Playtron OS goes into alpha 2: Hardware support galore

For those unfamiliar with the OS, Playtron OS is a Fedora Linux-based operating system specifically designed for gaming. With the rise of Steam OS, competitors have been scrambling to create an OS that competes with Valves creation. The Team behind Playtron OS is working to create a lightweight and secure distro that is not only compatible with top gaming handhelds such as the Steam Deck, Asus ROG Ally, and AyaneoO devices but also promotes game compatibility for games beyond those available on Steam. However, the OS will not be limited to handhelds, as the alpha two release has features that will benefit laptop and desktop users alike.

Hardware support is the top priority in the Playtron OS alpha two release. Here are a few highlights from the update:

• Nvidia support for Turing (GeForce GTX 1600/2000 series) and newer cards
• Support for dual-GPU systems such as desktops and laptops
• OS upgrade from Fedora 40 to Fedora 41
• Support for portal-based Wi-Fi connections
• Compatibility with the Ayaneo 2 and 2S, Asus ROG Ally, Lenovo Legion GO, Steam Deck LCD (NVMe), and Steam Deck OLED.
• Full support for mouse and keyboard input

The Playtron OS Alpha Two also boasts some new features with notable updates made to the following:

• Full cloud save support with conflict resolution for Epic Games Store and GOG.com games
• Select custom game input configurations with a few example configurations included
• Up to 2x battery usage improvement in the OS

With this being an alpha, however, there are still quite a few bugs for the team to address. Many issues carry over from alpha one, and users will find some completely new issues in alpha two. For those wanting to test the OS for themselves, they should be aware of some key problems, including:

• No support for the Steam Deck LCD 64 GM model
• Some devices do not support booting from a microSD card and require a USB-C dock and a flash drive to install PlaytronOS
• Steam Cloud Saves can get corrupted
• Steam Deck OLED cannot be put to sleep
• The ROG Ally is not receiving inputs from the touchscreen and suffers from continuous input when in-game

As is the nature of an alpha release, the list of bugs continues. For more details on the update or to download the OS, kindly visit the official announcement below.