I’m on the record saying, that maybe Valve will actually save the Linux desktop. And it’s actually not because I think games are important! I don't care, I don't play games. I think some people do, so games maybe important. But the really important issue is I guarantee you Valve will not make 15 different binaries. And I also guarantee you that every single desktop distribution will care about Valve binaries. - Linus at DebConf 2014
I switched fully to Linux in 2020 after I got unshackled from corporate chains and Windows basically had deteriorated to a point that it's hard to distinguish it from spyware. Since then, despite having an Nvidia GPU, I have been using Linux as my main OS to work and game and have noticed that my experience has been progressively getting better every year. I attribute a huge part of that to the release of SteamDeck and SteamOS.
Valve ended up being the hero Linux never knew it needed. For years, desktop Linux limped along with niche adoption, hamstrung by weak hardware support, half-baked drivers, and the eternal “I can't game on Linux” excuse. Valve singe-handedly changed that.
Valve's sponsoring of Proton and Vulcan has been a boon to Linux gaming, but as Linus said, it’s not just about games. It’s about the entire ecosystem. Hardware vendors started caring about Linux not because of some abstract open-source ethos, but because Valve put money, polish, and a few million SteamDecks in people’s hands.
Proton made the gaming argument obsolete, smashing through the wall that held Linux back for decades. And crucially, SteamOS reframed Linux as consumer-ready. Not just a hacker’s toy, but a device you can hand to someone who just wants to play. Aside from some game requiring hardcore anti-cheat software requiring rootkits (which I wouldn't install anyways), the overwhelming majority of games I play run great on Linux.
It’s not perfect. Nvidia is still a thorn, and most of the gains are accrued to gaming and AMD hardware. But in practical terms, Valve gave Linux Desktop what no distro could on its own: legitimacy, drivers that work, and a perception shift from “geek experiment” to “mainstream option.”
Thank you Valve. You have dramatically upgraded my OS experience.