Hackintosh Enthusiast Brings macOS Sequoia to Steam Deck

The modder notes that, with the help of others, they “found a way to make (macOS versions) newer than run Catalina” on the Steam Deck handheld gaming device, creating what could be called a “Deckintosh.” Steam Deck typically runs its own SteamOS 3, a Linux distribution that supports Windows games and applications using the Proton compatibility layer.

This isn’t the first time macOS has been ported to a portable gaming device. Using SteamOS VirtualBox, a Reddit user was able to get macOS Catalina running, but not fully working, about two years ago.

The current mod lacks GPU acceleration and doesn’t take full advantage of the Steam Deck screen, but it works as a proof of concept. The updated tweet then showed an image of macOS fully running on Steam Deck.

The big hurdle of supporting Steam Deck GPU acceleration can be overcome in time, allowing the operating system to run at a usable speed. It is possible to use NootRX – an unsupported kext for the AMD RDNA2 dedicated GPU – to enable RDNA2 support, which is already included in macOS, according to Tom’s equipment.

If the modding efforts are successful and the GPU-enabled macOS launches on Steam, it will be a very affordable way to experience Apple’s best operating system without having to invest in a Mac first. However, outside of proof of concept, Apple would likely attempt to stop widespread distribution.