Jovian-NixOS
Ranked 3 of 4 gaming operating systems by recommenders
People use it to turn NixOS into a SteamOS-like couch gaming setup on desktops and Steam Decks, with a curated set of packages and configs. One critic says its keyboard-centric setup suits touch devices poorly.
People use it to turn NixOS into a SteamOS-like couch gaming setup on desktops and Steam Decks, with a curated set of packages and configs. One critic says its keyboard-centric setup suits touch devices poorly.
7 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 6
- criticize it
- 1
- approval share
- 86%
Recommended in 6 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 6 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 6 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 6 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Console-like SteamOS experience on desktop
“It really does feel like a "game console"; usually when I've made my own console using Linux, it always feels kind of janky.”
Comment from 13 Nov 2025 in “Valve is about to win the console generation” “Works like a charm and gives you a SteamOS-like experience on desktop.”
Comment from 29 Jun 2026 in “NixOS 26.05 Released” “My main "game console" is a NixOS box running Jovian”
Comment from 3 Sep 2026 in “Sony makes bold claim about game ownership” - Comment from 16 Nov 2025 in “I don’t need a Steam Machine”
- Comment from 18 Sep 2026 in “Show HN: Microsoft Office running with Wine on Linux with no virtualization”
Reliable once set up
“Once I got it set up it pretty much worked exactly as I expected.”
Comment from 13 Nov 2025 in “Valve is about to win the console generation” “It booted first try and has since been working without hiccups.”
Comment from 28 Jan 2026 in “Microsoft forced me to switch to Linux” “I installed NixOS + Jovian on my Steamdeck and it works great as well.”
Comment from 13 Nov 2025 in “Valve is about to win the console generation”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Keyboard-centric setup fits touch devices poorly
“a keyboard-centric configuration scheme is a bad pairing for a touch-centric device”
Comment from 2 Jan 2026 in “Going immutable on macOS, using Nix-Darwin” Mainly useful within the NixOS ecosystem
“great if someone is already invested in that ecosystem”
Comment from 10 Feb 2026 in “Bazzite Post-Mortem”
Other gaming operating systems people recommend
The three most recommended other gaming operating systems, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
See all 4 gaming operating systems, rankedWhat people said
14 of the 15 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“basically an overlay that provides a curated set of packages and configs”
“adding it to my Jovian Steam console to play it”
“My main "game console" is a NixOS box running Jovian”
“Works like a charm and gives you a SteamOS-like experience on desktop.”
“great if someone is already invested in that ecosystem”
“I have direct access to around 800 games immediately.”
“It booted first try and has since been working without hiccups.”
“a keyboard-centric configuration scheme is a bad pairing for a touch-centric device”
“I just built a PC that runs Jovian-NixOS”
“it can provide a great couch experience”
“Once I got it set up it pretty much worked exactly as I expected.”
“I installed NixOS + Jovian on my Steamdeck and it works great as well.”
“It really does feel like a "game console"; usually when I've made my own console using Linux, it always feels kind of janky.”
“get a working setup in minutes by following just”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.