New update for the awesome couch-oriented gaming distro ChimeraOS has come upon us. Included in this update: switch from PulseAudio to PipeWire Chimera web app has increased responsiveness desktop mode (which was introduced with version 35) adds support for additional languages, adds “Disks” and “Archive Manager” tools, and switches “Terminal” to “Console” Several fixes have been made: fixed non-Steam shortcut issues caused by game database update failures fixed system update failures when resuming downloads fixed restarting Steam from the Chimera web app with Gamepad/Deck UI Some features from the Chimera web app are now being deprecated “as part of the phasing out of Big Picture Mode”:

New release of ChimeraOS is out. It’s rather small, but does add a few new features, including the ability to add Wii ROMs via the Chimera app, as well as being able to “select additional artwork on emulated games” for the Steam Deck UI. Some fixes have also been added: Fixed missing Text Editor shortcut in desktop mode Fixed artwork selection for emulated games Fixed additional artwork for Steam games not downloading or applying under certain conditions Fixed external monitor not working on Gamepad/Deck UI Finally, non-Steam shortcuts marked as “hidden” will no longer appear in the Deck UI.

While it’s true that we have distros like HoloISO to give devices outside of the Steam Deck a SteamOS-like experience, it’s kind of a shame that WinesapOS and ChimeraOS get swept under the rug. Both projects are devoted by very passionate developers, and they each have their own unique aspects that a lot of people tend to overlook. As a journalist, part of my job is to increase the awareness of projects like these, and today, I wanted to focus specifically on ChimeraOS.

ChimeraOS 35 marks a pretty big release for the SteamOS-like distro. The biggest feature is probably the addition of a desktop environment. Previously, you were stuck in Big Picture Mode, the Steam Deck UI, or the CLI. Now, similar to SteamOS, you can use your living room console or Deck for work or other production purposes, thanks to the addition of a desktop. Unlike SteamOS 3, however, ChimeraOS makes use of GNOME.

ChimeraOS – one of my favorite gaming-oriented distributions – just got a big update today. Proton has been re-enabled for Windows-based games (for some reason it wasn’t before), several bug fixes have been addressed for the Steam Deck UI, Proton, and Bluetooth, a UI has been added for formatting external hard drives, “ChimeraOS Verified and Playable” games have been added to the Deck UI, and plenty of other improvements! In addition, the typical set of software packages have been updated:

While I was lurking in the community Discord, I found out that ChimeraOS – essentially the fans’ version of SteamOS 2.0, featuring much more up-to-date packages and some other goodies, while still retaining the console-like experience – had its’ third anniversary last Friday. I’m more or less going to paste what I said in that Discord: “I had reviewed the distro over on Boiling Steam two years ago. I remember I installed it on a small, red cube-shaped PC I had at the time.

ChimeraOS version 33 has landed hot off the press today. The following software packages have been upgraded: kernel 5.17.9 Mesa 22.0.4 Nvidia 515.43.04 (keep in mind this driver is in beta) Chimera 0.14.6 (the web app that allows you to remotely install software to ChimeraOS) steamos-compositor-plus 1.9.4 RetroArch 1.10.3 This release also brings plenty of bug fixes, particularly when using the Steam Deck UI: fixed the session being reverted to Big Picture Mode after a recent Steam update fixed non-Steam games failing to launch fixed performance overlay fixed frame limiter fixed night mode fixed brightness controls fixed ChimeraOS release version not displaying fixed some minor graphical glitches Keep in mind the Deck UI doesn’t work on NVIDIA.

I love getting insight with developers as far as what it’s like developing their project. I like the concept of having a distro that transforms a PC into a living room console, which, as Alesh Slovak (AKA alkazar) explains in this interview, is exactly what ChimeraOS does. So let’s take a deep dive into the mind of Alesh and see just what is cooking with this console-oriented distro. There’s two things from this interview that I want you to pay particular attention to, and that is: