'Powered by SteamOS' gaming handheld validation leaks in Valve documentation, Asus ROG Ally may be among first handhelds with official SteamOS support

It's not exactly news that Valve plans to launch its Arch-based SteamOS operating system as a standalone ISO for installation on other gaming hardware, but the road to a SteamOS-powered Asus ROG Ally or Lenovo Legion Go has been a long, arduous one. Now, updated branding documentation from Valve (spotted by SteamDB) appears to suggest that SteamOS on Windows gaming handhelds is now one step closer to reality. 

The branding guidelines in question reference "Powered by SteamOS" devices, which Valve explains further as:

"The Powered by SteamOS logo indicates that a hardware device will run the SteamOS and boot into SteamOS upon powering on the device. Partners / manufacturers will ship hardware with a Steam image in the form provided by and / or developed in close collaboration with Valve."

This, along with the inclusion of a "Steam compatible" badge for "Valve approved controller inputs" suggests Valve will be implementing at the very least a strict validation process for SteamOS devices. This might not seem like a big deal, but it could mean that features like TDP and screen refresh controls should work out of the box on devices that form part of this validation and co-development program. 

This aligns with previous news of Valve adding controller and enhanced display compatibility support for the Asus ROG Ally device variants. Given Valve's drive to improve SteamOS compatibility for the Asus ROG Ally (curr. $649.99 at Best Buy), it seems like the Asus Windows handheld may be first in line for a native, validated SteamOS implementation. 

Granted, this is speculation based on previous evidence, but Valve has previously confirmed that it is working on a third-party handheld running SteamOS, and the Asus ROG Ally is popular enough that it would be worth the development resources.