Valve released SteamOS 3.8.25 Beta this weekend, adding support for Intel-based gaming handhelds like MSI's Claw 8 EX AI+ and improving gamepad compatibility on devices from Ayaneo and Konkr.
The update demonstrates Valve's continuing effort to position SteamOS on non-Valve hardware beyond AMD platforms, and includes a new feature allowing Steam's controller to work with native Linux applications when Steam is not running.
What happened
Valve released SteamOS 3.8.25 Beta this weekend, adding initial gamepad support for MSI's Claw 8 EX AI+, Ayaneo's Pocket S2, and Konkr Fit, while improving compatibility for older MSI Claw devices and OneXPlayer portables. The update also lets the new Steam Controller work with native applications outside of Steam.
Why it matters
Until recently, SteamOS support on non-Valve hardware was limited mostly to AMD-based handhelds. By extending compatibility to Intel-powered devices like the MSI Claw line, Valve signals it is not abandoning Intel chip support and is positioning SteamOS as a credible OS choice for a broader range of portable gaming hardware makers.
What to watch
Only the Lenovo Legion Go S currently carries Valve's full "powered by SteamOS" branding. These incremental updates suggest Valve is working toward broader certification of other devices, though no timeline or additional branding announcements are indicated in the update.
Valve released SteamOS 3.8.25 Beta over the weekend, continuing its gradual expansion of support for non-Valve portable gaming hardware. The update introduces "initial gamepad support" for several recent devices, most notably the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+, an expensive and powerful handheld built around Intel's Arc G3 processor that launched this summer. This marks a significant milestone for Intel-based handheld support on SteamOS. Historically, Valve had included only beta support for "other AMD powered handhelds," but the company has only recently begun working on compatibility with Intel-based devices like the MSI Claw line. The addition suggests that Valve has not abandoned those efforts and remains committed to ensuring Intel chips remain part of the SteamOS conversation. Beyond the Claw 8 EX AI+, SteamOS 3.8.25 newly supports the controllers built into Ayaneo's Android-focused Pocket S2 and the Windows-based Konkr Fit. The update also provides "improved support" for older MSI Claw devices and the OneXPlayer line of portable gaming PCs. These improvements build on June's SteamOS 3.8 update, which emphasized "improved compatibility with recent Intel and AMD platforms" and specifically highlighted controller improvements for handhelds from GPD Win, Anbernic, and OrangePi, along with enhancements for Lenovo Legion Go, MSI Claw, and OneXPlayer devices. The new OS update extends a feature to the recently released Steam Controller, allowing it to work with "native controller applications" even when Steam is not running—a welcome improvement for users who boot into Desktop mode to run emulators or other Linux-native non-Steam games. Notably, the Lenovo Legion Go S remains the only non-Valve device to carry Valve's full "powered by SteamOS" branding, signifying complete compatibility with Valve's Linux implementation. However, the regular cadence of updates targeting multiple manufacturers and device lines indicates that Valve continues to view SteamOS as a credible operating system for a diverse ecosystem of portable gaming hardware, even if full certification remains limited.
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