A previous attempt resulted in partial success, with macOS Catalina functioning on the Steam Deck to some extent. Credit score: Lampa183
A self-proclaimed Hackintosh enthusiast claims to have successfully installed the operating system on Valve’s Steam Deck, acknowledging that the endeavour is essentially “pointless”.
The modder notes that, with assistance from others, they discovered a method to enable macOS versions newer than Catalina to boot on the Steam Deck, effectively creating what is likely to be referred to as a “Deckintosh.”
This isn’t the first time a model of macOS has been ported to the handheld gaming console. A Reddit user successfully booted macOS Catalina using SteamOS and VirtualBox, but the operating system is not fully functional.
While the current iteration lacks GPU acceleration and doesn’t fully utilize the Steam Deck’s display capabilities, it serves as a proof-of-concept. A recent tweet has been corroborated by a photo showing Valve’s founder Gabe Newell actively using the upcoming Steam Deck.
While there may be significant hurdles to overcome, the potential exists for Steam Deck’s GPU acceleration to be effectively supported, ultimately enabling a functional operating system that can operate at a reasonable speed. Here is the rewritten text:
For those seeking enhanced performance, leveraging NootRX – an unofficial AMD RDNA2 dedicated GPU driver – may unlock RDNA2 support, taking advantage of its existing integration within macOS.
If the modding community’s endeavors prove financially viable and successfully enables macOS to run on the Steam Deck with GPU acceleration, it would offer an affordably priced way to experience Apple’s flagship operating system without needing to purchase a Mac first. While an initial concept has been proven, it appears that Apple’s primary objective is to restrict the proliferation of this technology on a large scale.
