Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

SteamOS VS OpenEmu

Compare SteamOS VS OpenEmu and see what are their differences

SteamOS logo SteamOS

We've been hard at work to deliver on our promise of a new kind of living room entertainment environment - one that is accessible, powerful and open. In making SteamOS available to you, we're excited to take the next major step towards that goal.

OpenEmu logo OpenEmu

Console and Arcade video game emulator for macOS.
  • SteamOS Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-09-18
  • OpenEmu Landing page
    Landing page //
    2018-09-29

SteamOS videos

SteamOS Revisit - Valve Strikes Back!!!

More videos:

  • Review - What is SteamOS Explained ft Linus' Steam Machine

OpenEmu videos

OpenEmu - How To Run Emulators on a Mac N64 PSP SNES NES And More!

More videos:

  • Review - OpenEMU Mac Multi Platform Retro Game Emulator Review
  • Tutorial - How To Play Retro Games On Mac Using OpenEmu
  • Tutorial - https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=aXNC93CAxTw

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to SteamOS and OpenEmu)
Linux
100 100%
0% 0
Gaming
7 7%
93% 93
Operating Systems
100 100%
0% 0
Emulators
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

Share your experience with using SteamOS and OpenEmu. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare SteamOS and OpenEmu

SteamOS Reviews

9 Best Linux Gaming Distributions in 2021
SteamOS is not your usual desktop operating system. It is tailored for playing games via Steam on your machine. You may choose to run common Linux applications as well – but I’d suggest you to test it out only if you want to use Steam as your preferred platform for gaming.
Source: itsfoss.com

OpenEmu Reviews

7 Best Mac Emulators For Gamers In 2022
OpenEmu is free, easy to setup, easy to use, supports external controllers, and just makes keeping your retro game collection in one place as easy as possible.
Source: retrododo.com
4 Free Open Source Game Emulators For Windows PC, Linux, and macOS
OpenEmu is modular, and thanks to the work of other great open source projects, it can emulate a wide variety of video game systems (we call them ‘cores’). OpenEmu emulates the following systems:
12 Best Gaming Console Emulators for Mac in 2022
OpenEmu is steadily taking over the emulator market for Mac OS as it is compatible with Mac OS 10.7 and higher.
Source: thebingeful.com
10 Emulators To Turn Your Computer Into A Retro Console
If you have a Mac and a lot of old video games lying around, OpenEmu is most definitely the one to get. With it, you can manage your collection with a beautiful front-end, as OpenEmu can help you name the games and get the box art online automatically.

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, OpenEmu should be more popular than SteamOS. It has been mentiond 91 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

SteamOS mentions (56)

  • Is it possible for a PC to only run steam and steam games and nothing else?
    SteamOS exists but may limit the games that could be played since it's a Linux based OS. Steam itself also has a web browser so no matter the way you do it have to research how or if you can disable that. There's also ways you could clamp windows down a lot but that's a lot of work. Source: 5 months ago
  • So about SteamOS and ChimeraOS...
    I'm a bit confused about SteamOS. Is this the offical version for desktop devices? If so, why do people use ChimeraOS if there is already an offical version of it? Or is it not complete. Source: 7 months ago
  • An L bois
    Closest you'll get is with SteamOS which can be run on a PC: https://store.steampowered.com/steamos. Source: 11 months ago
  • Install on Steam Deck?
    I know I could install Dungeondraft on my Steam Deck when running Windows, but is it possible to install Dungeondraft on my Steam Deck when in "Desktop Mode" of the SteamOS? I know Dungeondraft specifically says "Ubuntu" as one of the OSes it supports, but SteamOS is based on Debian Jessie. I've tried to research how much different Jessie is from Ubuntu, but I'm not having much luck. Source: about 1 year ago
  • Why do reviewers still say that the Steam Deck can't run Windows?
    It’s literally a Debian distro…. https://store.steampowered.com/steamos. Source: about 1 year ago
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OpenEmu mentions (91)

  • Apple now allows retro game emulators on its App Store
    Tangentially related: if anybody is looking for a good way to organize a library of retro emulators and games on their MacOS laptops/desktop computers then I recommend OpenEmu. It is designed from the ground up to look and feel like a Mac app. https://openemu.org/. - Source: Hacker News / about 1 month ago
  • How do I play TurboGrafx 16 in 2023?
    The Pocket is a great device, highly recommended, get the Dock if you want to buy one. While waiting, I recommend using https://openemu.org/ on your Mac to run "roms", which are files that represent old games. To get the ROMs, google for "tubrografx roms archive.org". Then for a controller on a Mac, you can use a PS4/PS5 or Xbox (One/Series), if you have one lying around. That said, I recommend buying an SN30 Pro. Source: 11 months ago
  • Help PSX / NEOGEO games
    Huh? Try http://openemu.org/ and download the experimental version (with arcade support). Source: 11 months ago
  • Lucky Luke Western Fever
    Yeah should be pretty easy if you have the ISO or a disc copy, OpenEmu should do it without issue - https://openemu.org. Source: 11 months ago
  • Desmume emulator not working
    Hey there, for an emulation beginner and macOS user, and as an easy workaround, I'd recommend you use OpenEmu . It's a frontend for multiple Nintendo/Sega/Retro console emulators at once (Nintendo handhelds up to DS, and consoles up to Gamecube), and works completely out of the box with controller support. Best of luck! Source: 11 months ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing SteamOS and OpenEmu, you can also consider the following products

Ubuntu - Ubuntu is a Debian Linux-based open source operating system for desktop computers.

RetroArch - RetroArch is a frontend for emulators, game engines and media players.

Pop!_OS - A developer-focused minimalist Linux distro from System 76

Dolphin Emulator - Official website of Dolphin, the GameCube and Wii emulator. Download the latest version (5. 0-5763) now or ask questions on our forums for help. Enter your search in the box aboveDownloadDownload the latest version of the Dolphin Emulator (5.

Arch Linux - You've reached the website for Arch Linux, a lightweight and flexible Linux® distribution that tries to Keep It Simple. Currently we have official packages optimized for the x86-64 architecture.

LaunchBox - LaunchBox is a portable, box-art-based games database and launcher for DOSBox, emulators, arcade cabinets, and PC Games. Download it free!