteamOS 3.x are pretty essential

[HeavyMetalfps]

Tbh, Starfield crashes on Windows systems as well lmao

[foohp]

Installation 1:42
Devices and Sound 2:16
Gaming 4:08
Game Streaming 6:58
Emulation 7:51
Virtual Reality 8:44
Office and Productivity 11:04
Photo, Video and Audio Editing 15:50
Programming 18:42

[murillodaniel]

For DaVinci Resolve, NobaraOs is the best distro, since it comes with a one-click install for it, so any bugs is most likely fixed as well.

[Soul-Burn]

As for VR, Steam recently released the Steam Link App which works like Virtual Desktop or Air Link, but there's no official Linux binary *yet*.
For office stuff, I generally use Google stuff, so it's online.
For photo editing, while it's doesn't have many advanced features, the online Photopea is surprisingly strong.

[ozzi]

Re:productivity apps: I think people overlook the Google suite- yes it’s cloud based, but since it’s also browser based you don’t have to tinker with anything and it can even save and open Microsoft based file formats as well as PDFs.

Also one thing that unfortunately keeps me from switching is the fact that apparently installing more than one language is a nightmare no matter what distro you’re using and I use the Japanese language and keyboard heavily. If Linux continues to improve and as support for Windows 10 ends however I might seriously consider switching. imo, Linux has big potential to capture a significant crowd if they can iron out the remaining major kinks of the OS by 2025

[TheBrotherHolmes]

It's ok, I hear most of those strong anti-cheat software are root-kits.

[AQDuck]

For GOG and EGS games you can use Heroic Launcher instead of fiddling around with Lutris. It also has excellent Proton tools that I wish Steam had.

Any case, I wouldn't recommend using HoloISO (or any "console-like" distro) for regular PCs.
What I can recommend for a similar-ish experience is EndeavourOS, which is basically Arch but already set up with a GUI (any GUI you want, Plasma is probably what you want though). Generally Arch based distros are the best for gaming since rolling release means faster updates, just may want to take backups a bit more serious than other distros and keep an lts kernel in the back pocket. More reliable updates than Windows though.

Gamemode session is available in the AUR if you absolutely want it, but not as updated as the one in SteamOS, and only works for Radeon.

[erikferguson]

I created a couple of Windows virtual machines in Virtual Box for running my Windows software, and that solution works just fine for my particular needs. I have no intentions of ever going back to Windows. Very happy using Linux.

[Oshaberi]

Great video, and very informative and educational, thank you!!

Just chiming in to say that I'm another viewer who also found the musical interludes significantly louder than your speech, especially noticeable when using headphones. I had to turn the volume down quite a lot compared to the level I would normally have it set at.

I imagine you'd probably be able to observe a discrepancy in volume output between those sections when looking at the output sound levels in your video editor. Best of luck with it, and congrats on this video outperforming your previous top video!

[onelazynoob]

Welcome to the world of Linux, been fully switched for 3 years now

[BenjaminEarlMusic]

Music production is my biggest worry about going Linux. I use a DAW called Reaper which has a Linux client, but I'm worried that I won't be able to use my plugins.

[rgbok]

Pulse audio is just one of the default audio systems on many Linux distros

[Zenas]

I plan to move over to Ghost BSD. That said, Steam OS 3.0 is exciting news. I Just might make a duel booting system. Ghost BSD for my productivity stuff and Steam OS for my entertainment stuff.

[AlfiesFuntime]

Nice video, didn't expect you to have under 10, 000 subscribers.
One thing to note though is the audio mixing, the video is quite quiet but the music in the chapter titles are really loud.
If you could turn up the volume between those sections or the music volume lower, that would be better
Another thing to note is the audio and video is out of sync, make sure they're synced up in editing

[QuestionTheTruth]

I prefer using the Steam & Heroic Combo, basically cutting Lutris out entirely or just using it for games like Star Citizen.

[filiflo]

this is actually a pretty accurate display of linux current weaknesses.
Sound: linux distros currently sway towards using pipewire for sound but pulseaudio is still a valid contender. SteamOS might use pipewire but davinci resolve wants pulseaudio. That is why installing a pulseaudio package might have helped it get it running

[sandow]

I'm switching to steam os, purely because my PC is just that much of an old POS, that my OLED steam deck is a massive upgrade.

[Unbitten]

How did I just only found your channel. Thanks YouTube algorithm.