I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss Valve's Steam OS after moving away from the Steam Deck for Asus ROG Ally in 2023. Microsoft's Windows 11 24H2 is currently a total nightmare for PC users, and it's no secret that the brand hasn't shown much interest from portable PC gamers, despite calls for a better user experience.
While I still have my eyes on an ROG Ally refresh with options like the new Acer Blaze 11, Lenovo Legion Go S, or the MSI Claw 8 AI+ laptop options, I stumbled upon Bazzite, a cloud-native image. built on top of Fedora Atomic Desktops, giving users a Linux experience, particularly like SteamOS. This is done by downloading an ISO according to your hardware, which literally allows you to run SteamOS on your desktop PC. Yes, you heard right.
Big Picture Mode on Steam using Windows certainly has similar basic functions in terms of user interface. Still, it doesn't come close to what SteamOS offers, and Windows 11 (apart from the recent infernal 24H2 update) doesn't meet the needs of portable gaming, and recently promised improvements soon.
Despite Valve's confirmation that SteamOS will be coming to other laptops starting in April this year (it will launch on the Legion Go S in May), Bazzite is still a fantastic way to experience what the Steam Deck has to offer while you wait. , without replacing your more. Powerful portable device for one.
You can still use Windows 11 with Bazzite SteamOS installed
Minus the slightly slower responsiveness with the home screen menu buttons, Bazzite's SteamOS works exactly the same way legitimate SteamOS would. Bazzite provides features you wouldn't have access to on Windows 11 using Asus ROG Ally, such as a quick resume after you put your device to sleep mode and a simple, straightforward performance overlay that's bug-free.
The biggest benefit of all is that you can easily switch between Windows 11 and Bazzite SteamOS during dual boot (if you have enough storage space on your internal drive). This requires you to create two different partitions for both, unless you intend to keep custom SteamOS on an external drive.
Therefore, features like AFMF 2, which are only available on Windows 11 (at least for now), can be easily accessed by playing games on Microsoft's operating system: games that use anti-cheat like Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 They are not yet capable of running on SteamOS, so a dual boot is ideal in this case.
In addition to getting the benefits of Valve's fantastic operating system, you will be able to enable VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) – this is one of the most vital aspects of portable gaming PCs as it eliminates screen tearing and stuttering to get smoother frame rates by ensuring your screen's refresh rate and your game's frame rate match.
Does it make any sense to use Steam Deck or Bazzite now that Valve is bringing SteamOS to other portable gaming PCs?
If you're like me and furious about Windows 11's 24H2 issues (especially for gaming), installing Bazzite on your handheld for now while you wait is a great option. In addition to the general availability of SteamOS, it will come installed on the Lenovo Legion Go S in May starting at $499; this will likely outperform the Steam Deck using the new AMD Z2 Go processor, which may also defeat the purpose of purchasing Valve's handheld.
In both the short and long term, Bazzite will continue to be useful for laptop and desktop PC gamers as it can also be installed on your robust system, as mentioned above. So if you are determined to get a much more stylish and convenient user experience for gaming right now, Bazzite is your best friend.