I'm looking for an operating system for my 1 TB OLED handheld that provides a SteamOS-like, controller-friendly experience without actually using Steam as the foundation of the gaming interface. Ideally, I'd like something that launches a frontend such as Lutris or another launcher and supports games from Steam and GOG. I'm open to other solutions, but I don't want a setup where Steam's Big Picture mode simply starts automatically. I also prefer avoiding systemd if possible. I'm comfortable with Linux and use it daily on several systems, so I'm willing to configure or customize the system myself if there isn't a perfect ready-made distribution.
5 Answers
The no-systemd requirement narrows the choices considerably. Most handheld-focused gaming distributions use systemd because it simplifies hardware, service, suspend, and game-mode integration. A non-systemd distribution can work, but you’ll probably be building and maintaining the handheld experience yourself rather than installing an established SteamOS replacement.
A KDE setup with Plasma Bigscreen or another large, controller-friendly shell could work well. You could make Lutris or Heroic the main entry point and add Steam and GOG games underneath it. It won’t be as polished as SteamOS out of the box, but it is much closer to the interface you’re describing.
What you’re describing is essentially a gaming-ready Linux system with a controller-friendly frontend, rather than a direct SteamOS replacement. There are experimental projects aimed at that idea, but for reliability, a normal Linux installation with a customized launcher is likely the most flexible route.
There probably isn’t a mature distribution that matches all of those requirements. The closest practical approach may be a regular Arch-based system with KDE or another lightweight desktop, then configure Lutris, Heroic, or a custom controller-friendly launcher to start automatically. If avoiding systemd is essential, Artix is an option, but you’ll likely have to solve more compatibility and maintenance issues yourself.
You may not need to replace the whole operating system. Some SteamOS-like distributions can boot directly into desktop mode instead of their gaming interface, and you can configure a launcher such as Lutris to start on login. That gives you a mostly console-like workflow without making Steam the central frontend.
The problem is that the gaming interface still depends on Steam finishing its startup. When offline, Steam can sometimes wait indefinitely for the network, and I’d rather have a launcher that works independently.