When the first SteamOS beta was released last month, gamers with Intel and AMD GPUs were left out in the cold due to the initial "Nvidia graphics only" requirement. Well, things have changed now. The latest alchemist update to the Valve's operating system adds support for AMD and Intel graphics, along with various other fixes.
Don't expect too much as the operating system is still in the beta stage. According to AMD, there are some screen tearing issues even with V-sync enabled, and SteamOS Overlay while playing games can result in a slower user interface response time. The company is still working with AMD and Intel to fix these issues.
So, what do you have to do to install the update? Well, nothing. "Existing SteamOS installs should update themselves automatically," says Valve. For those who are planning to install the OS, make sure your machine has a 64-bit processor, at least 4GB of RAM, 500GB of storage space, UEFI boot support, and a USB port for installation.
Note that as of now, SteamOS does not support drive partitioning, which means that it will wipe your hard drive during the installation process. If possible, install it on a spare hard drive.
If you haven't downloaded SteamOS yet, you can do so from here.
Update: AMD has just released their first Catalyst drivers with support for SteamOS. It's just a beta, but marks an important step for the platform. As always you can download the latest release from or drivers section.