To be clear, this is just an alternative Linux OS. The hardware shown in the thumbnail and article is just a mockup meant to represent a potential handheld. Part of their goal is to offer equally good support for all PC game stores (epic etc) vs the “steam first” experience of the deck.
Dedicated builds for the Steam Deck and other handheld PCs are to come later this year.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
Playtron have teased their PlaytronOS, taking aim at the gaming space to compete with SteamOS with a Linux-powered system.
Many others are involved who have developer experience from the likes of Google, Amazon, Red Hat, Meta, Samsung, SEGA and more.
They say it aims to be “compatible with every game store” and to expect “many 3rd party integrations to come”.
And they say to expect “Playtron on Laptops & PCs, TVs, XR and in Car in the coming years”, so they’re certainly aiming high with it.
Their current plan is to launch PlaytronOS for Steam Deck and other handheld gaming PCs “later this year” and that “Playtron 1st hand held PCs coming soon” — so we can expect to see some future handhelds launch with PlaytronOS.
While exciting, they have a huge uphill battle here and will no doubt have to do a lot of convincing when it comes to hardware vendors to actually use it.
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