SteamOS Expands Support for Portable Devices with Intel Chips: Tests on MSI Claw 8 AI+ Show Promising Performance

Valve is officially extending SteamOS support to portable devices based on Intel processors, a long-awaited change that allows users to employ the operating system developed for Steam Deck without resorting to third-party solutions. The most concrete demonstration comes from tests conducted by creator ETA Prime on beta version 3.8.7 of SteamOS installed on the MSI Claw 8 AI+, a handheld equipped with an Intel Lunar Lake processor.

The experiment showed that the operating system runs generally stable on Intel hardware, representing a significant shift from the past, when Valve focused much of its work on the AMD platforms used by Steam Deck. Among the new features introduced in the latest updates of SteamOS are:

Improved compatibility with the latest generation Intel and AMD platforms.
Initial firmware support for future Intel portable devices.
Extended compatibility with various controllers integrated into handhelds.
Specific support for MSI Claw 8 AI+.

Overall Experience of ETA Prime with SteamOS on Intel Processors
During the tests, ETA Prime highlighted a good overall user experience. The only anomaly noted was the inability to bring up a menu through certain controller commands, a problem that did not compromise the overall functionality of the system. According to the results shared, MSI Claw 8 AI+ managed to maintain playable performance even with a power consumption of just 15 watts. In several scenarios, the device outperformed the performance offered by Steam Deck. The only significant exception was Cyberpunk 2077, which showed lower results compared to the version run on Windows.

This official compatibility also coincides with the debut of a new generation of Intel processors dedicated to portable gaming. Several companies are indeed preparing handhelds based on the Arc G3 and G3 Extreme chips from the Panther Lake family. Among them is the new MSI Claw 8 EX AI+, equipped with an Intel Arc G3 Extreme processor and an 8-inch screen with a 120 Hz refresh rate and VRR technology.