Duotronic
Duotronic will make your Steam Machine a console.
We are building a low-level console operating system for one machine, with its own kernel, WARP, purpose-built for the Steam Machine, so that pressing power puts you in your games, with no desktop in the way. Follow the build every Sunday.
Closed beta Q4 2026, public beta Q1 2027
What it will be like.
Six promises about the moment you sit down to play.
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Straight into your games.
Duotronic will start straight into the console. Press power and the first thing you see will be your games, with the one you were playing ready to continue. There will be no desktop underneath and nothing to close first.
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One library.
Duotronic will bring the games you own, from the stores you already use, into one library you drive with the controller. You will sign in to each store once, on Duotronic’s own screens, with a code or a scan from your phone.
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Ready before you press Play.
Every supported game will arrive as one .dgw package, prepared for this exact chip before you play it. The waiting will happen once, before you press Play, with a count and the time left on screen, not in the middle of your first match.
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The console starts first.
Duotronic will start before the operating system does. From the moment you press power, the start screen, the boot choices and the machine’s deepest settings will be Duotronic screens, driven by the controller.
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Settings in plain words.
Every setting will say what it does and what it is set to now, down to the options the firmware publishes. Every change we make will be logged, and you will be able to undo it.
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From the kernel up, for one machine.
We are building Duotronic for the Steam Machine and nothing else, from the kernel up: our own kernel, WARP, our own graphics written for this machine’s chip, and our own USB and controller support. One machine means every setting will mean the same thing on every console, and a tip from one player will work for every player. Nothing about it will be generic.
A first look.
Captured from the Duotronic interface as it runs in development today. Game names and values are examples.
Steam Machine first.
Duotronic is designed for the Steam Machine (2026) and will launch exclusively on it. One machine, so every part of Duotronic will be made for it, starting with its own kernel.
Why one machine- At launch
- It will launch on the Steam Machine, exclusively.
- Firmware
- Duotronic firmware will be optional. The firmware your machine ships with will keep working; ours will offer more options, more performance and better compatibility with what we are building next.
- You will need
- You will need the controller. No keyboard, no mouse, no desktop.
- Availability
- Closed beta Q4 2026, public beta Q1 2027
Questions, answered.
When is Duotronic available?
Closed beta Q4 2026, public beta Q1 2027, on the Steam Machine.
What will it run on?
It will run on the Steam Machine, exclusively at launch.
Will my games run?
Duotronic is being designed to run the PC games you already own, from the stores you already use, in one library. Before launch we will publish a list by title, with the reason for any game that does not run.
What are .dgw and the Game Matrix?
Each game will arrive as one .dgw package, Duotronic’s own game package, prepared for this one chip and installed, updated and removed in one place. With the Game Matrix, every game will arrive with a signed statement of exactly what it needs from the system, and Duotronic will give it that and nothing more.
What am I seeing in the screenshots?
Screens captured from the Duotronic interface as it runs in development today, with example data. Game names and values in them are examples.
How do I follow the work?
The weekly update will come every Sunday, by email or the Atom feed. The status page lists what exists today, with dates.
Follow the build
every Sunday.
One email a week until the public beta: what we worked on that week, new screens from the real system and what comes next. Issues will be listed in the weekly update. The status page has the dated list of where we are today.