Gamers who find themselves “limited” by SteamOS capabilities can now more confidently install Windows on their Steam hardware. Valve just released the Steam Hardware - Windows Resources page on Steam, which contains Windows drivers for the Steam Deck LCD, Steam Deck OLED, and Steam Machine. This means that those who want to replace the stock SteamOS with Windows 11 on their devices can now do so more easily, and they don’t have to hunt around the internet for drivers just to ensure that all the parts and components on their console will play nicely with Windows.

The drivers on the page include those for the APU, graphics, SD Card reader, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Audio, depending on which Steam hardware you’re driving. However, Valve said, “We are providing these resources as is and are unfortunately unable to offer 'Windows on Steam Hardware' support. If you get stuck and need a way back to the default SteamOS, please follow these recovery instructions.”

This is the main reason why Valve refuses to subsidize the Steam Machine — since owners can essentially do whatever they want to the living room PC console, selling one does not automatically guarantee that the company will make back any discounts it offers through game sales. This is why even though the Steam Machine is highly rated for Steam Deck users who want to upgrade to a more powerful device, its relatively high price puts it at a disadvantage compared to competitors like the PS5 or Xbox.

Many gamers would likely prefer SteamOS over Windows, especially as it offers far less bloat than Microsoft’s operating system. Valve is in fact working on SteamOS to make it more compatible with a general release and allow it to be installed on hardware that features Intel CPUs/GPUs and Nvidia GPUs. But because many anti-cheat apps still aren’t compatible with Linux (hence, SteamOS), installing Windows on Steam hardware is currently the only way that gamers can enjoy titles that require them.

It’s unfortunate that SteamOS doesn’t have any dual-boot capabilities at the moment, as that would give gamers the best of both worlds — use Windows and accept the performance hit if they want to play games that require specialized anti-cheat apps and then switch to SteamOS for all the other titles they enjoy. Valve said that it’s already working on this capability, but hasn’t given a fixed timeline for when it will arrive.

Ahead of our review of the Steam Machine, we sat down with Valve engineers Pierre-Loup Griffais and Yazan Aldehayyat to talk about the compact SteamOS PC. We discussed the pricing, the design process at Valve, component shortages (how could you not?), and even Windows support. We published excerpts from this interview in a story alongside the review. Here, we're presenting the full transcript of our conversation.

This transcript has been lightly edited for clarity.

Andrew E. Freedman, Tom's Hardware: I think I'd be remiss if I didn't talk about the elephant in the room, which of course is pricing. The Steam Machine starts at $1,049 in the U.S. for the 512GB option. How do you think that price is going to hit, and how do you think it reflects the vision of the Steam machine when you were building it?

Pierre-Loup Griffais, engineer, Valve: I think we'd be hard-pressed to make predictions on how exactly the market's going to respond to it. I think it's very different than what it looked like last year. And so in terms of what appetite people have to buy a gaming PC at a certain price, everyone's going to have a different opinion on whether it's a good value or whether the product makes sense for them. So I don't know if we're hazarding any predictions there.

But it's definitely the case that our original design, of course, was based on memory and storage prices from two years ago or so, and so we were in a different segment than we were hoping to be, but I think it's more of a reflection of where the market as a whole is than Steam Machine itself, right? So, I think if you're looking at building a PC from parts, either comparable horsepower or more horsepower, you know, you're probably looking at a similar price point here. At least that would be our expectation, right? That if you're, if you're looking at a trade-off of, "I want something that's about as powerful," you're still looking at a price that's roughly what we're offering there. And then you have all the things that you can't really build, like the form factor, the quietness, the CEC integration, the dedicated Bluetooth antenna for controller support. All that stuff is not really something that you can put in your own gaming PC and are still strong reasons that people might want to get the Steam Machine.

Freedman: Some of that definitely tracks. I've been going through our database, and things that were around the price point of the Steam Machine now are not the price of the current Steam machine anymore.

Yazan Aldehayyat, engineer, Valve: Yes, yes.

Valve speaks on Steam Machine compared to traditional consoles

Freedman: You're very much calling the Steam machine a PC. You haven't been calling it a console. Do you see that as a totally different audience, because the PlayStation 5 Pro is $899 right now, which is higher than it used to be? Do you see that as a competitor inside Valve, or are you looking at this like this is specifically a PC for a PC audience for people who already have Steam libraries?

Griffais: Yeah, I think it's a pretty different offering, right? I feel like if you're playing on PC, you're not looking at something like a console system and comparing just the price and the specs, because you have a bunch of games on PC, and you would have to buy those games on the other platform, or you would have to factor in whatever subscription cost there is to play online. There's a lot of factors there where it's not really apples to apples, right? And so I think it's an offering for folks that want to play on PC by definition or have some use for a PC that's around that powerful, it's probably quite a different decision than figuring out if something like a console is for you. There's a lot of trade-offs there.

Aldehayyat: I think the value of the Steam Machine is inherently tied to the value of your Steam library in a lot of ways. The more games you have on Steam, the more valuable the Steam machine is to you, and the Steam Machine makes your existing library even more valuable. So, those two kinds of decisions are very much intertwined, and I think at least early on, for sure, we suspect that it's for people who already have a big Steam library. The Steam Machine is just going to make a lot of sense to them.

Griffais: Yeah, and folks also have a lot of stuff on PC that's not necessarily on Steam, right? Like, there's a lot of different libraries on different stores, there's downloaded games, there's MMOs, all this stuff is also there, right, including productivity apps. There's some desktop use you can do with it. So, I guess the value of it is a little bit harder to express than just, like, you have that price and you have that library.

Freedman: Do you see Steam Machine as a possible entry point for someone who's just getting into Steam, or would you sort of advise those people to be starting elsewhere?

Griffais: For sure. Yeah, I think it could be. Usually, I guess it's hard for us to reason around what someone that's not on PC might or might not do, just because we're not really used to talking to those users. But I think we've seen some people use something like Steam Deck as an entry point for PC, and it seems to have worked for a bunch of people. I would think that Steam Machine is the same between the verification program and the SteamOS experience, that, you know, whose sole aim is to basically get out of the way, so that you can get to your games as easily as possible. I think that it's a good kind of niche for that.

Aldehayyat: I think it's like just to emphasize that point, it's we think it's a good entryway in big part because of how easy it is to set up and play games, right, like if somebody who's curious about PC gaming, and you're interested in getting into it, but you're a little intimidated by all the information that you need to know to build your own PC, or tinker with drivers, or whatever. The Steam Machine could be a really compelling offering for you, because then you can play those games with a lot less work, and maybe after you really get into it, you decide to build your own PC, and that's cool, that's great, that's awesome. But if you're a little bit intimidated, or maybe you're a PC gamer. Your life got a lot busier, you don't have as much time, that could be another way for you to get back into it. So the ease of use is something that we really cared a lot about was really important to us.

Griffais: We've heard that a lot for Steam Deck. People that are like, "I used to play on PC, I might have games on Steam, I might not, but I used to be a PC gamer, and you know, I have a family now, I have kids or something. I've been wanting to get back into it, but it seems complicated, or a time sink, or something." A bunch of people seemed to have found Steam Deck as a good way to address that, and I expect it might be the same.

Freedman: I mean, I can tell you, I have a toddler. I just finished Resident Evil Requiem, and I played the majority of it on a Steam Deck, because I was able to do it after her bedtime in a place in our apartment, far away from her room.

Aldehayyat: Great.

Griffais: First-person or third-person with Grace?

Freedman: For Grace, first-person. So I've got one more price question, and we'll get on to some engineering stuff.

Subsidizing hardware & the VRAM conundrum

Freedman: So you're not subsidizing the Steam Machine, which Valve said would make the PC a more closed platform, I guess maybe more similar to some consoles. but it's been said a lot that Valve subsidized the Steam Deck. I'm not sure I've actually found any definitive sources that say that. Did Valve subsidize the Steam Deck?

Griffais: Not really. If you look at certain SKUs at certain points of time, you know, it might be below or above cost by a small margin. I think there's some comments that we made around it, you know, being painful and all that early on, that was more about being as close as possible to cost than anything. Same thing here, right? If you look at where we thought Steam Machine was going to be in terms of pricing, and where we are now, and where Steam Deck used to be, and what it is now, you know, as we've had to announce some price changes recently, we're actually quite a bit more aggressive now, because we understand that the higher price is less accessible to people.

I guess we're able to be very aggressive with margin, right? And so we're even more aggressive now, trying to be as close as possible to the actual cost of the parts that we're shipping up.

Aldehayyat: But it's important that the Valve hardware is a self-sustained program; it's not subsidized by software sales, so that's kind of the piece to get across.

Freedman: So, on the hardware, one big worry back from the announcement was some of the hardware choices, which aren't, for lack of a better term, current gen, either in terms of AMD's technologies or in some cases compared to other modern graphics cards. The GPU specifically has 8GB of VRAM. How is Valve handling this internally, both your feedback and what you're doing with SteamOS?

Griffais: So there's a few aspects to that. One comes down to the system design when we picked the parts for it, and the GPU, and the amount of memory that was going to be available for the GPU specifically. I think we are very aware that, you know, eight gigs is kind of aggressive and could be kind of in the middle of what you would need there. But we made a lot of calculations on "what are you able to play with things like that?" and our conclusion was that for the stuff that you would want to play, and the level of details, and everything that you would want for that level of performance, you won't be in the spots where you're running out of VRAM.

The cases where you're running out of VRAM are actually cases that you would not want to be playing on a system like that. It'd be too slow. It's possible that there's some games in the future where that calculus is going to be a little bit different, right? Like, they take more VRAM at the same performance or something. But right now I think we're doing pretty good there. The cases where you're exercising the VRAM limits are actually cases that you wouldn't want to play as a real user, in my opinion. But that being said, between the Steam Deck release and now, we have done a ton of work on SteamOS to teach it about discrete VRAM.

We only used to support APUs, where we didn't have that problem — we had a whole other set of different memory management problems instead — and then improve the handling of VRAM under stress, under load conditions, and trying to get to the best outcome. So we're still rolling out updates there, but I think in practice the experiences improved rapidly around those cases. And we're continuing to do a bunch of work there.

Aldehayyat: I also want to just say that everybody sees that upgrade cycle for PCs have been slowing down dramatically. And more importantly, the new games coming out are able to scale generations of CPUs and GPUs a lot more gracefully than they used to. So, again, for us, the metric that we care about is, can you play the games on Steam? Can you play every game on Steam? And we think the Steam Machine absolutely can, right now, and we think the longevity for it is actually quite good, given the current reality of the upgrade cycles. I mean, maybe 10 years ago, a device like this wouldn't last as long, wouldn't have the legs to be competitive for as long. But given where we at now, even as of today, it can play your Steam library pretty well, and given what the market is doing right now, and the upgrade cycles, it still has the longevity to be a good device for people for many years to come.I think that one of the great things about the PC ecosystem is that games are not designed with a fixed performance target, they're able to come up and down, and you can tune them to be a great experience on a variety of hardware,

Griffais: And in a way, things like Steam Deck, and the new-ish, you know, segment of growing PC handhelds has been helping with that too, because people have scalability more in mind, I think. And there's been, there's been games, you know, that have made adjustments to have you know different level details or different presets for lower-end configs that I think you know that same effect will happen in the future and will pay dividends for all of PC as well. You have people that you know are probably playing on old laptops and things like that that maybe don't have to upgrade as much now because the developers, you know, have more scalability in mind, which is, I think, a good development for everyone.

4K capable, 1080p optimized

Freedman: I found that you know you can largely get playable frame rates on this thing. I mean, I'm someone willing to turn down settings.

But there was the 4K with FSR comment that had turned some heads initially in my testing. I found that's largely true, that you know, if you're willing to turn some settings down, you can get somewhere around 4K 60 with FSR. But why call it 4K capable, as opposed to really marketing it as a really solid 1080p or 1440p machine, rather than using FSR in the measurements, which kind of depends on which version of FSR the game is using?

Aldehayyat: A big part of that messaging actually came because we found a lot of people who are not as familiar with tuning their gaming settings want to just make sure that it's compatible with their 4K TV. So, basically, it's just our way of telling people that yes, if you have a 4K TV, you'll be able to use your Steam Machine with it. Not everybody understands the difference between render resolution and your TV resolution, so yes, for a lot of games, rendering a 1080p or 1440p is definitely the sweet spot, but we kind of wanted to make sure people understand that it still can work with your 4K TV, and you have the ability to upscale your content to that resolution, basically.

Griffais: And I think generally it's broadly true for the catalog as a whole, right? For sure, if you're looking at the current segment of games and what's coming out, then that's going to be what's stressing it out the most in terms of performance. Steam has a lot of games that extend decades into the past, as well. There's a ton of games that are playing that are coming out right now that are going to play just fine at 4K native on the Machine. There's there's a wide variety of different performance targets that games have, but in general, I think there's a ton of good experiences that you can have at 4K natively on the Machine. But for sure, for things that are coming out, or more recent games, I would personally probably pick, you know, 1080p render resolution, or 1440p, depending on how scalable it is.

Freedman: Speaking of 1080p, I noticed early on in the testing that 1080p seems to be the default resolution set across SteamOS on the Steam Machine. I was actually kind of surprised by it. I was going through, first on a per-game basis, boosting it up, so I could, you know, test multiple resolutions on my monitor. And I think very much like the sort of like the Steam Controller, there's not a huge on-ramp, not a lot of hand-holding on how to work this type of thing, so is there going to be any sort of messaging or sort of tutorials from Valve elsewhere that explain how to adjust these settings so you can get exactly what you're looking for?

Griffais: Yeah, I think we want to make that more visible and make it pretty obvious to folks that know what it is that this is happening. There's also different work that I think we want to do around that system. Another one is that when we're testing the games, we can also flag them for different default resolutions. So for an indie game or a game that's a little bit lower spec, or an old game, we should have the ability to say that game is actually just fine at 4K, or you know, other resolutions, so that you don't have to go change that setting. A

The thing we're trying to avoid is that some games, the way that they detect settings, you know, is all different. Games do that very differently, right? And it's possible for some games to start at 4K very high ray tracing. And the experience with that is not great. You don't want to start a game and have that sort of experience as a user, especially when you're trying to get to a point where most people can run a game and expect, you know, to be able to play it and not tinker with it. So we're trying to make sure the baseline is on the safe side, where you're going to have a fine experience. But for the folks that want more detail, more definition, they can access those settings, and they know what they're doing, right?

So I think that it could definitely use a little bit more visibility, so that you are very aware of what the OS is doing behind the scenes, and very aware of how you can go change that setting in a way that right now maybe is not as visible as it could be.

The verified program deepens

Freedman: Speaking of all this, there's the verified program. I mean, obviously, the verified program made it very clear if you could play something on Deck. On Steam Machine, assuming you turn off that 1080p flag, you get into more resolutions, more potential settings that are supported, really, just more options and games all around, because you have more powerful hardware. So, when something is verified on the Steam machine, is that specifically verified at 1080p, or is it going to be more like a modular thing where you explain where it's verified?

Griffais: The only thing that we want to make sure that a verified game gets at is that by default it's above 1080p 30, right? So that's really what we're shooting for, and again, it's all about the default experience, because I think all those things that you said are broadly true for the Deck as well. Like you can actually load up a game on deck, uncheck the resolution settings, set it to 4K, and set very high ray tracing. Look into all that stuff, and we're not trying to have the verified system tell you, like, hey, if you do that, then you need to change the settings to X and Y to get to a certain frame rate. We're just saying, oh, you're changing settings — at that point, you're outside of the realm of what the verified system is designed to do, because it's for those users that are not really doing that., and we expect the same to be true for the Machine Similarly as the deck, I think we'll see an effect where more and more games also pick settings that were intended for the Machine as time goes, as developers are putting those presets in, which will further make the default experience match the expectations of those users that are working from the verified system.

Freedman: I very clearly remember, I think one of those was Cyberpunk 2077. That was the first game where I saw that they had a Steam Deck setting. I was like, "Well, I know which one to pick."

Griffais: And, of course, most users never had to pick that, because it was selected by default, right? And if someone can have played the game and never seen that settings menu, that's a win in our book, right? But we also want to make sure that people that want to tinker with that can also do that, and every step of the way, we're messaging to developers, like, hey, even if you know you're running on a Steam Deck, even if you know you're running on a Steam Machine, do not disable settings, do not hide settings, that's not what people want to see. There's a lot of users that you might not be aware of that are all going to have very different opinions on what settings make sense on the device that you're playing, and we're really trying to make sure that you know the SteamOS experience upholds that core principle of PC gaming.

Freedman: I know that quite a handful of places have resources online — all they do is go through Steam Deck settings, tinker, and try to make it the best they can.

Hardware design, repairability and limitations

Freedman: So, I want to move this a bit more towards the hardware design. So every major component is cooled by one big heat sink with the 120 millimeter fan. I'm curious, how did you choose that kind of design? What are the benefits of that?

Aldehayyat: There's actually a couple of reasons. I mean, obviously, the first thing is that it's the most compact design you could come up with, right? Like, if you have one thermal module, then you know you could make the device as small as possible. So that was the number one sort of factor that made us go into that path. But the other thing that is interesting about this is that if you have two separate thermal modules, then each one has to be designed for the absolute worst case for each one, so you end up with a combined volume that is larger than the device is ever going to be. But if you have one, then it can share, basically, right? So, if the CPU is not eating up its entire thermal budget, the GPU can use that, or if the GPU is not eating its entire thermal budget, the CPU can share that. So that's one of the advantages, is that your ability to kind of allocate thermal headroom back and forth between the CPU and the GPU, and all that kind of stuff, independently.

To be clear, it was very, very challenging to make that design work, because when you're trying to touch off of different things, tolerances really eat you up, so you have to come up with, because you know, good thermal module design requires you to have the absolute minimum gap between whatever you're trying to cool and the thermal module itself, and the GPU die to the thermal module, the CPU die to the thermal module, they both have to basically have the smallest gap possible. Nut then in reality, like things vary and the CPU is tall and the GPU is taller and the motherboard bows and the thermal module has tolerances, so actually getting the design to have enough compliance in the right places to accommodate all those tolerances was by far the hardest challenge we had to overcome. But by overcoming it, I think we ended up at the most compact design, cost-effective design.

Griffais: It's also the quietest. Having one big module lets us have a big fan, which then can spin lower and, or, you know, lower RPMs. So we're pretty happy to have been able to make that work, because it turned out really good in terms of the ratio between how quiet it is and its normal performance.

Freedman: I opened it up to take a look, and I was able to take the whole thing out of the case with a single Torx T9 screwdriver. I don't think this was built with the idea that a ton of people were going to open it, but was repairability like a serious consideration of the design?

Aldehayyat: I mean, yeah, absolutely. We care about repairability a lot, and we tried our best to make the device as repairable as possible while still making it compact. I mean, those two things, generally speaking, fight each other. The more compact something is, the harder it is to take apart. So, we think we found a good balance. It's just kind of part of our philosophy, right? We think it's your device, so you get to do whatever you want with it. We definitely did not put any artificial barriers for people to do this, but we actually go a step further and try our best to make it as easy as possible. There's limitations to that, but things like the fact that the SSD is on the FPC that loops around to make the SSD accessible, that was not by accident, nor was it the easiest way to do this. We could have buried it under the thermal module, and that would be actually way easier, but we chose not to do that. It's just kind of a part of our philosophy, even though it's not necessarily the easiest or cheapest way to do things, we still think it's the right way to do things.

Griffais: Yeah, there's a few things that we generally try to have. You know, we can't hit them all the time, but I think we've, we've done, you know, a pretty good job of it ever since Steam Deck OLED, especially, making sure that, all screws use the same type, that they're machine screws, so you can take them apart and put them back without damaging some plastic or some wood receiver there. Also labeling stuff, right? Like, there's a lot of labels on the little connectors on the boards that we could easily have removed in production, but it's actually really useful; We're also taking them apart, right? It's useful for us, but I think you know, we definitely are not intending that most people will open this, like you say, but we want to make sure the people who do are not going to run into barriers.

Freedman: Yeah, I mean, there's an awful lot of Steam Deck mods. I'm sure a lot of those same types of people will be very interested in this. So a lot of the ports — this is probably by the design of making it so compact — they're attached via daughter boards and ribbon cables. Will those components be made available either for tinkerers or repair shops?

Aldehayyat: Yeah, so similar to how we did it with the Steam Deck, we're going to work with iFixit to make the parts available. We're going to basically try and make as many parts available as possible. I don't know for sure the full list of components that will be available, but I believe all the FPCs, daughter boards, and ports will be available through iFixit. I'm not sure which ones they decide to sell, or whatever. But yeah, our goal is to make those parts available as widely as possible.

Freedman: Is it any more difficult to make those parts available because of just the general component shortage, or are you stacked up on those ones?

Griffais: It's actually easier because they're on daughter boards, right? If that stuff wasn't the main board, then you'd be in trouble because there's some soldered-down memory, the VRAM, right, is the only soldered-down; the system RAM isn't, it's SO-DIMMs. If anything, it's a little easier for things like ports, and yes,

Aldehayyat: Believe it or not, right now, even things like the FR4, like the raw PCB material, it has shortages. But it just so happens that the memory shortage is way worse, so yeah, it's not really a major challenge to make those parts available at this point.

Freedman: And I'm assuming if you work with iFixit, that also means I'll be publishing maintenance manuals of some sort, right?

Aldehayyat: Yes, we're going to partner with them too, and they're going to create a lot of the repair manuals, replacement parts instructions, and things like that.

Freedman: Because opening it is super simple, but getting to the RAM, to the SO-DIMMs, that's got a lot of ribbon cables.

Aldehayyat: Yeah, we're aware of that, and I'll be honest, it is something that we really wanted to improve, and we tried to make the RAM more accessible, but there was just no real way to. I don't say it was impossible; it was just given the time and engineering resources we have, we just could not come up with a solution that worked. With the SSD, we were able to put on the flex and just read it around. With memory, you just can't do that because of signal integrity reasons. And trying to make an access hatch through the power supply just wasn't possible for safety reasons. So there's really no way. We couldn't come up with a solution, but maybe in the future we can come up with something,

Reckoning with hardware shortages and pricing

Freedman: I know in the blog post it says that there were some components you were barely able to source at all. Outside of memory, which components have been the most difficult to get for the Steam Machine?

Aldehayyat: Storage, obviously,

Freedman: You mentioned PCB, PCB materials.

Aldehayyat: Yeah. I mean, honestly, it's a little shocking right now. There are some shortages in plastics. There are some shortages in FR4, some capacitors. But all of those kind of pale in comparison to the memory and storage shortage. If this was a normal time, people would be concerned about these things, but given the memory and the supply shortage, this just doesn't really crack the top ten of problems. It's just kind of to show that really everything is constrained, but the memory and shortage overtake all of them. So that's really the primary focus.

Freedman: And the other interesting thing I found in sort of sourcing and building a design is that the blog post suggests you started sourcing parts somewhere in 2022, which suggests you've been at the Steam Machine for a few years. Are you able to talk about the general timeline of product development for the Steam Machine?

Griffais: The process starts very early. I mean, in terms of specific time frames, it's a little hard, you know, just because our memory is fried from working hard on trying to ship this thing. But you know, the design process, I think, probably started like three years ago, or so, when we were building machines from parts, trying to get at the right performance target. And then we started progressively moving to the next step, building it up as, like, a whole all-in-one thing, and then refining the form factor and all that. But from that point on, you're already starting to test the waters and getting in touch with suppliers, making sure that you're going to have multiple suppliers for the things that you're sure you're going to have, so it's definitely a long pipeline. But I would say plans for full-scale production of the object that you're looking at now is probably like a year or so.

Aldehayyat: I also think that the research and development, I guess we take more seriously here at Valve, and potentially some other places. Things don't go from "here's a presentation for a device," and then we start planning to make it. We first start by making some prototypes to convince ourselves that this actually makes sense, and there's an actual research phase that it's like, "OK, here are the technologies that we need to prove out, here are some prototypes we need, we think we need to make to make us believe that this device makes sense." There was never, during that phase, there was never really a plan to make a product. It was just kind of like gathering information, doing prototyping of critical technologies, proving them out, stuff like that, so that takes a while. And then after you do all that, you decide, OK, we want to make this thing happen. Let's start actually doing the development part of that, then that takes a year and a half, or something like that. So, depending on which, how you want to count things, it could have been three, four, five years, it could have been a year and a half, you know. But I would say it's just that we're constantly investigating different things, so it's kind of hard to put a timeline on it.

Griffais: For us, working on these things is very incremental and very gradual. So, in a sense, this all started 15 years ago when we got into hardware, because Steam Machine is actually one of the first things we worked on. The work on SteamOS that we started back then, you can draw a straight line through from that to where we are now: the work on inputs, even you know, the work on Steam Machine with OEMs, they taught us a bunch of stuff that we're leveraging right now. We're always trying to make sure that when we build something, we can reuse it in the future, and we don't have to start from scratch. And so, even back then, everything we were doing with SteamOS is fully represented in the current experience, and we're just building from here.

Windows support incoming

Freedman: Is Windows support still the same on Steam Deck? Will you be issuing new drivers?

Griffais: That's our goal. Right now, we're still working on certain drivers, you know, around Bluetooth and stuff, but that's definitely our goal. And we've been talking to AMD about the best way for users to get the graphics drivers as well, because I think it's pretty important that they can get at the latest fixes.

Aldehayyat: Yeah, but the model will be very similar to the way the Steam Deck Windows drivers work. It's going to take us a little bit of time after launch to get all the drivers lined up, but the general process of us publishing the drivers on our website will probably be the same.

Freedman: Is Valve still working on dual boot with Windows 11? I mean, the Windows resources page I just mentioned, it says the Steam Deck is capable, the OS installer wasn't ready yet.

Griffais: So it's something we're working towards. We don't have dual boot, an easy dual boot wizard plumbed right now. There's a few ways that you go about it, but right now, most of them include some manual steps where you repartition your disks and resize stuff by hand. We want to make that process easier in the future. But the thing that we're doing right now with SteamOS is we want to make sure that if someone builds a PC like a Steam machine, so something that has an AMD discrete GPU, and then whatever other parts they pick, they can choose whatever segment of GPU they want.

We're going to have a SteamOS USB install drive that they can just install SteamOS onto, so that they can have basically the same experience as the Steam Machine. It's pretty similar to how you would re-image a Steam Deck. But we want to make sure that if you're building from parts, that you have that option. So, we'll also be making that available at the same time.

Freedman: Will that mean at the same time as the Windows drivers, or—

Griffais: Just the product launch.

There's already SteamOS images out there that will work there, but we just want to make sure that we have one that has all the latest OS components that we're shipping at launch with Steam Machine, so that everything is ready from the get-go for that sort of experience.

Valve's new reservation system

Freedman: The reservation system you're using, I think it's the most radical one I've ever seen from Valve. I totally get why you're doing it. How'd you come up with that internally?

Griffais: Just lots of discussion. The reservation system that we originally came up with for the Steam Deck was also born of the same sort of discussion. We're talking about, "OK, here's the situation: how many units we have, what the user experience is going to be on purchase. Working back from that, how can we improve the user experience?" We see a lot of users stressed out about trying to secure supply for other products. We just see what's happening in the wild, and how people are frustrated with, like, not knowing where to get something, or having to periodically just recheck online retailers, trying to figure out.

I mean, my experience trying to buy PS5 kind of painted a lot of that stuff, in a sense. But the current iteration on the reservation system here, was just similar. We worked from, OK, we think the broad strokes of the system are good, but there's still an effect where people are rushing at the door, trying to refresh. Our websites might have problems, and then that seems unfair to people that run into that, right? We want to make sure that there's an even playing field initially, and then work from there. So, yeah, it's all I think based on discussions and user feedback.

Freedman: The blog post says that the people who get on the reservation queue, separate from the waitlist, could last through the end of the year. Is that all the first production run?

Griffais: We're constantly producing and trying to secure additional parts and stuff. There's not really discrete, you know, different runs and different segments, so it's a very linear thing. But for sure, depending on how many people sign up, it might extend into time frames that we're not really even sure of, because supply is so interesting.

Aldehayyat: It was just six months, as far as we were willing to make a prediction. As Pierre-Loup said, if there's more demand, we obviously are planning to make more, and so maybe there'll be another waitlist or something. But six months, we felt, is the appropriate amount of time to kind of put a cap on the waitlist, essentially,

Griffais: The interesting and I guess hard thing is that getting supply right now also means getting a wide variety of different prices, right? So it's possible that you would be able to make more, but in a way that the pricing ends up being different. And so we're still trying to figure that out, because if there's ever a bunch of people that want the machine, but the supply is not there on the back end, we'll have to make hard decisions about what are we doing to secure more supply, and does it still result with the product at this price, or would we have to rethink that.

Because we don't really know how the situation is going to continue to evolve. You know, maybe things are going to go back down, and then it's all good, and it can continue to go like that. But maybe not, and so I guess what we're trying to convey with this blog post is that it seems like all bets are off, and we're going to work through it just with the users as well.

[Interview ends]

Meta PCs has announced preorders for Steamroller, the first prebuilt gaming PC running on SteamOS. The system features standard PC components that are broadly similar to those offered by Valve in the base variant of the Steam Machine. Priced at $1,299, the Steamroller is available for preorder now, with shipping set to begin on July 3, 2026. Buyers can also opt for an extended warranty, with two-year and three-year plans available for $180 and $240, respectively.

The Steamroller uses the Jonsbo D32, a well-ventilated m-ATX chassis with an AMD Ryzen 9600X, which is a 6-core, 12-thread CPU capable of boosting up to 5.4 GHz. Meta PCs mentions that the B650M/B650M Wi-Fi m-ATX motherboard will vary in brand and styling, meaning not all Steamroller PCs are alike, though they shouldn’t vary in terms of performance. For graphics, the system comes with AMD’s last-gen Radeon RX 7600 based on the RDNA 3 architecture with 8GB of GDDR6 memory. The system also includes 16GB of DDR5 RAM at 5600 MT/s, a 1TB NVMe M.2 SSD, a 240mm AIO liquid cooler, and a 650W Gold power supply unit.

In terms of hardware, the Steamroller seems competitive with Valve's new Steam Machine. Since it includes standard PC components, one also gains the ability to upgrade almost any component in the future, unlike the Steam Machine, which only allows you to swap the RAM and storage. That said, the Steam Machine is more compact, measuring at 152 × 162 × 156 mm (6.0 × 6.4 × 6.1 inches), justifying its console/living room PC purpose.

Another aspect to consider is practicality. The Steam Machine supports HDMI CEC, a protocol that allows it to communicate and control compatible devices such as your TV and soundbar. This allows you to power on the Steam Machine and your TV simultaneously, and even switch to the correct input, without leaving your couch or reaching for a remote. Unfortunately, HDMI CEC is not supported on most PCs, including the Steamroller. The Steam Machine also features standby and quick resume functionality, which allows you to put the system to sleep and jump back into your game almost instantly.

The Steamroller is essentially aimed at potential customers who want a gaming PC running on SteamOS with the flexibility of standard PC hardware. While it may lack some of the living room-focused features available on the Steam Machine, it makes up for them by offering a system that is easier to upgrade and repair, while also offering a way to experience SteamOS without assembling an entire system.

While the coming availability of the Steam Machine is stealing headlines about Valve, the company quietly announced that it’s also working on SteamOS to give it wider compatibility. Pierre-Loup Griffais, one of the engineers Tom’s Hardware talked with to dig into the details of the upcoming console, told The Verge that the company is collaborating with Nvidia “very closely” to develop support for Team Green GPUs. Additionally, he mentioned the possibility of dual-booting SteamOS with Windows or other operating systems in the future. The measures would allow users to build their own DIY Steam Machines in future.

SteamOS 3.0 was built from the ground up for the Steam Deck, which uses AMD hardware. For years now, enterprising users could install the operating system on other systems that feature Team Red hardware. However, if you use parts from other brands like Intel and Nvidia, you’re going to run into a lot of complications. One enthusiast made SteamOS work with an Intel Arc B580 desktop GPU, but it required a lot of advanced steps and troubleshooting that would certainly turn off more casual users.

Valve released the latest version of the gaming operating system, SteamOS 3.8.10, just last week, and it comes with compatibility updates for Intel and AMD platforms, including upcoming Intel-powered handhelds. While support for Nvidia graphics cards isn’t expected to arrive this year, Graiffais told The Verge that “it’s certainly something that we’re working on in the background.” He also mentioned a SteamOS installer that would make it easier for users to wipe an existing operating system and replace it with SteamOS. While it cannot partition a drive for dual-booting yet, Pierre-Loup hinted that the feature might eventually arrive in the future.

Windows is still the most dominant OS for gaming, and we can see this in the latest Steam survey results, with Windows 11 getting nearly 70% of the market share. However, Linux, especially through SteamOS, is quickly gaining ground. Although it still has a negligible 3.99% share (compared to Windows’ overall 93.85%), it has already overtaken macOS’s 2.16%. This result is likely driven by the popularity of the Steam Deck, despite its recent price hikes, and we expect this to jump even higher once gamers get their hands on the Valve Steam Machine in the coming weeks.

A Reddit user has demonstrated that SteamOS, Valve's Arch-based gaming operating system built around AMD silicon, can boot and run on an Intel Arc B580 discrete graphics card. Posting in the r/SteamOS subreddit as SaperPL, they documented the feat this week, pairing the Arc B580 with a Ryzen 5 5600 processor and getting Valve's full gaming-mode interface running on the card. The catch is that reaching that point took a Radeon card, a workaround for a broken installer, and a motherboard setting that nearly sank performance along the way.

The opening exists because recent SteamOS beta builds quietly widened hardware coverage. Valve's changelog for the beta cites improved compatibility with recent Intel and AMD platforms, language clearly aimed at the wave of Intel-powered handhelds rather than desktop Arc cards. However, because the underlying Linux graphics driver is shared, the same Mesa stack that targets Intel handheld chips also recognizes a desktop Arc GPU. SaperPL's system reported the card as Mesa Intel Arc B580 Graphics (BMG G21) on Mesa 26.1.2, running SteamOS 3.9.

Getting there was not exactly plug-and-play. According to the post, newer SteamOS images that supposedly already include Intel Arc support failed during setup. These images did not boot into the older live desktop-style installer with install, update, and recovery options. Instead, they started installing directly to the drive, then failed when the system tried to connect to the network and pull its first update. SaperPL says the same problem occurred even when testing with a Radeon RX 9060 XT, suggesting the issue was not limited to the Arc B580 itself.

The workaround was suitably PC-gaming messy. SaperPL installed an older “repair-main” SteamOS build using the Radeon card, pulled the required updates, and then swapped in the Intel Arc B580. After that, SteamOS booted on the Intel GPU and ran from the Main channel. The poster also noted that users without a spare Radeon card may be able to follow a Steam Community workaround to bypass the installer’s update failure directly, although that still leaves the process firmly in enthusiast territory.

The first performance results were mixed. SaperPL tested 14 games, including Cyberpunk 2077, Helldivers 2, Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Toxic Commando, Hades, Rocket League, and others shown in the SteamOS library screenshot. The interface itself appeared to behave well, with the poster saying the Steam library and store navigation worked smoothly, even while downloads continued in the background. Gamescope also reportedly worked similarly to Radeon, apart from a VRR bug on FreeSync displays with HDR that caused occasional flickering.

Frame rates were another story. Indiana Jones and Toxic Commando were initially barely above 20 FPS at 1080p on the lowest settings, while Helldivers 2, Cyberpunk 2077, and Spider-Man: Miles Morales fell far below comparable Windows benchmark videos. The poster’s monitoring suggested the CPU was not the main problem, with the GPU often sitting around 80% to 90% usage while the Ryzen 5 5600 hovered between roughly 30% and 50%.

The biggest culprit turned out to be a familiar one for Intel Arc users: Resizable BAR. SaperPL later updated the post to say that ReBAR had been disabled on the Asus B450 Strix motherboard after a CPU change. Once enabled, Cyberpunk 2077 and Spider-Man appeared to perform as expected, while Indiana Jones and Toxic Commando improved significantly, though still not fully matching Windows reference results.

That detail matters because Intel Arc GPUs are unusually sensitive to Resizable BAR. Without it, the CPU cannot efficiently access the GPU’s full memory space, which can lead to severe performance drops. In this case, it made the difference between “SteamOS on Arc is broken” and “SteamOS on Arc is early, but actually running.” Even on Windows, leaving ReBAR off will severely impact Arc performance.

Commenters also pointed to another likely limitation: kernel support. Intel’s Arc drivers on Linux have improved considerably, but the newest performance work often depends on recent kernel and Mesa versions. If SteamOS’ Main channel is still behind the very latest Linux graphics stack, Arc performance may remain below what the same card can do under Windows or faster-moving Linux distributions.

For now, this is more proof of concept than a consumer-ready feature. Valve has not turned SteamOS into a general desktop gaming OS with clean support for every GPU, and the install path shown here is still too awkward for normal users. But the result is interesting. SteamOS running on an Intel Arc B580 suggests Valve's hardware net is widening, whether intentionally for desktop GPUs or indirectly through work on Intel-powered handhelds.

That could matter for future SteamOS machines. AMD remains the obvious fit for Valve’s gaming hardware today, but Intel has been pushing harder on Linux graphics support, and low-profile Arc cards could become attractive for small living-room builds if the driver stack matures.

California lawmakers may be backing away from a controversial age-verification requirement bill that alarmed Linux and open-source developers earlier this year, after a new amendment bill proposed exempting most open-source operating systems from the state’s upcoming Digital Age Assurance Act. In practice, that would likely exempt most mainstream Linux distributions — including Debian, Fedora, Ubuntu, Arch Linux, and Mint — from compliance requirements scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2027.

Assembly Bill 1856 (AB 1856), currently moving through California’s legislature ahead of committee reviews in June, would amend the state’s earlier age-assurance law by excluding software distributed under licenses that allow users to “copy, redistribute, and modify the software.”

The proposed amendment specifically states: “Operating system provider” does not mean a person or entity that distributes an operating system or application under license terms that permit a recipient to copy, redistribute, and modify the software.

The amendment follows months of backlash after California passed the original Assembly Bill 1043 (AB 1043), formally known as the Digital Age Assurance Act, in late 2025. The law sought to shift online age verification away from individual websites and apps and down to the operating-system level instead.

Under the original law, operating systems would be required to request a user’s age or birth date during device setup, then expose an “age bracket signal” to apps and app stores. The law, which defined brackets such as “under 13,” “13–15,” “16–17,” and “18+,” immediately raised questions about how such requirements would apply to decentralized, open-source software ecosystems.

Unlike Apple’s iOS or Google’s Android, most Linux distributions are not centrally controlled commercial platforms. Many are community-run projects maintained by volunteers, often without user accounts, telemetry systems, or even formal corporate ownership structures. Critics argued the law’s wording was so broad that it could technically force open-source operating systems to become age-verification platforms.

Privacy advocates, including the Electronic Frontier Foundation, criticized the legislation as invasive and warned it could create infrastructure for broader identity tracking online. Linux developers also questioned how California could realistically enforce such requirements on infinitely forkable open-source software projects.

The controversy became particularly heated after reports suggested platforms like SteamOS could still fall under the law due to their ties to proprietary application ecosystems. Valve’s Linux-based gaming platform ships with the proprietary Steam storefront and client, potentially placing it closer to Apple’s App Store or Google Play from a regulatory standpoint.

AB 1856 does not repeal the original Digital Age Assurance Act. Instead, it narrows the definition of who qualifies as an “operating system provider” under the law. Commercial platforms with proprietary app ecosystems could remain subject to California’s age-assurance requirements even if most open-source Linux distributions are ultimately exempted.

California Assembly Member Buffy Wicks introduced the amendment on February 11, 2026. However, the open-source exemption language appeared in later revisions that began drawing attention across Linux and privacy communities. The latest version is dated May 18, 2026, and as of May 19, 2026, the bill was read a second time and ordered to third reading.

Valve has released Proton 11.0-Beta1, but this perhaps inconsequential-sounding test version comes with something revolutionary – support for Arm Linux devices. It isn’t mainstream yet; it is a beta version, of course, but folks have already shown off the Steam UI running on a Nintendo Switch. So, Steam gaming support on more open gaming devices from brands like Retroid, AYN, and Ayaneo should be far easier.

Steam Linux ARM64 beta on Switch

— @aagaming.me (@aagaming.me.bsky.social) 2026-04-17T11:10:52.424Z

Steam Linux ARM64 beta running on Ubuntu Linux Noble Numbat on Nintendo’s popular handheld.

AAGaming, which posted the Steam on Switch demo on BlueSky, embedded above, says they have shared “a working copy of proton arm + steamrt arm that you can drop right into conpatibilitytools.d to play games with this client.”

You can find the official Proton 11.0-Beta1 release on Valve’s Proton GitHub, alongside some release notes. The key change, as far as Arm gamers are concerned, is flagged in a section under the heading ARM64 Builds. Not much is said, but handheld gaming enthusiasts on social media have been quick to realize the implications. The newly bundled FEX 2604 can enable Steam’s built-in x86 Windows to ARM Linux gaming compatibility on your Arm Linux device.

This new Arm Linux compatibility for Steam is thought to have been implemented now to prepare for the Arm-powered Steam Frame gaming headset, which we went hands-on with last November. That headset was described as a ‘streaming-first device’ but packs very respectable Arm mobile hardware, such as a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 backed with 16GB LPDDR5X.

During our Steam Frame hands-on, we also learned about FEX bringing Steam games to Arm and running locally. In our demo, we saw the x86 version of Hades 2 running standalone with respectable performance at 1400p. The Valve rep clarified, “It’s actually running on Linux, running on Arm,” at the time. So, now we are seeing this ability surfacing in public betas, and already being used to get Steam OS and games running on alternative Arm hardware.

Valve is building a ‘Verified’ style list for the Steam Frame Arm hardware, much like its efforts seen on Steam Deck. Thus, users will know which games will run well locally and which they might prefer to stream from their gaming PCs.

Not interested in Arm? There's more...

In addition to the juicy Arm/Linux compatibility news, the new Proton 11 Beta includes goodies for existing Steam OS gamers. There’s a host of new certified playable titles for users, such as titles from the Resident Evil and Dino Crisis stables, plus Warhammer: Vermintide 2, SHOGUN: Total War, Breath of Fire IV, and more.

Numerous bug fixes are implemented in the release, too. For example, Valve has fixed Steam Overlay not working correctly with many EA games, and got the intro video playback in Crimson Desert to work properly.

Getting Proton 11 is easier if you already have a Steam OS device like the Deck. Just search for the update in the Steam Library.

Steam will start gathering FPS data based on your hardware, allowing the company to potentially build a baseline and estimate game framerates based on your PC’s specifications. The company said in its last client update that the feature is currently in Beta, and that it will “focus on devices running SteamOS.” We’re unsure yet when this will drop for the general public and when we’ll see the results on the Store pages of various titles on the platform. However, this is an interesting data point, especially if it’s accurate, as it can give users a worthwhile estimate of how smoothly a game would run, especially on devices with borderline hardware, like a console or gaming laptop.

Xbox already has a feature that tells you whether a game should play well on your device, but it’s not super accurate. For example, it says that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III “Should perform great on your device,” on a gaming laptop running an Intel Core i7-10870H paired with an RTX 3060 and 32GB of RAM. While this technically falls under the recommended specifications for the game, in my personal use it runs at a rather cinematic framerate and load times are atrocious, leading to a rather disappointing experience. But if Steam can show an accurate FPS estimate on game titles, this would let gamers know what to expect and even help with making purchase decisions.

While this is a particularly useful option for PC gamers, Steam says that it will focus on SteamOS devices for Beta testing. This is likely because there’s a smaller number of configurations for the operating system, which is primarily used by handhelds like the Steam Deck and the Lenovo Legion Go S, versus desktop and laptop PCs, which practically have an infinite number of specifications. This might also be useful for gamers who intend to purchase a Steam Machine — although Steam’s console PC has been delayed several times, many still hope that it will launch later this year.

Of course, the feature is still in the Beta testing stage, so we are yet to see if this will get a general roll out and display estimated FPS numbers based on your hardware. More importantly, Steam must prove that its numbers will be accurate. After all, it would be disappointing if you bought a title because the Steam launcher suggested that it would have a playable FPS only to show an unstable and low framerate when you’re already playing the game.

After delaying its upcoming gaming console due to the ongoing memory crisis, Valve has yet to confirm a concrete release date for the Steam Machine. That said, it seems that the software groundwork is already in motion. The company recently rolled out a major update for SteamOS with version 3.8.0, which brings “initial support for upcoming Steam Machine hardware.” While that doesn’t reveal much about the hardware or its launch timeline, it does offer some reassurance that the final product is likely on track for a release later this year.

The latest SteamOS 3.8.0 update is currently in a preview state, meaning that you will have to opt-in for the update by heading to Settings>System and changing the System Update Channel from Stable to “Preview.” As per the official patch notes, users can expect a host of new features and improvements on existing devices, including the Steam Deck (LCD/OLED) as well as third-party handheld consoles that support SteamOS.

Some of the key highlights include an updated graphics driver for improved overall performance and stability, a new setting to allow using Bluetooth headset mics, and enhanced support for screen recording and streaming tools like OBS and Discord. Valve has also done some significant work when it comes to controllers, as the update offers reduced handheld controller input latency and improved support for a number of devices, including the OneXPlayer F1 series, GPD Win 5, GPD Win Mini, Anbernic Win600, OrangePi NEO, and Lenovo Legion Go. Additionally, the update brings controller support for OneXPlayer X1 series and the Lenovo Legion Go 2.

Desktop Mode also sees a significant upgrade, including improved scaling on TVs, support for external HDR and VRR displays, and per-display scaling options. These are particularly interesting as they could be crucial for the upcoming Steam Machine. Valve has also refined window handling for games running via Proton and ensured that keyboard layouts and language settings now sync with Game Mode.

Some notable system-level improvements, particularly for Steam Deck users, include a new “Memory Power Down” option, which should help reduce power consumption during idle states, thereby improving battery life. There’s also preliminary support for system hibernation, which has been a long-requested feature allowing the device to save its state to storage and completely power off, leading to better battery preservation compared to Sleep mode. Additionally, Bluetooth Wake has been re-enabled for the Steam Deck LCD, allowing users to wake the device using a controller.

Linux kernel releases have historically only been of interest for those daily-driving with Linux. With the popularity of the Steam Deck and SteamOS-based PCs though, kernel improvements are now far more enticing. Linux Kernel Version 7.0 is now set to release (H/T to Phoronix) with a host of performance improvements in tow.

Most of the fresh upticks pertain server-grade workloads, but a few have the potential to improve desktop responsiveness and gaming performance, though we'll have to wait until benchmarks arrive to be sure.

The most interesting feature is likely the TIP Time Slice Extension, as it allows an application to request a temporary time extension if it's performing a critical piece of work, so that it's not pre-empted (put away) by the kernel scheduler at the worst possible time.

This means that for example, a game or an audio application gets a signal that it's about to be temporarily put away, and kindly request "please, sir, can I have some more" so that it can wrap up what it's doing. In turn, this could yield a smoother desktop performance with heavyweight applications, and smoother gaming experience, possibly even improving 1% low FPS.

The new "sheaves" memory handling mechanism, while targeted at servers, can also improve desktops. Many CPU-heavy applications, like some games, behave that way because they need to constantly allocate and release memory. As a result, sheaves' speedup has the potential to reduce latency spikes when the CPU is under stress.

The rest of the upgrades look better suited to servers: the Open Tree Namespace allows for much faster creation of containers (in Docker, Kubernetes, and microservices), a big win for the respective hosting services. Better IO_uring and zero-copy networking substantially eases CPU load when handling lots of networking traffic (think 10+ Gbps), and further tuning to the scheduler ought to let web and database servers handle load more smoothly.

You're probably wondering when your favorite distro will start using the new kernel. Canonical is hopeful that the upcoming Ubuntu 26 LTS in April will ship with the new kernel, as will Fedora 44 around the same timeframe. The Bazzite gaming distribution derives from Fedora and releases quickly, so it'll catch up within a month; let's call it May. ChimeraOS, the handheld-focused gaming distro, should get it around June. Oh, yes, and you can now change the Tux boot logo.

Most folks in tech enthusiast circles have heard of - or own - a Steam Deck and have possibly even installed SteamOS-based Linux distributions like Bazzite or Chimera. The small but growing backlash against Windows 11's strict hardware requirements and forced upgrades may have become evident in the latest Steam Hardware & Software Survey, which shows an all-time high of 3.20% for Linux.

That figure is a 0.15% rise in just one month, quite an impressive figure once you consider that for years on end, Steam Linux usage was under or barely over 1%. The launch of the Steam Deck in 2022 naturally increased that figure, but the gaming community seems be rallying around SteamOS derivatives, as the OS family had a 1.9% share in 2023, 3.05% in 2025, and now 3.20% as of this writing.

Although the Steam Deck is a worthy product on its own, it's not hard to imagine that Linux's rise is partly justified by Windows 11's shenanigans, like machine-breaking updates, a notification- and pop-up-riddled user experience, forced integration of Copilot and OneDrive, and, of course, the forced upgrade from Windows 10.

Over on the hardware side, AMD processors continue their steady march against Intel. AMD now commands 43.56% of the gaming processor market, versus 56.44% for Team Blue. Save for one month, Intel's CPU share has been steadily dropping for nearly one year straight and shows no signs of stopping.

The CPU core breakdowns also tell an interesting story. Over the past month alone, CPUs with 8 physical cores or higher saw a combined 1.18% uptick (under Windows, at least), meaning that gamers are buying or upgrading their machines at a pretty rapid clip, and potentially that folks are opting mostly for AMD systems.

As for gaming graphics cards, some surprising developments have arisen. The RTX 5070 is now the most common Blackwell GPU among the systems surveyed, posting a 0.33% gain to hit 2.12% of the overall pool. That's about as many users as those of the RTX 5060 and RTX 5060 Ti put together, which isn't the development we were expecting given the apparent pace of RTX 5060 adoption.

The RTX 5060 grew its share by 0.30% to hit 1.54% of systems surveyed. Meanwhile, the RTX 5070 Ti put up a 0.19% share increase to hit 1.09% of the pool, while the RTX 5080 grew its numbers by 0.14% to hit 0.96%.

Meanwhile, AMD's RDNA 4 cards remain notably absent as distinct data points in the survey. Whether this is a reporting issue on Valve's side or AMD's is unclear, but nine months into the life of RDNA 4, we'd expect at least token representation of these products in Valve's results. If it's not a technical issue, the implications for AMD's graphics division remain troubling.

While the Steam Hardware Survey isn't a rigorous examination of the market, it remains interesting to see how the broader market is responding to 2025's hardware launches. We'll continue to see what its tea leaves portend for gaming in 2026 as time rolls on. Be sure to check out the survey results for yourself.

Earlier in the week, we reported on the barnstorming success Linux distro Zorin OS has had since the official end of support for Windows 10 date passed, notching 780,000 installs from Windows 10 users in a mere five weeks. Now it turns out that other Linux distros are also making hay while Microsoft Windows 10’s sun sets: The developers of Bazzite have taken to social media to trumpet that it has “delivered over 1 petabyte of Bazzite ISOs in just the last 30 days.”

From October 29 to November 28, team Bazzite is happy to share that the site had 730,000 unique visitors, and it served 1PB of data during a month, for the first time. How many Bazzite OS downloads does this imply? We looked at the various ISO installers on offer and noted that an Nvidia GPU friendly ISO was 7.5GB, and an AMD GPU-ready ISO 6.6GB. So, if we assume an average of 7.0GB per ISO, that would be about 143,000 Bazzite downloads – getting close to 150,000 new users, as a best-case scenario.

Why Bazzite?

For those unfamiliar with Bazzite, it first blipped on our radar back in 2023, when it made waves as a gaming-centric SteamOS clone for those without a Steam Deck, but who were looking for a similar experience.

Bazzite progress has continued, but one has to admit its future looks less certain now that SteamOS is officially available for desktops. Nevertheless, Bazzite has been developed long and lovingly enough to make a fight of it. It currently offers broader system support, with the latest Linux drivers for broad compatibility with lots of desktops, laptops, and handhelds. You get a choice of downloading an ISO with Nvidia drivers already in place, and a choice of multiple desktop environments, too. Another important thing for gamers is the ready support for non-Steam launchers (for your Epic, GOG, Ubisoft and other PC games libraries).

The latest figures suggest that nearly 90% of Windows games run on Linux. The improvement of games compatibility has reduced the potential friction of migrating away from Microsoft’s OS. Moreover, things only seem to be getting better for Linux switchers (check that link for some hands-on Bazzite action).

Why Zorin?

Coincidentally, the even more successful (if the shared figures are accurate) Zorin OS has the key ‘selling point’ that it will usurp your Windows OS without breaking a sweat. This distro comes with a familiar-looking ‘Start menu’ UI, and the WINE compatibility layer setup is box-fresh, so you can root out your Windows application installer archives, DVDs, ISO, or whatever and install them and access your tried and trusted apps in this non-Windows OS.

I’ve tried Zorin, and it works well with old, abandoned software I like to use, even though it can have compatibility issues on Windows 11. That was an unexpected bonus.

Are Bazzite and Zorin small potatoes?

So, Zorin OS reportedly achieved 1 million downloads in 5 weeks. And now we hear Bazzite served almost 150,000 Linux ISOs in a single calendar month. That’s great, but these OSes are quite small players in the Linux world.

There aren’t definitive comparison figures, but searching around indicates that the most popular distros are Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Fedora, Debian, and Arch Linux. The top two mentioned might dish out multiple times the volume of ISOs served by small/new challengers like Zorin or Bazzite. However, with both those highlighted distros having special appeal to ex-Windows productivity and gaming users, perhaps the sands have shifted in their favor, to some degree.

Even though the value proposition was put in the backseat, Microsoft and Asus took a step in the right direction for PC handhelds with the new ROG Xbox Ally, especially with the work done to optimize Windows and create the Xbox Full Screen Experience (FSE). By turning off unnecessary background tasks and disabling much of the telemetry, the team was able to squeeze out more FPS without upping the power limits — all while sporting a polished, console-like UI. Turns out, the hardware is actually capable of even more than that, courtesy of Linux, of course.

In a not-so-scientific benchmark conducted by YouTuber Cyber Dopamine, the Rog Xbox Ally managed to perform better without Windows, the operating system it ships with out of the box. Cyber installed Bazzite, a popular Linux distro for handhelds built specifically to offer that console-esque, seamless experience. Visually, Bazzite looks identical to SteamOS because it uses Steam's Big Picture Mode as its main launcher. It also behaves similarly, but has its own custom menus and settings for customizing things like power profiles (which override Asus' built-in ones).

When testing Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, Cyber noticed a shockingly significant jump in FPS, with Linux generating ~32% more FPS compared to Windows. This trend follows at lower wattages, albeit with less noticeable differences, and the delta actually plateaus in Hogwarts Legacy to the point that both Bazzite and the Xbox FSE offer the same FPS at 13W. That being said, those frame rates are much more consistent on Linux, according to Cyber, who shows that the FPS graph on Windows fluctuates regularly, while staying mostly flat on Bazzite.

So, not only do you get higher frame rates, but those frames stay stable. On top of all this, Cyber highlights that waking up the Xbox Ally from its sleep state is instantaneous on Bazzite, similar to how it's on the Steam Deck. On Windows, however, it takes up to 40 seconds for the handheld to actually go into its sleep state with the fans turned off, and then a good ~15 seconds to come back on. Cyber compares a handheld to a book, arguing that you should be able to get into it without having to wait or think about any issues, like the controller sometimes becoming unresponsive on Windows.

Fascinatingly, Xbox Ally's release of Bazzite was being patched as Cyber was testing it. Our host would play a game, hop around the OS, fiddle with some settings, and report back any bug to "Antheus" (part of the dev team), who would then write new code for it live and quickly push the update in real time. Bazzite devs took bug-fixing to an entirely new level and made the end-user experience better for all Rog Xbox Ally owners. Even if you don't want to always stay inside Bazzite — for instance, when playing Battlefield 6 that requires anticheat — you can just dual-boot back into Windows and enjoy the best of both worlds.

Kazeta has arrived to “bring the console gaming experience of the '90s to modern PC hardware” (h/t GamingOnLinux). With this new Linux-based OS from the makers of Chimera OS, the promise is of a gaming experience where you simply “insert cart, power on, play.” Before doing that you will, of course, have to prepare the carts, but the developers assert that gamers can “turn any DRM-free game into a physical cart.” SD cards are the preferred choice for creating a game cartridge library.

GamingOnLinux received an email from Kazeta developer Alesh Slovak, which gives some insight into why this “pure gaming” OS was created. Slovak cited several reasons for originating Kazeta: for non-technical people who get lost in ChimeraOS or SteamOS menu interface structure, a disenchantment with digital storefronts, a fondness of collecting old physical games, and a feeling that preserving a digital game collection this way was a good idea.

The developers are under no illusion that Kazeta is for everyone. It needs “a bit of work” to setup and get started, it is admitted, but after that it is plain sailing 90s console gaming style.

The aforementioned “bit of work” means that you will have to install Kazeta OS on a PC. You’ll probably want to do it on a machine that is surplus to your daily computing requirements, yet have enough muscle to handle your intended game cart library. The process will go something like this:

• Check Kazeta system requirements
• Make sure you have a supported controller
• Download the OS installer ISO (2.5GB at the time of writing)
• Install the OS
• Download and prepare game carts based on a sample cart, or by creating your own

Maximum 90s convenience plus top 2020s performance

Once the above is all done, and time will vary depending on the size and complexity of your game library, you are ready to sit back and enjoy the promised console gaming experience of the '90s. That means from now on in you insert a cart, press power, and you will be in your chosen game in no time, enjoying “maximum performance,” according to the devs.

Performance monitors are nothing new in the realm of PC gaming. From benchmarking the latest hardware to troubleshooting problematic components, they are as commonplace as the very games we play. These days, reliance on third-party software like MSI Afterburner isn’t necessary as all GPU brands offer built-in overlays inside their driver suites.

But what if that third-party software were to offer something unique? Enter, Steam.

Steam is launching a new performance monitor today, one that tells you exactly how much FPS you’re getting, but also how many of those are fake frames generated by upscaling technologies such as DLSS or FSR. It’s an upgrade over the simpler overlay that Steam has had for years, which just showed an aggregated frame counter. This feature has been in beta for a few weeks and is finally getting officially released as part of today's client update.

The new overlay shows average FPS alongside minimum and maximum FPS, with the upscaled frame rate first, right next to the actual frames your graphics card is producing. You can have graphs next to each of the metrics and, depending on how many elements you want to monitor, the overlay will keep enlarging in the corner of your screen.

Valve says this new performance monitor should help with understanding how your PC is performing under the duress of all these software tricks. Modern games are more dependent on upscaling than ever before, with increasing hardware requirements and a general decline in optimization observed since last gen. In a way, Steam’s new overlay will tell you precisely how badly your GPU needed that assist.

Moreover, the new performance monitor will also show details about CPU, GPU, and RAM usage. This includes metrics like your processor’s clock speed, your graphics card’s temperature, and how much system memory is left to spill over to background tasks. This will bring Steam’s desktop overlay up to par with MangoHud, which has been available for SteamOS and Steam Deck users for a long time.

That being said, Valve is keeping the overlay limited to Windows for now with a focus on “the most common GPU hardware,” so you might not get the full experience if you’re running Linux or have an unconventionally old graphics card. It’s a given that improvements will be made in this area by both Valve and the community going forward.

You can enable this new overlay by going to Settings > In Game and then selecting the Show performance monitor option, after installing the client update. You can view in full how to use Steam's new in-game performance monitor using our guide.

Signs of Microsoft’s efforts to bring its Windows and Xbox platforms closer together have started appearing online. Case in point, the just-dropped YouTube trailer for MIO: Memories In Orbit shows the game’s availability on both Steam and "Xbox PC." Microsoft’s press release for Gears of War: Reloaded also mentioned that it's coming to Xbox Series X|S, Xbox PC, Xbox Cloud Gaming, PlayStation 5, and Steam this summer. This shows how the company is pushing for gamers to use the Xbox app on their gaming PCs instead of just installing a title directly, with Redmond aiming squarely at Steam.

Aside from these mentions, the Xbox App also received a massive change — Xbox users can now see their Xbox console games in the Xbox app library on their PCs. The Verge believes that this was intentional on the part of Microsoft to “closely combine its Xbox and Windows stores.”

Lenovo’s original Legion Go gaming handheld didn’t exactly get the warmest of receptions when it arrived in mid-2023. But the company is back with three new models here in 2025, all running either the familiar AMD Z1 Extreme processor or the new Z2.

Legion Go S: Powered by SteamOS or Windows 11 

 The Legion Go S ditches the detachable controllers of the previous Legion Go, in favor of a more traditional (and lighter, at 1.63 pounds) design. The white model runs Windows 11, while a “Nebula Violet” version will ship with Valve’s SteamOS – offering up a simpler and more console-like experience, but making it harder to buy and play games outside of Valve’s ecosystem.

Both models (officially called the Legion Go S and Legion Go S – Powered by SteamOS) feature the same hardware. You get a Z2 or Z1 Extreme processor, an 8-inch 1920x1200 LCD touchscreen (rated at 500 nits and 120 Hz), a 55.5 WHr battery, and up to 32GB of 6400 DDR5 RAM and 1TB of storage. And for those looking to add a roomier drive, Lenovo’s spec sheets indicate standard-sized 2280 M.2 SSDs are supported.

Port selection is comprised of a MicroSD card slot, two USB 4.0 ports up top, and an audio jack. Lenovo says the Windows-powered Legion Go S will be available in January for a starting price of around $729, while the Legion Go – Powered by SteamOS will arrive in May, with an expected starting price of $499. Lenovo adds, though, that additional configurations of the Windows-powered model will be available starting May 2025, with an expected starting price of $599. A company rep told us that, once both are available, you should be able to get a Legion Go S, running Windows or SteamOS, with the same AMD Z2 Go CPU, 16GB RAM, and 1TB Storage, for $599. The $729 Legion Go S running Windows will double the RAM to 32GB.

Legion Go 2 prototype: detachable mouse controller returns

On the higher end of the handheld spectrum, Lenovo also showed off a prototype of a next-gen Legion Go. This version keeps the detachable controllers (including the questionable mouse sensor that lets you turn the right control stick into the world’s least ergonomic gaming mouse), while rounding the edges of the controllers, making the D-pad circular, and upping the battery substantially, from 49.2 to 74 WHr.

The display remains 8.8 inches and 144 Hz, but this time it’s OLED and Lenovo (smartly, IMO) dropped the resolution down from 2560x1600 to a more reasonable 1920x1200. The touch display is also rated for 500 nits of brightness and features variable refresh rate support. Lenovo says the second-gen Legion Go will ship with a Ryzen Z2 and up to 2TB of storage and 32GB of fast 7500 MHz RAM when it arrives sometime in 2025. Port selection was still undetermined when we wrote this.

As spotted by Reddit user coolbho3k on the r/SteamDeck subreddit, Valve appears to be testing a new SteamOS-based device. The mysterious device, which Valve calls Fremont, seems to be the long-awaited successor to the Steam Box.

The Steam Deck kernel was updated a month ago for a device codenamed Fremont, which doesn’t correspond to any officially released Valve product. The kernel update is brief and only changes a single character on a single line. However, there are some nuggets of information: references to a ChromeOS Embedded Controller (CEC) driver, Google Dexi, and AMD Lilac.

The CEC driver and Google Dexi are not much of a mystery. The driver is used in tandem with a CEC, a chip with Chromebooks that controls processor power and thermal management, sensors, and the keyboard. Meanwhile, Google Dexi is a “device… which enables the HDMI CEC,” according to Google, which added it to the Linux kernel a year ago.

AMD Lilac, however, is more of an unknown quantity. It appears to be the name of a development motherboard for mobile AMD Ryzen processors, so it's probably not unique to Valve. Lilac was first spotted in Geekbench two years ago, running Ubuntu and a Ryzen Embedded V3C48 (Rembrandt) APU. More recent AMD Lilac spottings include the Ryzen 7 7735HS (Rembrandt-R) and the Ryzen 5 8540U (Hawk Point).

Therefore, it isn't easy to pinpoint the exact chip. For reference, Rembrandt combines Zen 3+ and RDNA 2 graphics; meanwhile, Hawk Point leverages the newer Zen 4 and RDNA 3 duo.

While it’s clear that Lilac is not exclusively Valve’s, Fremont may have already leaked onto Geekbench. By far, most Lilac submissions to the benchmarking platform come from a system that uses the Ryzen 5 8540U and the RX 7600M XT, and Reddit users argue that this is Fremont. These results were uploaded in batches from June to October this year; if Valve plans to launch a new PC shortly, testing it in recent months would make sense.

We searched for laptops and desktops that used this APU-GPU combination and came up empty-handed, so this could be Valve’s Fremont device, as the Reddit user speculates. If it is, then it’s almost certainly not going to be the Steam Deck 2 since the 7600M XT is rated for 120 watts, far too hot to be cooled by the kind of cooler that could fit into a handheld PC.

If Valve releases a PC with these two chips, it's far more likely to be a Steam Box successor. Although Valve could use desktop-grade hardware rather than mobile chips, it has more experience with AMD’s mobile hardware thanks to the Steam Deck, and mobile processors would allow Valve to build a more compact, efficient, and customized PC. Fremont might even be a new VR headset; it’s just hard to say what it is with any certainty.

However, it could also be another unreleased device from a different company. Tuxedo notably released its Sirius 16 Gen2 laptop this year, and it uses the Ryzen 7 8845HS (a Hawk Point APU like the 8540) and an RX 7600M XT, so laptops that combine a Ryzen 8000 chip and the 7600M XT do exist. However, the 8540 Lilac results used Windows 11 Pro, not Linux, so these submissions are unlikely to be for an unreleased model of the Sirius 16.

It’s also unclear why Fremont would use a CEC that is generally found on Chromebooks. The author of the Reddit post speculates that Google is involved with Fremont’s development in some form, to the point that it might even run ChromeOS instead of SteamOS to get access to Android TV apps.

Valve has published branding guidelines that make its intentions to deliver SteamOS 3 to a wide range of third-party hardware devices clearer than ever. GamingOnLinux highlights the document's 'Powered by SteamOS' logo, brand guidelines, and Valve's instructions regarding when and where to use this artwork on devices and packaging.

The guidance document contains information about Steam Compatible, Steam Included, and Stream Compatible products and logos, but the most interesting segment concerns the aforementioned 'Powered by SteamOS' section.

"The Powered by SteamOS logo indicates that a hardware device will run the SteamOS and boot into SteamOS upon powering on the device," according to the guide. "Partners/manufacturers will ship hardware with a Steam image in the form provided by and/or developed in close collaboration with Valve." The document then goes into design-centric rules regarding positive or inverse logotypes, plus logo positional and sizing concerns.

It looks plausible that Valve and its partners are developing a range of devices that will come with SteamOS installed from the factory. The guidance suggests that compatible logo-certified devices are input peripherals, making us wonder about gaming hardware that would happily run SteamOS but might come with Windows pre-installed. A case in point could be the Asus ROG Ally.

In August, we reported that the little ROG Ally was mentioned in Steam OS 3.6.9 Beta update patch notes. One specific update made to the SteamOS Input layer was the addition of "support for extra ROG Ally keys." So, it looks like the Windows 11-toting ROG Ally could be one of the first devices to get the Powered by SteamOS logo if Asus chooses to release an edition or updated system with SteamOS pre-installed.

Of course, there are many more handhelds and mini PCs that could be attracted to the SteamOS camp. They could capitalize on the gaming platform's popularity and save money on Windows licensing.

It is essential to learn from history, and it wasn't that long ago that Steam Machines came and promptly sank without much trace. However, what Valve now offers is far more rounded and well-regarded, with its own Steam Deck launched in 2022 and still going strong. When talking about an updated Steam Deck, people often cite how Valve's handheld has an optimal OS advantage over its Windows competitors – so SteamOS has undoubtedly built up its reputation in recent years.

A script adding display configuration for the Asus ROG Ally and ROG Ally X was merged into the master branch for Valve's SteamOS Gamescope compositor on GitHub, most specifically the ability for Gamescope to now address the full 48-120 Hz Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) range available to both of Asus' premiere gaming handhelds. Not only is this yet another sign of SteamOS getting a wider release for more PCs shortly— and based on past Valve comments, we know that bringing it to other handhelds is the main priority— it's also, genuinely, one of the most important features of the ROG Ally handhelds.

If you aren't familiar with Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) technology, you may have heard it called G-Sync (Nvidia's implementation) or FreeSync (AMD's implementation). Any implementation of VRR technology allows for the display refresh rate to synchronize with the game or 3D application's frame rate in real time, ensuring that visual tears are prevented and the presentation is as smooth as possible within the given VRR range. Most displays' VRR range cuts off around 40 Hz, but considering the difficulty of maintaining 120 Hz on a handheld, the overall VRR flex room on Asus ROG Ally handhelds is still quite nice.

This isn't the only Steam-related update we've seen in recent memory pointing toward preparations being made for SteamOS on ROG Ally. A SteamOS input layer update added support for Asus ROG Ally and ROG Ally X buttons in August, eight months after Valve made its aforementioned handhelds-first comment regarding broader SteamOS release plans. Due to the infamous nature of Valve Time, we can't be sure when Valve will capitalize on all of this hype and prep with a complete and proper release. Still, since some basic SteamOS 3 ports from the community (namely Bazzite and HoloISO) already exist, it's not like Valve needs to rush its own out the door.

This update also highlights that Valve's Steam Deck handhelds—even the Steam Deck OLED, which otherwise supports HDR at up to 1000 nits—don't support VRR. With VRR support present in SteamOS' Gamescope compositor for both external displays and rivaling internal displays, one hopes that may inspire Valve to include VRR with the eventual Steam Deck 2, whenever that may be.

The Arch Linux team has announced on its public mailing list that it will be entering into a direct collaboration with Valve. This is a big deal for several reasons, but let's start with why and how it happened. If you're familiar with Valve and Steam Deck, you may already know that the Deck uses SteamOS 3, which is built on top of Arch Linux. Thanks to the Arch Linux base and Valve's development of the Proton compatibility layer for playing Windows games on Linux, we now have a far improved Linux gaming scene, especially on Valve's Steam Deck and Deck OLED handhelds. 

While Valve's specific reasons for picking Arch Linux for Steam Deck remain unknown, it's pretty easy to guess why it was picked. Mainly, it's a particularly lightweight distribution maintained since March 2002, which lends itself well to gaming with minimal performance overhead. A more intensive Linux distribution may not have been the ideal base for SteamOS 3, which is targeted at handhelds like Steam Deck first.

As primary Arch Linux developer Levente Polyak discloses in the announcement post, "Valve is generously providing backing for two critical projects that will have a huge impact on our distribution: a build service infrastructure and a secure signing enclave. By supporting work on a freelance basis for these topics, Valve enables us to work on them without being limited solely by the free time of our volunteers."

Polyak continues, "This opportunity allows us to address some of the biggest outstanding challenges we have been facing for a while. The collaboration will speed up the progress that would otherwise take much longer for us to achieve, and will ultimately unblock us from finally pursuing some of our planned endeavors [...] We believe this collaboration will greatly benefit Arch Linux, and are looking forward to share further development on the mailing list as work progresses."

These quotes go to show how bigger corporations like Valve can still be a helpful, desirable influence in the FOSS (Free and Open Source Software) community. While the rules of FOSS dictate that Valve was under no obligation whatsoever to give back to the community in any way, it's had a great track record so far through Proton and is now directly funding the continued development of Arch Linux, which forms the foundation of its own SteamOS 3 operating system. It's true that volunteers in FOSS make that part of the tech world go round, but it's always nice when these projects can actually afford to pay people to get the work that needs to be done for the rest of our enjoyment.

In the long-term, the funding touted should, at minimum, allow Arch Linux to improve the security of its distribution and provide more structured releases compared to its current near-continuous update cycle. This could also lead to greater long-term improvements and feature additions, perhaps even ones that will benefit SteamOS 3 and its gaming performance, but for now, that part remains in the air.

Per Valve's patch notes released for the Steam OS 3.6.9 Beta update for Steam Deck, dubbed Megafixer, an interesting oddity has been added to SteamOS' input functionality. While most of the Megafixer update's patch notes are indeed related to bug fixes for Steam Deck (particularly external display errors, OS corruption issues, and other such glitches), one specific update made to SteamOS' Input layer is the addition of "Added support for extra ROG Ally keys".   

Since SteamOS 3.6.9 isn't even available on Asus ROG Ally, this seems particularly odd — until you remember Valve actually did make publicized comments vowing to give SteamOS 3 a public release before Steam Deck launched, and has simply remained silent on the matter since. In the interim, projects like HoloISO and Bazzite have emerged to give users of other handheld gaming PCs and desktop/laptop owners, in general, the ability to closely imitate SteamOS 3 and its core features.

So, does the existence of HoloISO and Bazzite perhaps override the need for a public SteamOS 3 release? Absolutely not — besides the documented fact that Valve already intended to create a public SteamOS 3 release, it's still painfully apparent that HoloISO and Bazzite aren't quite providing the polish and stability we could expect from an officially maintained public branch of SteamOS 3. 

HoloISO outright does not support Nvidia GPUs and is missing native features of SteamOS 3 like on-the-fly TDP and clock speed controls, with Decky Loader required to partially restore that functionality. Bazzite seems to be in better condition overall and even comes with lots of extra bundled software — and even a Deck-native version — but still requires Decky Loader and BIOS settings changes for on-the-fly TDP controls with per-game profiles to be made possible off of Steam Deck. This is one of the best features of the Deck and SteamOS 3, so it's a real shame no current SteamOS 3 alternatives can actually do it without modification.

Besides, these latest patch notes and pre-Deck release comments by Valve, we've actually heard a more recent comment on SteamOS 3 coming to devices outside the Steam Deck. Comments made to PC Gamer by Valve employee Lawrence Yang in November 2023 indicate that SteamOS 3 will target other handheld gaming PCs first, and then branch to "more arbitrary devices", meaning other laptops and desktops.

In the time since the May 2023 announcement of the DeckHD screen replacement for Steam Deck LCD, Valve introduced a Steam Deck OLED in November 2023 that replaced all mid-range and high-end models of the Deck with a quite significant display improvement— but now, they're also updating SteamOS with a patch to fully support the DeckHD screen. The DeckHD actually offered quite a nice upgrade of its own on the original Steam Deck before the OLED Deck overshadowed it, provided you had the tools or resources needed to get the $99 screen replacement installed.

Integrating these patches (originally made by balika011 on GitHub) is good to see from Valve developers and makes us hopeful that future display replacements for Steam Deck LCD, OLED, and the eventual Steam Deck 2 will also see the appropriate patches added to SteamOS for full support and configuration to those screens' needs. The specific changes added were for DeckHD display timings (for smoother V-Sync, etc) and simply recognizing the DeckHD as a "known display" to begin with.

In our original coverage of the DeckHD, we noted that it claimed 95% sRGB color gamut coverage over the original Deck LCD screen, which most pegged at under 70%. This was one of the most noted weaknesses of the original model's IPS panel—and why common soft mods included "VibrantDeck" to boost saturation and perceived vividness before a SteamOS update. 

DeckHD helped alleviate these color reproduction issues with or without the help of soft-modding, though its 1200p target resolution was less ideal for native resolution gaming in 3D titles— though realistically, you should be using resolution scaling on these handhelds in 3D titles, anyway. The higher PPI of these resolutions on handheld screens makes solutions like AMD FSR 3.1 shine and even the basic OS-level FSR 1 at least a little bit more tolerable.

These days, DeckHD's estimate has been adjusted to 87% sRGB—which is still pretty good, particularly considering it only just got official support. Now, DeckHD users should be able to enjoy a truly ideal display experience (particularly with configuration to preference) on their Decks once the next batch of major SteamOS updates rolls around.

On May 9, Valve's Steam OS received a preview update for Steam Deck LCD and OLED models that added overclocking support into the BIOS of the launch LCD model, among other boons. This Steam OS 3.6.0 preview update, dubbed "Remote-Controlled", is already available for download on existing Steam Decks by simply opting into the Preview channel in your Update settings.
We've included a quick summary of the key patch notes.

Steam OS 3.6.0 Preview Patch Note Highlights

• The BIOS for Steam Deck LCD now has overclocking controls.
• Other BIOS fixes and adjustments, including being able to set SD card as boot device.
• Compatibility improved for various Bluetooth audio devices, as well as Apple AirPods.
• Arch Linux base and Linux kernel have both been updated, and future system updates should be quicker.
• Finer control of wake-from-Bluetooth.  Support for Bluetooth A2DP and BAP have also been added, as well as a Flatpal-related issue causing temp files to accumulate.
• Display updated to improve uniformity/Mura Compensation, display color balance at low brightness, and gamma uniformity.
• Graphics driver updated to Mesa 24.1, which should come with lots of performance and accuracy improvements.
• Desktop mode now uses KDE Plasma 5.27.10 as a desktop environment, with thumbnail previews for videos in file browser and improved support for microSD cards.
• Patches to Deck Dock support and firmware will improve VRR display support and add HDMI CEC features.
• A ton of miscellaneous fixes.

Most of the patch notes fall roughly into the categories of "compatibility fix" or "polish". Of course, core updates to underlying Linux components including the graphics driver should manifest performance improvements in games, and those looking for the most cutting-edge performance possible on Steam Deck— especially modified Deck LCDs— can relish in the new existence of OC settings in the BIOS. 

For the most part, though, the most impactful patch notes will be the minor fixes, like "Improved reliability of microSD card usage scenarios", or "Worked around misdetection of some SanDisk microSD cards". The update itself is titled for new settings added to pick which Bluetooth devices can wake the system from a suspended state, which includes only controllers by default.

Ayaneo recently announced its new handheld gaming system, the Next Lite, which has a 7-inch 800p display, Hall Effect joysticks and was initially reported to have SteamOS. It ends up that it's not really running SteamOS.

At first, Ayaneo claimed that its upcoming portable gaming console has pre-installed SteamOS but later it confirmed to Gaming On Linux that it uses HoloISO, which is essentially a re-packaged version of SteamOS for use with systems other than Valve's Steam Deck.

It is not clear why Ayaneo didn't immediately come out and make the distinction, as offering SteamOS suggests some sort of official partnership. 

Ayaneo didn't reveal any information about the CPU or other specs, but the Next Lite is expected to be open to 'subscriptions' today at 9.30 PM EST.

What's Stopping Valve From Having SteamOS Installable on Other Devices?

Valve has suggested that it wants to make SteamOS work with other handheld gaming devices beyond the Steam Deck, though the current SteamOS is that it is tuned to work with Valve's hardware. That's where HoloISO and ChimeraOS come in for others to use. Valve has suggested it will eventually make SteamOS more widely available, but it hasn't provided a date.

HoloOS can still have flaws and minor issues depending on the device it is installed on.  To make sure SteamOS can be installed on other devices, Valve will need to ensure driver support and will probably start by making it available for other handhelds with similar gamepad-style controls.

Handheld gaming is getting more interesting and compeitive this year. Just this week, we saw the MSI Claw, which is using an Intel Core Ultra CPU, as well as OneXPlayer's OneXFly. Ayaneo is not new to the business, but it still relies on Kickstarter funds and has to compete with bigger players like Lenovo, Asus, and Valve itsef.

SteamOS is perhaps the biggest competitive advantage that the Steam Deck has over handheld competitors, but it won't be a surprise to eventually see it come to other portables. After all, games purchased through Steam give Valve a cut of sales. Once Valve releases SteamOS for third-party devices officially, we may get to a place where a good operating system designed for handheld devices is one of your choice: Windows, SteamOS, ChimeraOS or soething else. For now, ChimeraOS and HoloISO get you a bit closer to a SteamOS-like experience — but Ayaneo should have been more clear about it.

Valve announced SteamOS 3.5.1 Preview Update earlier this week and, as well as a handful of software fixes and changes, it delivered a new firmware with baked-in undervolting controls for the Steam Deck. Firmware 118 adds a trio of controls to the BIOS settings menu. For the first time it facilitates easily accessible voltage offset adjustments for the: CPU, GPU, and SoC.

As this is a Preview Update for the Steam Deck, you will only get it if you are in the Steam Deck Preview Channel for updates. Once updated, and with the new v118 firmware applied, you will be able to adjust the voltage offset of your CPU, GPU, and SoC. There is a limited range of between 0 and -50 mV within which you can adjust.

Above: Someone is happy with their undervolting results

Another important part of the update, not mentioned in the release notes, means that if you undervolt too far it is a cinch to get your system back up and running with default settings. SteamDeckHQ notes that the new firmware allows a simple CMOS reset of BIOS user-adjustable parameters including undervolt settings. All a user needs to do to reset CMOS with firmware 118 is to hold down the Volume Down button, the Three-dot button, and Power button at the same time. Later, re-enter the BIOS upon boot by holding down the Volume Down button to make some less drastic undervolt settings.

Some Steam Deck enthusiasts note that upgrading from firmware 116 to 118 removes access to overclocking via AMD PBS / CBS settings. While some say that undervolting is the new overclocking, on a device like the Steam Deck (which doesn’t have lots of performance to spare in demanding PC games) this may not be the case.

SteamOS 3.5.1 Preview Update Software Fixes

With the undervolting firmware news out of the way, it is worth highlighting some of the SteamOS 3.5.1 Preview Update’s software fixes. If you are having issues with external displays and HDR there are quite a few fixes delivered in 3.5.1, which you can read through in the top-linked release notes. A couple of desktop mode fixes have also been delivered.

Lastly, under the general fixes heading, Valve says that it has made changes to fix some issues with SD cards, performance overlay presets, and internal display rotation reporting.

Features trialed and tested in these preview updates will often filter through to general users in due course.

Valve's Steam Deck-focused SteamOS 3 operating system might be one of the best Linux operating systems designed for gaming; however, Valve has yet to release an official desktop version of the OS that is suitable for PC gamers. To remedy the issue, the Linux community has created a custom clone of SteamOS 3 called Bazzite that supports gaming PC hardware right out of the box — making Valve's SteamOS desktop experience accessible to Linux gamers.

Bazzite isn't an exact clone of SteamOS 3, but its functionality is virtually identical to Valve's operating system. On the surface, Bazzite features an identical desktop experience to SteamOS 3. Thanks to the integration of KDE Plasma — a customizable Linux desktop environment, and Valve's KDE themes from SteamOS, Bazzite shares the same desktop wallpapers, icons, and taskbar as Valve's operating system. If you didn't know any better, you'd think you were running the real SteamOS.

But under the hood, Bazzite's actual operating system is not the same, as it uses an entirely different Linux distro from Valve's operating system. Instead of using a branch of Arch Linux, which is the distro SteamOS 3 is based on, Bazzite is built using a custom version of Fedora 38, which incorporates more hardware and device support than SteamOS 3. Some of the hardware support includes baked-in proprietary Nvidia driver support for GeForce GPUs, to enable GeForce-powered systems to run Bazzite. (Sadly AMD support is unclear — but the OS does support AMD ROCm.)

One of the perks of Linux-based operating systems is that you have the freedom to build an operating system whichever way you choose, with features you want to have.

Beyond this, Bazzite has a several other features that make it stand out from SteamOS 3, including a CPU scheduler from system builder System76 to optimize CPU performance, an Android emulator called Waydroid, support for DisplayLink, and more. Bazzite is also capable of running Steam/Proton and Lutris through a virtualized compatibility layer of Arch Linux, which should improve compatibility with Steam Deck-approved titles. Even though Steam and Valve's Proton compatibility layer is already functional on Fedora 38, having a backup system that can run games through Arch Linux is good to have.

There is even a Bazzite version optimized for the Valve Steam Deck for that special niche of users who need more functionality than what Valve's SteamOS 3 already provides on the Deck. Most of the additions are highly technical, but one of the most unique additions is support for 32GB of memory for people who want to mod their Steam Deck with 32GB of system RAM. The Steam Deck version is definitely not for everyone, since the Steam Deck already comes with SteamOS 3, but it could be a good alternative for hardcore Linux power users.

The only issue right now with Bazzite is that the installation procedure is a bit complicated for normal users, to the point where the developers consider the OS installation process as incomplete. However, the installation shouldn't be too much of a problem if you're already familiar with Linux operating systems.

Bazzite is arguably one of the best efforts to get SteamOS 3's desktop experience running on anything other than the Steam Deck. There have been other attempts to get an actual copy of SteamOS 3 to work on non-Steam Deck hardware like HoloISO, but hardware support is unreliable and, in the case of HoloISO, it only really works with specific AMD GPUs.

Intrepid Steam Deck modder Balázs Triszka has shared news of an impressive feat of handheld device enhancement. In a recent Tweet/X by Triszka (h/t Overclock3D), we see that they managed to boost the Valve-made x86 PC gaming portable to 32 GB of RAM. That’s double the RAM quota this SteamOS handheld is factory configured with.

Upgrading the RAM on a Steam Deck is definitely not for everyone. Unlike your desktop, and many laptops, the RAM in these devices is soldered directly to the system PCB, like on a graphics card. These RAM chips will be attached with a plethora of tiny solder balls (ball grid array, BGA) to the mainboard of the Steam Deck. You'll need a one of the best hot air rework stations to make this possible.

Sometimes memory module replacement, for repair or expansion, is hindered by glue under the BGA chip. However, Triszka confirmed that Valve hasn’t done this. To double the memory quota of the Steam Deck, the modder simply switched the existing RAM chips for similar ones with double the capacity / density.

Triszka shows the flux-strewn aftermath of his de/soldering of the system’s RAM chips. A bath of isopropyl alcohol will soon have this mod looking factory fresh. This high-temperature molten metal surgery was just the beginning of the demonstrably effective mod. Very often hardware needs a firmware modification to enable this kind of upgrade, and this is true of the Steam Deck memory doubling mod. However, the satisfying conclusion is that this mod works, and you can see evidence of the system reporting an available 32 GB of RAM, below.

The Steam Deck is one of the most popular of the new wave of PC gaming handhelds, which is understandable given that it invigorated the segment with a uniquely compelling software / hardware combo in 2022. One of the good things about a leading and popular device is that it attracts the most developer attention.

We have already documented the arrival of a multitude of upgrades and mods like: an enhanced screen replacement, liquid cooling, a transparent shell, and we have tested lots of SSD upgrades. But be warned, RAM upgrades like Triszka are far from trivial, with soldering equipment and skills required in abundance. Modders also need a strong disposition and steady hands.

Valve's Steam Deck runs Linux, while the Asus ROG Ally is a Windows machine. But both are computers, so you can install what you want on them. Phoronix compared Valve's Steam Deck and the new Asus ROG Ally on Linux explicitly to see which handheld console is better at gaming under similar operating systems. With the OS swapped from Windows 11 to Arch Linux on the ROG Ally, the performance margin between the two consoles didn't change much. The ROG Ally exhibited superior gaming performance to the Steam Deck, but the Steam Deck was able to outperform the ROG Ally in power efficiency and battery life.

Testing the ROG Ally on Linux is definitely an interesting proposition, since many Linux distros arguably feature less bloatware than Microsoft's latest Windows 11 operating system, which could improve performance and battery life. Linux versions also come with different AMD-based drivers that can change the performance behavior (scheduling) of AMD's Ryzen CPUs in Linux compared to Windows, which can potentially improve performance in some cases.

But according to Phoronix's testing, installing Linux on the ROG Ally didn't really change its behavior compared to running games on Windows 11. The handheld was still faster than the Steam Deck in the right performance profiles, but still lost the race in efficiency, with the Steam Deck consuming far less power than the ROG Ally.

Even when the ROG Ally was running in its more power-efficient modes, the handheld could only match the performance of the Steam Deck in most cases and was unable to drastically outperform it.

For instance, in Cyberpunk 2077, the ROG Ally ran an average of 61 FPS with Arch Linux's ACPI performance profile but dropped down to 45 FPS when running in the OS's standard power profile. The Steam Deck (which is still running SteamOS) was able to almost match the ROG Ally's in its non-performance power setting, outputting 44.66 FPS average.

In terms of power consumption, the Steam Deck was massively better, consuming an average of just 10.76 watts in Cyberpunk 2077, while the ROG Ally in its performance preset consumed 30W of power - 3x more power than the Steam Deck. Sadly, the ROG Ally's more power-efficient profile doesn't save it here, and still consumed more power than the Steam Deck, coming in at 14.77 watts average.

Cyberpunk 2077 was one of the worst-case scenarios for the ROG Ally, however, most of Phoronix's testing suit still exhibited similar behavior. The only benchmarks that didn't see this behavior were the CPU tests, which unsurprisingly showed substantially better performance with the ROG Ally in all circumstances compared to the Steam Deck — thanks to the far newer Zen 4 architecture and four additional CPU cores.

Coming back to Linux specifically, Phoronix's results align closely with our own review of the ROG Ally (running Windows 11), in that the Steam Deck was able to greatly outperform the ROG Ally in battery life and power efficiency in the console's performance profile. Sure you could back down to a more power-efficient mode, but you'd be getting the same performance as the Steam Deck, with hardware that is two generations newer.

Phoronix's results proved that the ROG Ally's efficiency differences are most likely related to the hardware and cannot be rectified with an OS swap.

Asus' all-new ROG Ally handheld gaming device is now available for purchase, starting at $699 at Best Buy. That makes it one of the most competitive gaming consoles for the price, outside of the Steam Deck. The ROG Ally comes equipped with AMD's latest Z1 extreme gaming SoC and is capable of running PC games with the inclusion of Windows 11.

Best Buy is the only vendor that sells the ROG Ally, but we suspect other vendors will be selling the new gaming device eventually. The SKU Best Buy is selling is the higher-end RC71L, featuring AMD's Ryzen Z1 Extreme SoC, 16GB of LPDDR5 memory, and 512GB of internal storage. A lower-end SKU will arrive later featuring the same specs but will with AMD's lower-end Ryzen Z1 (non-extreme) with two fewer cores and four RDNA3 GPU compute units (compared to eight cores and 12CUs on the extreme).

The Ally is a full-blown handheld gaming PC, designed for users to play PC games from the couch or on the go. It sports an aggressive ROG-themed white finish, with two joysticks, a D-pad, and XABY keys on the front, with additional triggers on the top and rear sections of the device. The Ally weighs 1.34 pounds and features a 40WHr battery with a power adapter sporting up to 65W of charging potential.

In our review, we liked the console's capabilities, scoring it at 3.5 stars. We highlighted the use of  Windows 11 and its very strong performance with frame rates that outpaced the Steam Deck in most situations. The main gripes we had were that its software does not match the experience offered by Steam's custom-brewed SteamOS Linux operating system, and its underwhelming battery life characteristics.

Still, with a price of $699 for the higher performance model, we concluded that the Ally is a strong competitor in the handheld PC space. It has superior specs compared to the top-of-the-line Steam Deck trim that's priced just $50 less than the Ally, and it can play any Windows game out of the box — not just those with SteamOS support.

We’ve been excited to see what the Asus ROG Ally is capable of since we first reviewed the unit at launch. Today we’re taking a closer look at how well the Asus ROG Ally Extreme runs ChimeraOS, an open source Linux-based operating system based on Arch that simulates the Steam Deck OS. This comes to us from a video shared by ETA Prime, who has taken to pushing the Asus ROG Ally to its limits lately through all sorts of emulation tests.

ChimeraOS is extremely similar to Steam Deck OS and enables you to play many of your Steam games on the new handheld. If you’re looking for a best of both worlds alternative to the Steam Deck, ChimeraOS on the Asus ROG Ally seems to be an excellent compromise. ETA Prime indicates that ChimeraOS has many features you’ll find in SteamOS 3, so the interface and compatibility should be remarkably similar.

The OS loaded just fine on the first try and was responsive and provided access to ETA Prime's library through its user interface. The biggest issue was a lack of audio support. To circumvent this, ETA Prime needed to use its 3.5mm audio jack for audio output with an external speaker. The WiFi worked periodically but wasn't consistent — hopefully this can be tweaked in future upgrades. The last drawback was a lack of TDP control. That said, there are plenty of other performance settings available so the graphics settings can be tweaked as needed.

ETA Prime took the time to test several popular titles including Forza Horizon 5, Horizon Zero Dawn, and Doom Eternal at 1080p. However, the resolution did not appear as dense as it was supposedly set to during some of the tests. Other games like Left 4 Dead 2, Skyrim, and Cyberpunk 2077 tested great with video outputting around 120 Hz. It’s worth noting the Asus ROG Ally Extreme display is AMD FreeSync certified.

Overall the Asus ROG Ally appears to run ChimeraOS quite well. There are a few adjustments that might make for a better experience, such as integrated audio support, wireless reliability, and TDP control. While the Steam Deck stands out with better battery life, the Asus ROG Ally has proven to be rather versatile when running this Linux OS. If you want to see ChimeraOS in action, check out ETA Prime’s latest review over at YouTube.

Editor's Note: When we first published our review of the Asus ROG Ally on May 11, 2023, we gave it a provisional score of 3.5 stars, which remains unchanged. In our battery section, we noted that after benchmarking, we had intermittent issues charging the machine while it was powered on, but that it worked normally while sleeping or off. Asus sent a second unit, which has mitigated this issue, and claims that a new firmware update should prevent it from happening in the future. This new unit, however, has buttons that occasionally stick and squeak. Asus says it knows about this issue and that it will not occur on units shipping to customers. 

Ever since Valve's Steam Deck showed what the best PC gaming handhelds was truly capable of, we’ve been wondering when a high-end Windows-based competitor would show up. (Aya Neo and similar companies have made plenty, but they're not exactly household names). The first major player to arrive is Asus, partnering with Microsoft and AMD for the ROG Ally ($699.99 as tested) with Windows 11 and new Ryzen Z1 chips — including the top-end Z1 Extreme in our review unit.

Windows 11 brings many benefits — basically every game you'd want to play is compatible without emulation, and game streaming works great. But Asus had to build on top of Microsoft’s OS with its Armoury Crate SE software. And while Asus’ is largely very good, it’s not perfect. SteamOS is still king when it comes to useability on a PC gaming handheld.

That said, the Ally shows up the Steam Deck tremendously with its bright 1920 x 1080 screen, which is also faster at 120 Hz, though those specs raise questions about battery life.

It's good to see Asus knocking at Valve's door, even if Windows 11 isn't exactly meant to be stuffed into a design like this.

Design and Comfort of the Asus ROG Ally

Perhaps the most important aspect of the ROG Ally's design is that it's smaller than the Steam Deck. Valve's handheld gaming PC is a behemoth that makes the Ally look small in comparison. But in some cases, bigger might be better.

Asus' handheld is a thin white machine, measuring 11.04 inches wide, 4.38 inches tall and 0.84 inches thick. That's significantly smaller in every dimension than the black plastic Steam Deck, which is 11.73 x 4.6 x 1.93 inches, though the Ally is still bigger than the standard Nintendo Switch (9.4 x 4 x 0.5 inches). At 1.34 pounds, Asus’ handheld is also lighter than the Steam Deck’s 1.47 pounds.

I don't love Asus' aesthetic here. While the Steam Deck is black, subtle (outside of its size) rounded and comfortable, the Ally is angular and loudly broadcasts that it's a gaming device. There are RGB light rings around each of the joysticks, which Asus says can react to in-game effects, though I didn't see this occur. You can turn them off or change effects in Command Center or Armoury Crate SE, though its separate from other peripheral lighting.

There's a large holographic stripe down the back of the Ally, and some of the vents are shaped in the ROG logo. Asus really wants you to know that this is an ROG-branded device, to the point where it looks a bit like the ROG Zephyrus G14. There's no kickstand on the Ally (similar to the Steam Deck, but unlike the Switch). Asus makes up for this by including a separate stand in the box, which is made of molded cardboard. It works, but eventually it will bend, break, or get lost.

To me, the build quality on the Ally is not as nice as that ofthe Steam Deck. The plastic feels cheaper in my hands, though I don't think this is going to break apart, either. The bezel around the 7-inch touchscreen isn't as intrusive as the one on the Steam Deck, however.

Asus has designed the Ally in the style of an Xbox controller. The two thumbsticks are offset, with one on the left side above the directional pad and the other on the right side below A/B/X/Y buttons. There are four buttons surrounding the screen: on the left side, there's the Xbox View button and one dedicated to opening the Asus Armoury Crate Command Center overlay. On the right are the Xbox Menu button and a hotkey to bring you to your Armoury Crate game library. Those four buttons around the screen are more easily reachable than the option buttons on the Steam Deck.

There are bumpers and triggers, just like on an Xbox, but they are extremely close together, and they feel cheap. I wish they had a bit more separation and differentiation, though I eventually did get used to their spacing. There are two configurable back buttons, which are far easier to press than the ones on the Steam Deck. Valve's handheld, however, has four back buttons, not just two.

The Ally's face buttons are  slightly flatter than the ones on an Xbox controller, and they're clickier and a bit larger than the ones on the Steam Deck, but they worked and I found them comfortable enough. On our second review unit, the face buttons intermittently stick and the right bumper occasionally squeaks, though Asus says it knows about this and that it won't be an issue on Ally handhelds that ship to customers.  The menu buttons require a harder press, but they're better than the flat buttons on the Steam Deck. The thumbsticks leave something to be desired. The sticks on the Steam Deck feel sturdy, while the ones on the Ally feel looser and less rugged. They're a bit easier to flick around in comparison, but I quickly grew used to them. There's software to adjust sensitivity and dead zones, but you can't do much about the physical feel.

The D-Pad is squishy and disk-shaped. In fact, it reminds me of the Xbox 360's directional pad, which isn't a compliment. I played my favorite fighting game, SoulCalibur VI with it, and while I got some licks in as Xianguha dodging around Voldo and then getting in close with her sword, the pad needs more click and better separation. A standard plus shape would be more ideal, and the one on the Steam Deck is superior in every way.

I don't love the way the Asus ROG Ally sits in my hands. The Steam Deck may be big, but it has grips that fill my palms. The Ally, instead, has corners that jut out, pressing into them. In fact, I found myself using the macro buttons as grips, and while the Ally is the lighter system, it was less comfortable to hold for hours at a time.

While I preferred the larger Steam Deck's ergonomics, not everyone I showed the Ally to agreed. Two people with smaller hands, however, had very different opinions on the Ally's size and shape. For my wife, who has very small hands, the lighter size and smaller profile instantly made it easier for her to reach the stick and buttons. But a lab tester in our office found that the Ally was a bit flat for her liking. Even though her hands are smaller than mine, she wanted that grip. My editor-in-chief, Avram Piltch, preferred the Ally specifically because it was smaller than the Steam Deck, which felt less unwieldy to him.

The Ally has built-in rumble, which is satisfactory. It's not as strong as what you'd get on a modern console controller, but for a whole system, I found it to be good enough. For instance, it would vibrate just my right hand as I shot at cultists with a pistol as Layla in Redfall. It's enough to notice, but not intense.

The port situation on the Ally is similar to the Steam Deck, though placement is a bit different; all of the ports are along the top. There's a 3.5 mm headphone jack, a microSD card reader, and then a large port for Asus's XG Mobile graphics docking station (this additional external GPU accessory can go up to $2,000 with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090, if you can find it. Last year's model with an AMD Radeon 6850XT is currently $1,399.99). 

Part of that XG Mobile connection is a standard USB Type-C port, which is what the included 65-watt charger uses. The top is also where you'll find the volume rocker and a power button, which doubles as a fingerprint reader for Windows Hello. I had trouble setting this up, as the reader is very small, and it often suggested the reader was dirty. Once I got it set up successfully, though, it was fine.

Of course, the ROG Ally is still a computer. I connected a powered USB hub often, to use a keyboard and mouse, especially when first setting up the machine. You could also do this for external storage or other accessories. Asus doesn't have an official docking station outside of the expensive XG Mobile, but anything using USB Type-C should work.

Asus ROG Ally Specifications and Components

The ROG Ally can be purchased with one of two chips, the AMD Ryzen Z1 or Z1 Extreme. The model we received for testing has the latter, more powerful chip. It's a Zen 4 CPU on a 4-nanometer with 8 cores and 16 threads with a boost clock of up to 5.1 GHz. Monitoring software confirms that the chip falls under AMD's "Phoenix" codename. In fact, the Ryzen 7 7840U has the same boost clock, core count, and thread count. AMD lists the Ryzen 7 7840 U with a 15 - 30W TDP, while the Z1 and Z1 Extreme go can sip just 9 watts and go up to 30W.

The Z1 Extreme has AMD Radeon graphics. Specifically, these utilize RDNA 3 with 4GB of VRAM, 12 compute units and a 2.7 GHz clock. (For what it's worth, the Ryzen 7 7840U uses Radeon 780M with 12 CUs up to 2.8 GHz) 

When asked about the similarities, AMD’s client PR manager Matthew Hurwitz told Tom's Hardware that "The Ryzen Z1 series are purpose-built with handheld gaming in mind. To accomplish this, AMD engineers had to validate entirely new power ranges and optimize the voltage curves specifically for this use case – this optimization and validation work should not be trivialized. So while the technology building blocks (like ‘Zen4’ and RDNA 3) are similar between the 7040 and Z1 series, the resulting models have very distinct characteristics customized for their use cases. In addition, the AMD Ryzen AI engine is not available on AMD Ryzen Z1 series processors." When we followed up, Hurwitz explained the AI engine is disabled, suggesting this is a version of the same chip.

The Z1 Extreme is paired with 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM and a 512GB SSD (though of course Windows 11 takes up some of that).

Check the configurations section below to learn more about the base-level Ryzen Z1.

If you're wondering about the Z1 Extreme as a CPU, it's fairly potent. On Geekbench 6, it earned a single-core score of 2,468 and a multi-core score of 11,041. Both are way higher than the numbers put up by the Steam Deck's SoC, which is based on AMD's older Zen 2 cores.

Gaming and Graphics Performance on the Asus ROG Ally

You might think that with that with more and newer GPU cores (12 RDNA 3 compute units on the Ally compared to 8 RDNA 2 compute units on the Steam Deck) and a Zen 4 CPU compared to a Zen 2 CPU, it would be easy to say that the the Asus ROG Ally outperforms the Steam Deck to significant degrees all the time. But once you get into the handheld space, you have to do a lot of complex dancing between performance and battery life.

The Steam Deck's "Aerith" SoC was designed to work the same way on battery or when plugged into the charger; there's one experience that you always get (the older SoC has a lower TDP of 4-15W). That's not the case with the Z1 Extreme on the Ally, which benefits greatly from the more power.

So we tested the Z1 Extreme two ways: on battery, using the out of the box "performance" mode, as well as plugged in, which defaults to a more power-hungry "turbo" mode. Because the Ally is a handheld, we consider power on battery to be the default score. You could change to turbo mode while away from the charger, but that's going to eat at your battery faster.

Meanwhile, the Steam Deck has seen massive stability improvements since launch, so we retested it to get numbers with all of the latest fixes on the Stable channel. When unplugged, the Ally was often slightly ahead of the Steam Deck, but not by much. Plugged in, it was a different story. But if you play unplugged, performance doesn’t really offer up a reason to replace your Steam Deck with an Ally.

We retested the Steam Deck at its native 1200 x 800, but the games we tested on the Ally didn't allow for that, so we've tested it at both 720p and its native 1080p. You'll see that while the screen allows 1080p, going for 720p is a smarter choice if you care about frame rates.

We weren't provided an XG Mobile for testing, but we can only imagine that the external GPU, going up to an RTX 4090, will be a massive improvement over the integrated GPU here. Although gaming on a handheld while having a large connector and a thick cable protruding from the top of the device is not likely to be a pleasant experience, either. Asus expects if you’re using the XG Mobile, you’re going to be plugged into a monitor and peripherals, rather than using the device like a handheld. Keep in mind, all of this testing is in handheld mode.

Every game is different. When I tried Redfall on the Ally in Performance mode, I found that I needed to keep it at low settings at 720p to fall between 30 and 45 frames per second without using any upscaling technology. Using AMD's FSR brought that to between 45 and 60 fps, with minimal loss of fidelity. Our testing below tells a fuller performance story.

On Shadow of the Tomb Raider (medium preset, DX12), the Asus ROG Ally ran the game at 47 fps at 720p and 32 fps at 1080p. That 720p number is just four frames higher than the Steam Deck at 1280 x 800. Plugged in, those Ally numbers bumped to 64 fps and 40 fps, respectively.

Cyberpunk 2077 has a Steam Deck preset, which we used for testing. It hit 37 fps on the Steam Deck, but at 720p, the Ally hit 40 fps. (It was unplayable at 1080p, at 26 fps). The Ally hit 55 fps at 720p and 35 fps at 1080p when plugged in on Turbo.

Civilization VI: Gathering Storm's DX11 graphics test at ultra settings refused to run below 1080p on the Ally. The test ran at 32 fps, but bumped up to 43 fps when plugged in with Turbo mode. The Steam Deck ran the game at 33 fps at 800p.

Red Dead Redemption 2 (on the lowest possible "Favor Performance" settings) was our chance to test a Vulkan game on the Ally. At 720p, the Ally ran it at 45 fps, a frame behind the Steam Deck, while at 1080p it ran at an average of 30 fps flat, suggesting it's occasionally below that. Plugged in, it fared better, hitting 40 fps at 1080p.

We ran Borderlands 3 on DX11 at medium settings. At 50 fps at 720p, the Ally beat the Steam Deck by five frames. Plugged in, it jumped to 59 fps at 720p and 44 fps at 1080p.

Our last benchmark was Forza Horizon 5 at high settings, where the Ally showed a nice improvement over the Steam Deck. While Valve's handheld hit 41 fps, the Ally reached 54 fps at 720p and 43 fps at 1080p. Plugged in on Turbo, it went way higher.

To stress test the Ally, we ran the same test we do on gaming laptops: Metro Exodus for 15 runs. We changed it up to fit the handheld, however, running the benchmark at 720p with DirectX 12 on the low settings preset. It ran at an average framerate of 77.7 fps, though the minimums and maximums varied wildly (the average minimum was 37.23 fps while the average maximum was 123.21 fps). Scores were consistent across runs.

During the stress test, HWInfo reported that the CPU ran at an average of 1.98 GHz while the integrated graphics ran at 1.17 GHz. The CPU die ran at an average temperature of 58.65 degrees Celsius, while the iGPU reached 55.88 degrees Celsius. Monitoring suggests the iGPU occasionally thermally throttled, while the CPU cores did not.

Windows 11 on the Asus ROG Ally

The Asus ROG Ally isn't the first Windows gaming handheld, but it's clearly the highest-profile entrant to date. While you can install Windows on the Steam Deck, SteamOS is the default there.

So Windows 11 really has to shine on the ROG Ally, and so does Armoury Crate SE, the application Asus built to supplement Windows with some gaming-focused features.

While Windows 11 has the benefit of running almost every game you can imagine, it's not totally up to running this kind of machine without quirks and issues. Windows recognizes the Ally as a tablet, which means that you have separation between touch targets, and the taskbar minimizes when you're not using it. But Windows 11 is still tough to touch on the 7-inch screen, and using it with joysticks and buttons isn't exactly easy. At best, using the "desktop" control scheme means the right joystick moves the mouse around, which I found difficult, while the right trigger is right click and the right bumper serves as left click by default.

There are other oddities. The Windows keyboard doesn't always pop up when I want it to, like when logging into Steam or Epic Games. I had to use Asus' software to force it open, which is one extra step too many.

Some launchers don't work great with the controller. In fact, the best is Steam in its Big Picture mode, which works just like the UI on the Steam Deck. Even on a Windows PC, Valve makes the best way to navigate with a controller. Some other launchers don't work great with a controller. The extra launcher for Cyberpunk 2077 required that I use the touchscreen. And in Windows, dealing with User Account Control meant I had to use the touch screen, as it often didn't work with the controller.

Unlike SteamOS though, Windows doesn't have to emulate games. While Proton has gotten very, very good,native Windows means that there aren't issues with anti-cheat, and can lead to performance improvements.

Windows does double duty as a gaming OS and, well, a regular OS. On Steam Deck, going full screen as opposed to  windowed borderless in a game doesn't mean much, as it will fill the screen either way. On the Ally, it means a lot in terms of functionality and moving in and out of games.

In a surprising turn of events, Asus' Armoury Crate SE actually helps a ton in filling Windows 11's gaps. I've complained about Armoury Crate in many forms over the years, but I have to say, here, it helps. It launches automatically when you turn the Ally on, and I could see some gamers almost never leaving it and touching actual Windows.

If you connect the Ally to a monitor, you still get a normal Windows PC experience. Here, many of the pitfalls are gone. It's a reminder of what Windows normally is for PC gamers. It also is a reminder that the Ally is a full-fledged PC. You could also do work, listen to music, and pay your bills on this thing.

Armoury Crate SE on the ROG Ally

When Armoury Crate SE opens, it serves as a library for all of the games and launchers on your Ally. Lots of gaming companies have tried this before, but it feels far more crucial on a handheld than on one of the best gaming laptops.

By default, it works with Xbox, Steam, Epic Games, EA, GOG Galaxy and Ubisoft Connect. That means there are apps it's missing, like the Rockstar Games launcher. You can still add any program or game you want manually, which I had to do for Red Dead Redemption 2. Launching any game still takes a minute, as it has to open the actual launcher before starting it. That assumes you're even logged in, or there aren't first-time updates or redistributables the launcher has to add.

Still, going to install launchers through Armoury Crate just throws you to a website in the Edge browser. You still have to use Windows. There are some hiccups. You can delete a game from your library, but it won't delete the game from a launcher like Steam. 

The Settings tab in Armoury Crate lets you change up performance modes, networks, and adjust the RGB lighting around the thumbsticks. It also lets you choose what goes in the Command Center, which is the feature to make quick adjustments on the fly. You can also go in-depth here with controls, including adjusting the dead zones and sensitivity on control sticks and remapping buttons. 

This entire section of the app reminded me a lot of Aya Neo's AyaSpace, just in a more functional fashion. There are some bugs to iron out here. Sometimes, when I shut the RGB lights off to save battery, it just turned back on. I also used this section to change the refresh rate and sometimes saw it swap back.

The Content section is a bit barebones. You can see your screenshots and video recordings (you can use a macro button and A for a screenshot or Y for a screen recording), check for updates, see Asus game deals and check your device's specs here.

In game, Command Center is activated by pressing the dedicated button in game. That lets you make some changes on the fly, including operating mode, whether you're controlling with a controller or using the thumbsticks to move the mouse, and turning on the touch keyboard for text input. There’s also an FPS limiter and a refresh rate changer, as well as a slider to quickly adjust the brightness. There's a resolution changer, too, but that actually only changes the Windows 11 desktop resolution. Since some games operate independently of that, it may not change your games, and Asus told press it's considering removing that last aspect in an update.

Command Center and Armoury Crate aren't perfect. Rocket League and Red Dead Redemption, for instance, didn't launch in the preferred gamepad control scheme, so I had to adjust them to use Xbox controls. For Red Dead, that meant I couldn't move around until the change was made, and all of the prompts showed mouse and keyboard. At least it's easy to switch. On the other hand, Civilization VI needed to be moved to desktop mode, as you navigate that game primarily with a mouse. This works, but the lack of a touchpad like on the Steam deck really hampers that kind of control.

There's a lot to fix here, but I'm surprised at the amount Asus got right. It's all more rough around the edges than the SteamOS experience, which you find immediately when you enter Steam's Big Picture mode on the Ally and everything just works. But when dealing with multiple launchers, it's always going to be a patchwork. Here's hoping Asus keeps improving it.

Ideally, Windows would have a sort of controller gaming mode that does all this itself. But until then, other software has to be a Band-Aid. 

Display on the Asus ROG Ally

If there is one spot where the Ally indisputably beats the Steam Deck, it's the quality of the screen. Asus is pushing handheld gaming to 1080p. The ROG Ally's 7-inch screen has a 16:9 aspect ratio with Full HD resolution and 120 Hz speeds. In almost every way, those specs are an improvement over Valve's Steam Deck. The Deck also has a 7-inch screen, but with a taller 16:10 aspect ratio, which tops out at 1280 x 800 and 60 Hz.

But what's really important is the brightness and the colors. I'm fine with 720p at this 7-inch size, but better colors will always be an improvement. Every game looks better on the Ally than the Deck.

In my own playtime, I found myself comfortably playing with the display as low as 25% brightness. Even then, I could make out the ships in the harbor in the dark Indian Port: Impending Storm arena in SoulCalibur VI. Colors popped, and the blue and orange cars in Rocket League popped against green grass in various stadiums.

The Ally's display covers 108.6% of the sRGB color gamut and 76.9% of the wider DCI-P3 gamut. That's way better than the Steam Deck — the standard screen on a 64GB or 256GB model hits 68.5% of the sRGB gamut.

At 465 nits of brightness, the Ally is also intensely brighter than the Steam Deck, which measured 169.7 nits when we tested it. You probably won't want to game on battery at the Ally’s full brightness, as it will drain the battery faster. But you have far more options with how luminous the screen gets, and it looks better in every way. I do recommend lowering brightness (I often played at about 50%) for more time away from the charger.

Game Streaming on the Asus ROG Ally 

When the Steam Deck launched, using a browser to stream games was an issue. With Windows, that isn't the case. The Ally comes with the Xbox app preinstalled to use PC Game Pass, and I had no issues running Nvidia GeForce Now to get Cyberpunk 2077 and other games running at their highest frame rates on high settings, which you can't do for many games using the Z1 Extreme's APU.

As with other games and launchers, ensuring that the system was running in controller mode and not desktop mode was key to getting prompts to work correctly. And of course, streaming can add some latency. But it's an option here, as streaming works with Windows with no problem.

Battery Life on the Asus ROG Ally

Keep that 65W charger handy. The ROG Ally is a handheld device, but one that doesn't last terribly long on a charge. Battery life will change dramatically from person to person, based on what they play and the settings they use. But in general, I've seen this thing last around two hours on a charge.

In a few cases, I tried games like Shadow of the Tomb Raider and Red Dead Redemption 2 with the screen at 50% brightness and the games set at 720p resolution, making sure they didn't go over 60 frames per second. In those cases, I was on track for the machine to lose power, again, around the two hour mark.

To see how the 120 Hz refresh rate affects battery life, I played Rocket League at 720p on the quality settings preset, locking myself to the most frames the display could offer. Because the screen is so bright, I turned it down below 50%. At an hour and twenty minutes, Windows interrupted my game to warn me to plug in. By an hour and a half, the system shut down as a comeback match was about to enter overtime.

If you want more time, I do have some tips. Back when the Steam Deck came out, Valve was open about its battery testing being at a locked 30 fps. That's a smart move. I would also recommend turning down the screen as low as you can tolerate it, and also turning off the RGB around the thumbsticks, which can be pretty but sucks unnecessary power.

On the PCMark 10 Gaming battery test, we saw the Ally run for 1:43, just beating the Steam Deck (which hit 1:40 on Windows — that test won't run on SteamOS). On our standard laptop battery test, which browses the web, streams videos and runs OpenGL tests with the screen set at 150 nits of brightness, the Ally lasted for 5:51. But clearly most people will be doing more demanding things with their gaming handheld than browsing the web and streaming. So expect real-world results to stick much closer to the shorter PCMark number.

Also of note: We experienced some bugs around charging; while not an issue initially, after a few days of using and testing the Ally, we noticed a problem. While the system was on, plugging in the charger wouldn't charge the device. Shutting off the machine and plugging it in would work, as did plugging it in and turning it on afterwards. 

The reverse was also true — unplugging the machine didn't tell the device it wasn't charging. It would still lose power while gaming, but it would also stay in Turbo mode unless explicitly told otherwise, which means battery life would drain faster than normal. Asus sent a second unit that so far hasn't had this issue. Additionally, it says that a new firmware update should prevent it from happening.

Audio on the Asus ROG Ally

Asus equipped the ROG Ally with a pair of 1W speakers that support Dolby Atmos, and in gaming they do a decent job. They're in no way going to replace the best gaming headsets, but to me, they're comparable enough to whatever I'd get out of a monitor or TV.

In Rocket League, the roaring of my car's engine was balanced with the crowd chanting for defense. I also got the clear sounds of swords clanging and orchestral music of SoulCalibur VI.

Look, the speakers aren't as good as on a decent laptop. I used the Ally to listen to Death Cab for Cutie's "Pepper", and while it was decent, with good vocals, snappy drums and clear guitars and synths, there wasn't much bass. It's fine for holding in front of you, but the volume won't fill a room the same way as a bigger machine.

The Ally comes preinstalled with Dolby Access. It defaults to game performance mode, which "prioritizes positional accuracy for competitive gaming." Switching to music was slightly better for some tunes, but not enough that I'd constantly be switching. There's a dynamic mode if you're interested in auto-switching. I think most people will be fine leaving it as it is, especially as this is a gaming machine first and foremost.

Heat on the Asus ROG Ally

The ROG Ally is designed like the Steam Deck, in which hot air comes in through vents in the back and is ejected through exhaust ports on the top. It's a solid design, and I never found the Ally to get uncomfortably warm while playing games on it.

I took skin temperature measurements while running our Metro Exodus benchmark. As you can see from the Flir images below, all of the heat is in the center of the device, away from the controllers (including the M1 and M2 buttons on the back), so that you don't feel it.

The controllers fell around 26 degrees Celsius (78.8 degrees Fahrenheit), which is cooler than most trackpads on laptops. The hottest points, unsurprisingly, were the vents on the top, measuring 47.2 C (116.96 F).

When gaming on battery in performance mode, I barely heard the fans. That's a big difference over the Steam Deck, which had very whiny fans that would spin up on a whim (though I hear the iFixit replacements are better). This changes a bit when playing on Turbo mode when plugged in, when the fans become audible, though not terribly whiny.

Upgradeability of the Asus ROG Ally

It's pretty easy to get into the ROG Ally. The rear has six Phillips head screws (five are quite long, the middle screw on the bottom is shorter and captive). With the screws out, I inserted a pry tool between the bumpers and triggers and the back plate (including the triggers and rear macro button) immediately separated.

The inside of the Ally is tightly packed, including an odd barbell-shaped battery. The real prize is underneath some heat shielding — an m.2 2230 SSD. If you want to replace it and add more storage later, you can. There are more 2230-sized SSDs on the market than there used to be, but they're often expensive and don't come in the highest capacities. Unlike the Steam Deck, you can at least replace the drive in the Ally without lifting up the CPU cooler. The heatpipes come close, but aren't in the way.

On the back plate, you'll see that there are dust filters where the CPUs take in cool air.

Valve sells replacement parts for the Steam Deck through iFixit. I hope that Asus eventually decides to publish repair guides and provide instructions, as parts like joysticks can eventually fail and succumb to drift. For the moment, Asus just has a sticker inside the unit that reads "DO NOT DISASSEMBLE".

What the Steam Deck Does Better Than the Asus ROG Ally

Outside of fit and finish, there are some lessons I wish that Asus took from the Steam Deck. First off, I had to throw the Ally in my backpack unprotected. The Steam Deck comes with a carrying case. Asus will sell one, eventually, but it feels like you're getting less when Valve packs one in.

Microsoft, AMD, and Asus could also consider working on something akin to the Steam Deck Verified program. It would be a massive, cross-launcher undertaking, but having an idea of which games run well on the Ally could improve the experience, especially when it comes to keyboard inputs, whether Xbox-style controls work and if the game runs decently. Obviously, Microsoft could skip the anti-cheat aspects that Valve has to deal with because of Proton and Linux.

Of course, the Steam Deck offers the same performance plugged and unplugged. I wish AMD, Asus, and Microsoft considered that here. This is a handheld device first and foremost, and it would be easier to manage expectations if it didn't, like gaming laptops do, work significantly better plugged in.

The ROG Ally also doesn't have my favorite function from the Steam Deck: suspending games. On the Steam Deck, when you press the power button, the system goes to sleep, but when you press it again, the game starts where you left off. On the Ally, it just handles things like any Windows PC, and that means not every game behaves similarly. This is a big feature Microsoft needs to work into Windows, stat.

In fact, Windows desperately needs some kind of control mode for gaming handhelds (heck, it would benefit desktop users who use controllers). Using Asus's software to switch between desktop and controller modes all the time isn't a great solution when, most of the time, the Steam Deck just works.

Lastly, Steam sells replacement parts for the Steam Deck in a partnership with iFixit. Asus hasn't said anything about what's going to happen if you start experiencing stick drift on the Ally, but I hope the Armoury Crate SE software can accommodate this. (Asus sells the ROG Ally with a one-year warranty.)

Perhaps the ideal for these types of machines would be dual-booting, but an official dual-boot wizard isn't ready yet from Valve.

Configurations and Availability of the Asus ROG Ally

We tested the more powerful — and more expensive — version of the Asus ROG Ally. That ships with an AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme (8 cores / 16 threads) with Radeon RDNA 3 graphics (12 compute units), 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD. It will go on sale on June 13 for $699.99, with pre-orders going live the day of this review's publication, May 11. That's just $50 more than the most expensive Steam Deck, which is $649 with 512GB of storage, an anti-glare screen, and a carrying case. Considering that Steam makes money off of game sales, I'm pleasantly surprised to see Asus getting this close to Valve in terms of pricing.

In materials for reviewers, Asus lists a cheaper model of the Asus ROG Ally, but unlike the Steam Deck, paying less means getting less CPU and GPU performance. The regular Ryzen Z1 (not Extreme) has half the cores and threads and a lower CPU clock (up to 4.9 GHz). With four RDNA 3 compute units running at 2.5 GHz, it's also far less graphically capable. It also has half the storage, at 256GB, which is pitifully cramped for a gaming system. Asus did not confirm pricing or availability for this model ahead of publication.

But at Best Buy, there is a secondary, cheaper configuration. It uses the Z1 with a 512GB SSD, and will cost $599.99. It's unclear if we'll see the 256GB version, but honestly that's quite small for PC gaming.

On the Steam Deck, Valve included the same CPU and graphics across all three of its models. The only difference was the storage.

The Ally still has to compete, however with Valve's $399 entry model with 64GB of eMMC storage and 256GB mid-tier option for $529. Perhaps that's what the regular Z1 is for.

Bottom Line

If you're looking for a Windows alternative to the Steam Deck (and don't want to install Windows on the Steam Deck), the Asus ROG Ally is a strong competitor. I don't think it feels as nice in the hands, but its display is decisively an improvement over Valve's, even if using the full brightness or refresh rate will drain your battery quickly.

If you primarily play unplugged, as I do, the Z1 Extreme will provide an improvement in performance over the Steam Deck's SoC, but not enough to inherently consider it over the Steam Deck (or to replace the Steam Deck if you have one). To be clear, Asus didn't loan us a model with the regular Z1, so we can't compare that iteration just yet.

If you are plugging your handheld into a monitor and gaming plugged in, you will get a significant boost over the Steam Deck, and the Ally is for you. I'm not sure I expect many people to buy an external GPU that costs multiple times the amount of the actual handheld, but for those who bought fully into Asus' proprietary ecosystem, it's a plus.

Asus' software, Armoury Crate SE, works better than I thought it would, but I did see some bugs, with settings changing when I didn't want them to. These bugs aren’t huge, but they're there. It works natively with some launchers and not others. Compared to Valve's SteamOS, it's messy and complicated, especially with Windows 11's own intricacies on top. But SteamOS doesn't run games from your Epic Games Store collection, and Windows 11 doesn't require emulation. For many, the openness may be worth the tradeoff.

The Ally is largely priced right. At $699, it's competitive with the top-end $649 Steam Deck with the same amount of storage and an older Zen 2 chip (and a dimmer, slower, lower-res screen).

It's great to see competition in the handheld PC space. If the Steam Deck blew the doors open, it also ensured reasonable pricing. Now that Asus is challenging Valve, every PC maker considering getting in on this game has a new benchmark to compare to when it comes to the display and game compatibility.

After a confusing April Fools' Day announcement, Asus is making it 100% clear. The Asus ROG Ally gaming handheld is real, it's coming soon, and it comes in configurations with two different custom AMD processors.

Those two processors are the AMD Ryzen Z1 and Ryzen Z1 Extreme. Both use Zen 4 cores with RDNA graphics on a 4nm process. The regular Z1 is a 6-core, 12-thread CPU and has four RDNA 3 compute units for graphics, while the Z1 Extreme bumps that to eight cores and 16 threads with 12 RDNA 3 compute units. On the Steam Deck, Valve's Ryzen-based Aerith SoC has four cores, eight threads and eight RDNA 2 compute units for graphics.

 No matter which APU you go with, the Ally comes with 16GB of DDR5 RAM and a 512GB PCIe 4.0 SSD (to expand storage, you can also use the system's UHS-II micro SD card, though it's relatively slow with up to 312 MBps max speed). Both variants match the top-end $649 Steam Deck on storage capacity, though the Steam Deck uses a slower UHS-I micro SD card slot. Connectivity includes Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth, but, like the Steam Deck, Asus is skipping out on 5G and 4G LTE.

The processor situation warrants further discussion. The Z1 comes with more CPU muscle than the Steam Deck's APU, but its graphics solution will potentially be half as fast since there are only four CUs. The Z1 Extreme fixes that problem and then some, offering 50% more compute units than the Steam Deck. Performance will also depend on the GPU clocks, which may or may not be higher than the Steam Deck's GPU.

The display is a 7-inch, 1080p touchscreen with a 16:9 aspect ratio that runs at up to 120 Hz using Gorilla Glass Victus. Asus claims a max of 500 nits brightness. The Steam Deck's screen is also 7-inches, but with a 16:10 aspect ratio, a lower 1280x800 resolution and a 60 Hz refresh rate. 

Clearly, outside of the aspect ratio, Asus wins on paper here, at least for the Z1 Extreme. But there's an open question as to how many games will take advantage of the 120 Hz refresh rate, and what that will do to battery life. When we reviewed the Steam Deck, Valve said its battery life estimate was for a 30 frames-per-second limit. Asus claims up to 8 hours of battery life, but we'll have to see what that's like when we get one in our hands.

Asus is running Windows 11 on the ROG Ally. The benefit here is that basically everything runs on Windows, including Steam, Epic Games, Nvidia GeForce Now, Xbox Game Pass, and the wide variety of launchers from game publishers. SteamOS, which Valve uses on its handheld, only plays Steam Games, though you can install Windows there if you like.

But SteamOS works excellently with controllers, while Windows leaves a lot to be desired there. Asus will have its own Armoury Crate UI and overlay for making changes while in game, but we'll have to spend time with it to see if it's any good. This new version of Armoury Crate will also control haptic feedback, let you switch between handheld, keyboard, and desktop modes, and let you customize joystick dead zones.

The other benefit for using Windows may be with performance. There won't be any emulation, like with games using Proton on the Steam Deck.

The company is touting a "zero-gravity thermal system" to keep the Ally cool, with heat pipes that work no matter how you hold the Ally. It likens it to the cooling systems it uses in the 2019 ROG Mothership (which was quite loud) and the Flow Z13 tablet. Asus claims that with a single fan running, it will reach 30 dB, while it's a quieter 20 dB with both fans.

At 608 grams (1.34 pounds), the Ally is lighter than the Steam Deck. Without the touchpads, it sheds a significant amount of its footprint, too. Asus has gone with an Xbox-style layout here, which makes sense considering that's what most PC games use. There are asymmetrical joysticks, a D-Pad and A, B, X, and Y buttons, bumpers and triggers. While the Steam Deck has four rear buttons, the ROG Ally only has two. Asus also includes a fingerprint reader in the power button for use with Windows Hello.

Some models will work with Asus' XG mobile graphics dock. Currently, that goes up to an RTX 4090 and costs a whopping $2,000. But if you do own one, it will allow for higher fidelity gaming when you plug the Ally into a monitor.

Maddeningly, Asus has yet to release the actual price. The most expensive Steam Deck is $649 with 512GB of storage and an anti-glare screen, while the cheapest is $339 with 64GB of eMMC storage (both include carrying cases). I don't expect to see Asus match the low-end Steam Deck, though the lesser Z1 model might get somewhat close. With these specs, Asus is clearly playing in the top-tier category. My gut feeling is that Asus won't be able to match Valve, which can subsidize hardware by taking a cut of games sales. We'll find out whenever Asus decides it's ready to announce.

For now, those interested in pre-order information can sign up on Best Buy's website to learn more about the system when it's ready for sale. In its own release, AMD said the Ally will have more information about pricing and availability on May 11.

Asus has unwrapped a device which could be the successor to the widely praised and popular Steam Deck from Valve. The Asus ROG Ally appears to check many things that would be on a Steam Deck 2 wish-list; a more powerful custom APU, better screen, quieter running, and Windows in the place of SteamOS. However, Asus perversely chose to launch the device on April Fool’s day, a time when companies often "launch" joke products.

Despite the timing of the launch, it now looks certain that the ROG Ally is a real product, aiming to be only the second major branded device in this niche. And it is largely thanks to Asus being a major name that the ROG Ally features a fresh slice of custom silicon from AMD, which will be key to its success.

On Monday, YouTuber Dave2D published his video overview of the Asus ROG Ally. He said he’s had hands-on time with the device (about a week so far), and said that claims Asus made about the ROG Ally delivering double Steam Deck performance seem to be “legit.”

Of course, the ROG Ally’s performance is largely thanks to the SoC inside. The YouTuber said that the new custom AMD SoC is built on TSMC 4nm, and offers a mix of Zen 4 CPU and RDNA 3 GPU cores.  Sadly, more precise SoC specs weren’t divulged. Inside the Steam Deck is an AMD Aerith SoC with a 4C / 8T (Zen 2) CPU and  an 8 CUs (RDNA 2) GPU.

With more power, you might expect a noisier cooling system. However, Dave2D was surprised by the quiet performance of the ROG Ally. In other words, the Asus device is surprisingly quiet and its noise profile is starkly different to the Steam Deck. A noise level of 20 dB has been quoted for the ROG Ally, but this has yet to be independently verified. 

Screen Superiority

A portable’s screen is very important in providing entertainment on the go, and the Asus screen is said to be an improvement over its rival in several important ways. With the ROG Ally, users should enjoy brighter, better colors, higher resolution (1080p, 16:9), and more fluid visuals at up to 120Hz. Importantly for the ROG Ally, Dave2D says games comfortably hit the higher frame rates on the more powerful hardware, making better use of the display and its fast refresh rates. As a reminder, the Steam Deck has an 800p screen with 16:10 aspect ratio, and it maxes out at a rather pedestrian 60 Hz.

Getting Physical

Pondering over the controls, the YouTuber reckoned that the buttons, sticks, paddles and ergonomics of the ROG Ally seem OK, with no obvious errors, but it lacks the capacitive touch pads of the Steam Deck.

Located across the top are a selection of controls and I/O, which include a headphone jack, microSD card slot, volume rocker, and fingerprint sensor. There is also the Asus XG Mobile external GPU connector (supporting up to an RTX 4090), which has the USB-C charging port within. The included USB C charger also features a USB 3 port and HDMI output, useful for quickly connecting the ROG Ally to a larger display,

Battery life for the ROG Ally is said to be currently similar to the Steam Deck on the pre-production sample. Commenting upon the device, once prized open, Dave2D said that it looks serviceable, and should be easy to upgrade or repair.

The Asus ROG Ally runs Windows 11 as its main OS. The Windows UI is a bit fiddly on a small screen like this, but the plan appears to be that gamers will navigate a big gaming thumbnail view via Asus Armory Crate. Not everyone has a good opinion of this Asus accessory software, also used to tune its PC peripherals, components and laptops.

Some good news is that the Asus ROG Ally is said to be a global release. If you can get Asus products in your country, the ROG Ally is likely to be available too. That’s better than some other Steam Deck wannabes we have seen.

After multiple requests Asus wouldn’t reveal pricing, except to say that the ROG Ally would be “very competitive.” The Best Buy tie-up should also mean Asus intends this to be a volume product. Dave2D thinks that the ROG Ally will not compete with the Steam Deck’s $399 starting price point, but will still be an attractive option at $600 or $650.

Steam, the world’s most popular PC gaming client, community, and store, will shut its doors to Windows 7, 8, and 8.1 users next year. The cut-off date for Windows upgrade holdouts is January 1, 2024. To be clear, from January 2024, Windows 10 will be the oldest Windows OS that is compatible with the Steam Client.

In a short blog post on Windows 7 and 8 support today, Valve states that users will have to upgrade to a newer version of Windows “in order to continue running Steam and any games or other products purchased through Steam.”

Some reasoning behind the support policy is revealed. It turns out that the newest Steam features “rely on an embedded version of Google Chrome” that offers limited functionality on older Windows versions. It is thus at least partly due to this software embed that Steam must enact a Windows 10 or newer policy. However, with the transition now set in stone, future versions of Steam are also set to rely on feature and security updates that are only present / destined for Windows 10 or above.

While it is somewhat sad that Valve is dropping support for the older Windows OSes, we must remember that Windows 10 was launched in July 2015. At nearly eight years old, with widespread use in schools, homes, and businesses, it is long past any teething troubles. It is admittedly more of a heavyweight than Windows 7 and 8, but there’s a Tiny10 lightweight version of it (and Tiny11 version of Windows 11) for those worried about the impact on their hardware resources.

In the latest Steam Hardware Survey, Windows accounts for 96.4% of gamers. Windows 10 and 11 are by far the most popular versions, with 62.3% and 32.1% of users, respectively. Meanwhile, earlier versions of Windows (7 and 8.1) add up to just 1.9% of all users — and continue to slide in the popularity stakes. There are even 0.09% of surveyed Steam PCs that are still running the 32-bit version of Windows 7.

Those with old machines that users resolutely want to remain Steam connected may be tempted to switch to Linux, or even HoloISO — a PC version of the portable Steam Deck’s SteamOS. However, please remember that despite large strides in game compatibility made since the arrival of the Steam Deck, there are still some Linux and PC Steam games wrinkles.

Regardless, Valve is set to move on from the Windows 7/8 era. Windows 7 originally released in 2009 and was well received (especially compared to its Vista predecessor). Windows 8 came out in 2012, and many disliked the new Start Screen along with other aspects. Windows 8.1 followed a year later, with an attempt to right the wrongs of Windows 8.

Microsoft officially discontinued support for Windows 8 in January 2016, while Windows 7 reached end of life in January 2020. Windows 8.1 joined them at the start of this year. As such, it's understandable that Valve would want users to upgrade to Windows versions that are still supported by Microsoft.

Steam Deck owners who use Windows on their portable gaming machines rather than the Linux-based SteamOS have an updated APU driver to play with. Announced by the Steam Deck Twitter account — which tweets using the web app, raising the possibility that whoever’s behind it really is using a Steam Deck, the new driver doesn’t come with any release notes, but promises "compatibility, security, stability, and performance improvements."

(Click See more to see full Tweet)

The new driver will be of particular interest to those who want to take Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II on the road, as the latest installment in the CoD saga only runs on Decks using Windows. Speculation on Reddit is that the driver improves the performance of OpenGL, and that it enables hardware accelerated video. It has been noted that the Citra 3DS emulator, which uses OpenGL, runs more smoothly on the Deck after the update — though not as well as it does under SteamOS.

Valve doesn't supply any support for using Windows on its portable PC, though as it's powered by an AMD Zen 2 APU it should be straightforward. Anyone who's tried to install an operating system on a laptop, however, knows otherwise, and it was a while before internal audio was working on the Deck under Windows. The latest audio drivers arrived last month (in two parts), but the original driver to enable the Windows Deck to make a noise appeared in May this year — almost three months after launch, and two months after the first graphics and Wi-Fi drivers appeared.

Our first impressions of Windows 10 (at the time, the Deck didn’t support the hardware TPM features needed to install Microsoft’s latest OS) on the Steam Deck were "rough around the edges," and we concluded that SteamOS was the better fit for the system. Thanks to a BIOS update, you can now run Windows 11 on the device, but dual-booting between Windows 11 and SteamOS isn’t supported.

The new driver, along with all the others you'll need to get Windows running on your Deck, is available now from the Steam Support website.

Valve has stoked up excitement among the portable PC gaming community, and other techy gadget lovers, with the publication of its new free eBook about the Steam Deck. The eBook provides a kind of potted history plus a vision statement for the Steam Deck, ahead of the device’s launch in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. Among the highlights in the 52 page booklet is the tacit confirmation that there will be a Steam Deck 2 on the way (and perhaps more), as GamingonLinux highlighted. Also those who want to use the latest SteamOS versions on their PCs will be pleased that a generic installer has been mentioned again.

Most of our readers will be very well aware of Steam Deck. Moreover, its unique position in the handheld PC gaming market is well established, and set it out as a pioneering device in this field. At the same time, PC enthusiasts and gamers are pretty wary of v1.0 products, so a Steam Deck 2 will unlock a lot of pent-up excitement and demand.

On the very last page of Valve’s Steam Deck eBook, it shares some of its vision for the future of gaming handhelds and SteamOS. Headlined “The Future: more Steam Decks, more SteamOS,” this concluding section makes it very clear there will be a Steam Deck 2, or whatever it might be called, and probably further iterations. Valve can be pretty certain it has a hit on its hands here, after previous hardware misfires, and it looks set to ride the wave.

There aren’t many real clues about the direction of travel for a Steam Deck successor in the eBook. Nothing as interesting as a discussion of form factor, tech specs etc were shared. Instead, Valve said that it will “follow up on this product with improvements and iterations to hardware and software, bringing new versions of Steam Deck to market.” PC enthusiasts always appreciate open platforms, and Valve mentions that it wants the successor to the Steam Deck to be “even more open.”

We already know that Valve is working to prepare a generic SteamOS distribution, so anyone with a PC desktop or laptop can get the latest version of this gaming focused OS up and running. However, it is good to see Valve reconfirmed this initiative, so we know it is one of the top tasks on its check list.

Valve's Steam Deck is quite a standout proposition with its custom AMD APU and Steam OS. It has been such a success Valve cannot even make these devices fast enough. According to a conversation on the Indiegogo campaign page, we can see GPD HK (Project Owner) stating that Valve are actively working Hong Kong-based GPD to deliver an optimized Steam OS experience on its upcoming Win Max 2 handheld. Right now we only have one side of the story, so until confirmation come from Valve, take the news with a pinch of salt.

The GPD Win Max 2 is currently in the midst of an IndieGogo crowdfunding round, and is enjoying a great deal of success with over 50 days left. Described in brief as a "4G Gaming Laptop", this highly portable clamshell device comes with an AMD Ryzen 7 6800 U option (or you can choose an Intel i7-1260P), and Windows 11 by default. With the AMD APU option, some gaming and tech enthusiasts are naturally interested in installing the Steam OS on their GPD Win Max 2 systems when they receive them.

This curiosity of gamers and enthusiasts interested in the GPD Win Max 2 has spilled over into the crowdfunder discussion thread, where GPD is doing a pretty good job of answering a wide range of questions. When asked about Steam OS on the new Win Max 2, A GPD official revealed that Valve is going to "improve the Steam OS for the 6800U handheld." They later reveal that GPD has been in contact with Valve since March 2022, but it may be another six months before any co-work materializes.

In some ways the GPD Win Max 2 is a natural competitor for the Steam Deck, but in others it is quite a different device. Valve's handheld is a Nintendo Switch-a-like in many ways, but the GPD device is a much bigger screen packing clamshell design. We used to call designs like the Win Max 2 'netbooks' or 'subnotebooks', but the GPD device makes obvious its gaming pedigree with a full array of modern joypad controls embedded in the area between the keyboard and its 10.1-inch bezel-less display.

With Valve getting in touch with GPD, it would be interesting to know if it had also reached out to portable gaming device makers like AyaNeo, OneX, and others. The benefits of Steam OS are in its streamlined singular purpose of PC gaming, but so far most Steam Deck alternatives have been relatively high priced, and their CPUs/APUs are not as well balanced (CPU vs GPU cores) as the custom AMD unit in the Steam Deck, for fast 3D gaming.

Contrary to popular belief, the best SSDs for Valve's Steam Deck aren't the ones with the fastest performance or the biggest capacity. That's right. The best SSD for the handheld gaming console is one that fits.

The Steam Deck has an M.2 2230 slot to house M.2 NVMe SSDs. While there are M.2 2230 SSDs on the market, it's not one of the widespread form factors such as M.2 2280. However, Twitter user Belly Jelly has discovered a way to expand the M.2 2230 slot to an M.2 2242 slot, opening the door to more SSD options. The resourceful Steam Deck owner ordered some small M.2 adapters to modify the device's standard M.2 slot. With the 30mm to 42m adapter, he could extend the slot's length to house the longer 2242 SSDs.

Belly Jelly noted that the Steam Deck's PCB was generous to allow him to adapt the M.2 2230 slot into an M.2 2242 one. His simple mod didn't interfere with any electronic components on the PCB or strain the cables. The only caveat was that the mod made the heat spreader bend slightly; however, it didn't stop him from reassembling the back plate. He highlighted that he had to remove a thermal pad on top of one of the inductors by the M.2 slot.

Belly Jelly didn't specify which M.2 2242 SSD he had installed in his Steam Deck, but the photograph partially reveals a KingSpec logo. The drive could be one of the brand's NE-series units with 3D TLC NAND and sequential read and write speeds up to 2,100 MBps and 1,000 MBps, respectively.

The Twitter user's experiment produced positive results as he could reinstall SteamOS and download his games onto the SSD. In addition, he reported average write speeds up to 406 MBps during installation once his download was completed.

Although the SSD inside the Steam Deck is user replaceable, DIYers must pay attention to specific parameters. Valve designed the Steam Deck to work with one particular SSD. Therefore, replacing it with an aftermarket unit could affect the handheld console's performance. According to Valve's guidelines, users must pay close attention to the power consumption of the SSD. If a third-party SSD draws more power than the stock SSD, users could experience overheating and reduced battery life.

Valve placed the M.2 2230 slot very close to the wireless module. The company has tested various SSDs to find one that doesn't interfere with the Steam Deck's wireless and Bluetooth connection. An aftermarket SSD could have a different emission pattern that might degrade wireless performance.

Other aspects include the mechanical and assembly elements of the SSD. Valve has placed components underneath the SSD, and a different drive may interfere with the components. Furthermore, the company states that a particular screw holds down the thermal module onto the AMD SoC and the board shield. Removing it could potentially affect the thermal module's performance.

Swapping the SSD inside the Steam Deck doesn't seem like an easy task. However, DIYer Belly Jelly was seemingly successful in his attempt, though he hasn't reported any battery life or other testing before and after the upgrade. It may work fine, but there may also be some unexpected bugs or other issues using his aftermarket M.2 2242 SSD mod. Proceed with caution, in other words.

A portable handheld PC to use as a Switch-like games machine is a wonderful idea we’re surprised we haven’t seen more of recently, and this one - which comes to us from the pages of TechPowerUp and Liliputing - looks rather interesting, as well as undercutting the Steam Deck on price. It’s called the Air Plus and comes from AyaNeo.

Inside, you’ll find one of AMD’s new Mendocino APUs, which are a fusion of Zen 2 and RDNA2 designed for thin and light laptops and produced on TMSC’s 6nm manufacturing process. This combo is the same as the custom Aerith processor in the Steam Deck, but in different proportions - while Aerith has eight GPU cores, Mendocino may have as few as two. At least the four CPU cores can match the Steam Deck chip’s numbers.

Being a mainstream part rather than a custom design means the Mendocino APUs could give AyaNeo a way to undercut the Steam Deck on pricing, and by offering its own Linux based AyaNeo OS, alongside the possibility of running Windows or SteamOS, it can save money on licensing fees.

We currently know very little about the handheld - indeed the APUs themselves were only just recently announced at Computex - but a six-inch, 1080p OLED screen and a removable M.2 2280 SSD have been mooted, alongside a Micro SD card reader, but the amount of RAM included is a mystery. It’s clearly too soon to start making comparisons with the Steam Deck, which is already shipping, but that’s not going to stop anybody. The Mendocino silicon is expected to ship in the fourth quarter of this year, however, so AyaNeo has plenty of time to flesh out the details.

Looks-wise, it’s a Wii-U-esque white rectangle with analog sticks, and Xbox-style face buttons. There's a D-pad on the left, along with what could be a volume rocker, and Start and Select buttons on the right. We haven’t seen the top edge of the casing, so can’t speculate on USB or HDMI placement.

Possibly the best news about the Air Plus is its price, which manages to undercut the Steam Deck by starting its pricing at just $289. Whether this price reflects an underpowered entry-level model is, along with the release date for the handheld, another item we’re awaiting confirmation of.

Valve released Windows drivers for the Steam Deck way back in March, but only now do some key features work: the speakers and headphone jack. Today, Valve added audio support to its Windows driver package for its handheld. (Previously, you had to use Bluetooth or USB Type-C speakers or headphones.)

The drivers (there are two of them), should fix these issues. You'll also need to update Valve and AMD's APU driver for these to work.

Just because you can install Windows on Steam Deck doesn't mean you should. In my impressions of Windows 10 on Steam Deck, I found that the experience felt a bit rough around the edges, even with support for the GPU, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

I'm of the opinion the work Valve is doing on SteamOS, its Arch Linux-based operating system, is much more friendly to use with a controller. It simply feels more like a fully-baked console experience, and Valve has been squashing bugs and adding features like a lock screen and per-game performance profiles.

And it's not like Windows has performed incredibly on other handhelds. Windows was also clunky when we ran our review of the Aya Neo Next Pro. That being said, it does open up other game launchers, like the Epic Game Store, as well as Xbox Game Pass and other ways to run non-Steam games.

Another note on Valve's Steam Deck Windows Resources page seems to suggest we'll have to wait for what may be the best Windows installation option on Steam Deck: one you can dual-boot.

"While Steam Deck is fully capable of dual-boot, the SteamOS installer that provides a dual-boot wizard isn't ready yet," Valve's page reads. "This will ship alongside SteamOS 3 once it's complete." For now, those who do want to get as close as they can could put Windows on a bootable SD card.

That would be the dream: playing most games in SteamOS, but having some space reserved for the titles you can only play elsewhere.

If you install Windows on Steam Deck, you're effectively on your own; Valve isn't supplying any support. Previously, Windows 11 couldn't run, but after an update, Valve added fTPM to support the newer operating system.

Like the look of SteamOS 3 but don’t want to go to the expense of getting a Steam Deck just to use it? HoloISO has a solution, as reported by Gaming on Linux. 

Valve’s failure to release a version of SteamOS 3 to the general public looks like a major oversight, especially as an earlier version - based on Debian 8, aka Jessie - is still hanging around with a warning it’s not compatible with Steam Deck. The available version is a hangover from Valve’s earlier flirtation with hardware, the Steam Machine, and even comes with instructions on how to build a DIY machine. Otherwise, all that’s available from Valve is a Steam Deck recovery image.

The version our Steam Deck-owning friends are using is no longer based on Debian (a version based on Debian 9 was canned last year), but instead uses Arch Linux as its foundations. It contains the Proton Windows compatibility layer, and goes by the codename Holo.

Hence the name of HoloISO, which can be found on GitHub as a repository from Adam Jafarov. “The code, and packages are straight from Valve with zero possible edits. [The] ISO is being built on [the] official Steam Deck recovery image running inside [a] QEMU instance,” the Readme file reads. There are a few caveats for anyone wanting to try it out: the ISO only boots if written to a flash drive with one of four apps (BalenaEtcher, RosaImageWriter, Fedora Media Writer or dd with 4MB block size). It doesn’t play well with Nvidia GPUs, requiring proprietary drivers, and Intel Arc or integrated GPUs aren’t looking great either, requiring a tweak to Gamescope and MESA. 

What does work, assuming you have the compatible hardware, include the first-boot experience, Plasma desktop (including Valve’s Vapor skin), the Deck interface, and behind the scenes stuff like shader precaching, neofetch, and FPS limiting. 

It might be worth waiting a little while to see how quickly the project solves its current problems, however, as the latest release, known as Hallway Pizza, is “probably” the final beta before a stable version is released.

Valve has released a hefty bundle of updates for the Steam Deck. The updates appear to cover the full gamut possible for the device, from the Steam software and OS on the machines to firmware-level tweaks. Probably the two most interesting changes delivered today were the introduction of the new Lock Screen feature and fTPM for Windows 11 compliance. Additionally, there are some quality of life improvements worth highlighting, such as localized keyboards for 21 languages, the addition of an uncapped framerate setting, support for apps with multiple windows, improved battery life, and better system stability.

Adding a lock screen option to a portable device like the Steam Deck should prove popular. Valve reckons it can help prevent your little brother or sister from playing with your Steam Deck without permission. In the Settings app, you can toggle this feature and set a PIN. Users can also choose when it appears: it can be configured to appear on wake, boot, login, and/or when switching to Desktop mode.

The Steam Deck is also getting more of an international flavor with the new update. Valve has added localized keyboards for 21 languages and layouts. As you might be familiar with other systems, you can activate multiple languages and quickly switch input between them by pressing the globe key on the bottom row. At the time of writing, Valve hasn't implemented Chinese, Japanese, or Korean input but says it is in development.

Another change is the introduction of support for apps and games with multiple windows. Using the Steam button to bring up the task switcher shows and lets you switch directly to your choice of window. Valve explains that this feature is particularly useful for web browsers or games launchers. If you like keeping up to date with your Steam Achievements, a faster loading page, which is said to be easier to navigate, has been crafted.

Above we have discussed several changes to the Steam Client, but SteamOS has a significant number of updates. Many of these changes will be very welcome if you have a Steam Deck, as nearly half of them fix bugs or improve something about the device.

Highlights of the SteamOS update include the added fTPM support, enabling Windows 11 installation, along with improved battery life and system stability. Some of the changes have widened the Steam Deck's compatibility with accessories like chargers, Type-C docks, and SD cards.

None of the above changes is particularly groundbreaking. Still, together they help the relatively new device provide a well-rounded experience to the early adopter base. It also gives hope to those on the sidelines pondering over a purchase or waiting for details of Steam Deck V2.

Current owners and prospective purchasers should be pleased to see Valve's steady release of updates for the Steam Deck and the ecosystem. The platform already looks like it could easily be Valve's biggest ever hardware success, and we hope it can remain dedicated to progressing the device, its client software, its game library compatibility, and its OS through multiple generations.

Valve has released two new updates for the Steam Deck: an official update featuring a number of added features and improvements. Plus a new beta update with even more features and improvements that will come later to everyone. But most importantly, the new beta update adds full support for Windows 11 thanks to fTPM enablement on the AMD SoC.

If you are one of the few people daring enough to install Windows on your Steam Deck, the new fTPM support will be nice to have. It will allow full support for Microsoft's latest operating system, Windows 11, and grant you access to new gaming-specific features Windows 11 will have over Windows 10, such as the full version of DirectStorage. However, you can still enable fTPM in Windows 10 if you want or need the additional security.

Valve warns that this new beta update -- which applies to both the OS and BIOS, is still being tested. So be sure you know the risks of installing beta firmware if you want to try it out.

Microsoft made TPM a requirement in its new Windows 11 operating system and will prevent you from installing the OS if an internal or dedicated TPM module is not detected. There are ways to work around the TPM requirement, but the only way to install Windows 11 in the fashion Microsoft intended is with TPM support.

But, if you plan on installing Windows 11 on your shiny new Steam Deck, you aren't out of the woods just yet. Steam Deck's driver set is still incomplete, with audio drivers still in development. There are also a number of bugs that have been found with Valve's current Windows drivers for the Steam Deck, making the Windows experience on Steam Deck feel incomplete.

Other Features

Another cool feature that comes with the official update for Steam Deck, is the addition of dual trackpad typing support for typing with both trackpads at the same time, a feature that comes from Valve's own Steam Controller.

When the on-screen keyboard appears in SteamOS, you get two cursors on your screen to see where you are typing. According to Youtuber Gaming On Linux, the addition of this feature makes typing on the Steam deck much easier than before. 

Here's a quick video from him demonstrating the dual trackpad typing feature on the Steam Deck:

Another feature added in the official update is calibration options for the Steam Deck's joysticks, aswell as external controllers. You can now adjust the deadzones for the left and right joysticks, aswell as adjust the haptic strength for both right and left trackpads.

This could be particularly useful, especially for the haptics on the touchpads, which we found in our review to be quite weak overall. Tuning them could help offset this problem, or you can potentially just turn them off entirely.

You can also now calibrate joysticks on external gamepads aswell, which can prove useful if you choose to run the Steam Deck as a regular console like the PS5 -- hooked up to a dedicated gamepad and TV.

Steam Deck Update Patch Notes

Patch notes for the March 30th Steam Deck Client Update include the following:

• Added dual trackpad typing support to onscreen keyboard
• Added game mode onscreen keyboard to Desktop mode
• Added Family Sharing status to game details page. Borrowers will see whose library they are borrowing from, and lenders will see a message if their library is currently in use by a borrower.
• Updated network connection flow to connect without re-prompting for a known password
• Improved performance downloading library images after logging in, leading to less stuttering
• Removed display of 'B' back button in Overlay Quick Access Menu
• Fixed onscreen keyboard input issues when connecting to public WiFi captive portals
• Fixed issue where Chrome wouldn't install from the non-Steam section of the Library
• Added a Calibration and Advanced Settings screen with options for:
  • Adjusting deadzones for the left and right Joysticks
  • Adjusting haptic strength for left and right Trackpads
  • Joysticks and other sensors on external gamepads

Here are the patch notes for the March 30th Steam Deck Beta Update:

If you want to install the new update on your Steam Deck, go to "settings" then "system", and select Beta from the OS Update Channel.

• Added messaging when a charger that doesn't meet the minimum bar is plugged in
• Added uncapped framerate setting in Quick Access menu > Performance
• Added fTPM support, enabling Windows 11 installation
• Added button combo: hold "..." + "Volume Down" to reset PD contract in the cases where Steam Deck gets stuck due to an incompatible Type-C device
• Updated power LED to dim a few seconds after power supply connection events for better experience in dark environments
• Improved compatibility for a number of Type-C docks and PSUs
• Improved battery life in idle or very low usage scenarios
• Improved stability
• Fixed issues where the touchscreen does not work after some boots
• Fixed compatibility with some SD cards specifically when used as boot devices.
• Fixed ACPI error spew in the kernel

Have you ever wondered which handheld gaming console is faster between the Steam Deck and the Aya Neo Next? YouTuber ETA PRIME's latest video shows us which device delivers the best gaming performance.

AMD's Ryzen processors power the two gaming devices: a custom APU (Van Gogh) for the Steam Deck and a mainstream Ryzen 5000 (Cezanne) SoC for the Aya Neo Next. Both processors come out of TSMC's 7nm furnace; however, AMD's recipe differs between the two chips. Memory-wise, the Steam Deck has 16GB of LPDDR5-5500, while the Aya Neo Next sports 16GB of LPDDR4-4667.

Aerith, the chip found inside the Steam Deck, contains four Zen 2 cores and eight threads. It has a 2.4 GHz base clock and a 3.5 GHz boost clock. Meanwhile, the Ryzen 7 5800U is at the heart of the Aya Neo Next. The processor features eight Zen 3 cores and 16 threads with base and boost clock speed up to 1.9 GHz and 4.4 GHz, respectively. Aerith has a TDP between 4W and 15W, whereas the Ryzen 7 5800U has a cTDP between 10W and 25W.

Aerith leverages AMD's latest RDNA 2 solution with eight RDNA 2-based compute units topped out at 1.6 GHz. The Ryzen 7 5800U, on the other hand, is still on Vega and offers eight Vega compute units with a maximum frequency of 2 GHz.

The YouTuber performed his gaming tests at 1280 x 800 resolution with low graphics settings and AMD's FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR) feature enabled in some games. The Steam Deck was on SteamOS except for the Forza Horizon 5 test, where the YouTuber changed the operating system to Windows 10. The Aya Neo Next ran natively on Windows 10.

Steam Deck vs. Aya Neo Next Gaming Benchmarks

The Steam Deck delivered better performance in God of War than the Aya Neo Next, even with the latter is running in the 28W mode. Neither device maintained 60 FPS, but the Aya Neo Next had lower dips in frame rates.

In The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, the Steam Deck outperformed the Aya Neo Next in 16W mode. However, it wasn't until the YouTuber switched over to the 28W configuration that we saw the Aya Neo Next slightly outpacing the Steam Deck.

The Steam Deck and Aya Neo Next kept the frame rates above 30 FPS in Elden Ring. The Aya Neo Next (28W) performed mildly better, though.

Both gaming devices excelled in Forza Horizon 5, maintaining frame rates above 60 FPS during the benchmark runs. In addition, the Steam Deck offered higher performance than the Aya Neo Next in its 16W mode.

The Steam Deck is a capable handheld gaming device from a performance efficiency standpoint. Nonetheless, the Aya Neo Next offered higher performance in some CPU-intensive titles due to the console's more beefy processor and more generous thermal limits. The YouTuber noted that there's even a 35W setting on the Aya Neo Next, but it'll deplete your battery faster and force your processor to run hotter. 

Aya Neo has since upgraded the Next from the Ryzen 7 5800U to the more recent Ryzen 7 5825U (Barcelo), a refresh of the former. However, the Ryzen 7 5825U brings a 100 MHz upgrade in both base and boost clock over the original Ryzen 7 5800U, so it's not a groundbreaking improvement.

The problem with the Aya Neo Next is the pricing. The starting price for the device is $1,385, more than 3X than Valve's Steam Deck, which starts at $399. The bad news is that new Steam Deck buyers won't see their order shipped until after Q3, which is a long wait. Moreover, Steam Deck scalpers are flipping Valve's handheld on eBay for over $1,500, making the Aya Neo Next look more attractive than it is.

One constant through Valve's introduction of the Steam Deck has been the company's claim that it is your PC, and you can do what you want with it. While the gaming handheld comes with Valve's own Linux-based SteamOS installed on it, you can, if you want, install Windows on the Steam Deck.

So we took our Steam Deck review unit, put Windows 10 on it, and gave it a whirl. While there are some definite advantages to the openness that Windows brings, there are also significant drawbacks that you should be aware of. And, in typical Tom's Hardware fashion, we've also re-run our benchmarks to see how gaming on Windows compares to SteamOS (on this hardware, anyway).

Here, we're using Windows 10, rather than Windows 11. As of this writing, the BIOS on the Steam Deck doesn't support firmware TPM, which makes it difficult to install Windows 11 without engaging in some bypasses. That support is coming in a future BIOS revision, Valve has said.

Additionally, while Valve has dropped drivers for the GPU, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, one critical component is missing: the speakers. That means that until those drivers are released, the only way to hear your games, music or anything else will be to connect wireless headphones or speakers over Bluetooth, or wired ones with USB Type-C.

Steam Deck Performance on Windows

I assumed that given the same hardware, games run on Windows would almost always run better than games on SteamOS. That's because unless games are Linux native, SteamOS games use the Proton compatibility layer to operate.

But that wasn't always the case. Some games actually performed better on SteamOS.

In our Steam Deck review, we benchmarked Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Red Dead Redemption 2, Horizon Zero Dawn, Borderlands 3, Civilization VI and Guardians of the Galaxy. Of those, three ran largely better on Windows, while the other three ran better through SteamOS (in part because one game wouldn't run in Windows at all due to driver issues).

On the Shadow of the Tomb Raider benchmark, which is a Linux native game on the SteamOS side, the title mostly ran two to three frames ahead on Windows. The exception was the highest graphics setting, where the two versions were one frame apart, with SteamOS coming out ahead.

We ran Red Dead Redemption 2 at the game's lowest settings, and at 44 frames per second, the Windows version was a few frames behind the SteamOS version, running through Proton. The Windows version also had some other issues. For instance, it refused to let me change the resolution, but always appeared to run at 1280 x 800 despite what it claimed. The game also wouldn't launch without me connecting Bluetooth headphones. It ends up that Red Dead Redemption 2 won't launch without audio, and the Steam Deck is missing those drivers.

On the Horizon Zero Dawn benchmark, the game ran better on Windows across graphics presets. The delta was the largest on the "Favor Performance" setting, with Windows running the game at 56 fps, eight frames ahead of the 48-fps result on the Steam Deck. Those differences shrank in scale with higher presets (at Ultimate quality, it was just a three-frame difference), but Windows always came out ahead.

Borderlands 3's benchmark showed the largest differences in Windows 10's favor. At "very low" settings, the game ran at 68 fps on Windows compared to 56 fps on SteamOS, and was a few frames ahead through each subsequent preset. On high settings, the game ran at 34 fps, making it at least playable, which we couldn't say about the game at 28 fps through SteamOS.

Civilization VI was effectively a wash, but if you're counting strictly, it fell in favor of SteamOS. The game typically ran one to two frames ahead in SteamOS.

Where is Guardians of the Galaxy in all of this? It wouldn't run on Windows. The game threw up an error message that it couldn't detect a D3D12 driver, suggesting an issue with support for DirectX 12 (other games we ran with DX12 didn't have any problems.)

When we tested the Steam Deck initially, we couldn't run Metro Exodus's benchmark, because it's a separate executable in the Windows version. But on Windows, that wasn't a problem. We booted up HWInfo and got recording. We use that benchmark as a stress test, running it 15 times to simulate half an hour of gaming. In this case, we ran it on the low preset at the native 1280 x 800 resolution.

HWInfo, however, still isn't totally ready for the custom "Aerith" APU in the Steam Deck. It was only able to capture CPU clock speeds. During the stress test, the CPU cores ran at an average of 2.62 GHz. Temperatures and GPU clocks weren't exposed. Throughout the 15 Metro Exodus runs, the game ran at an average frame rate of 64.61 fps.

In our review, we also ran Geekbench through the KDE Plasma desktop. Here, we ran it again in Windows 10. The Linux version threw up slightly higher single-core and multi-core scores than the Windows version, but nothing I find intensely worrying.

The Windows Experience on Steam Deck

While games may run well enough on a 7-inch 1280 x 800 display, desktop operating systems really need a bit more breathing room. I felt the same way about the KDE Plasma desktop on SteamOS; I was glad to have access to it, but I wouldn't want to use it regularly using just the built-in controls and screen.

One of the biggest benefits of SteamOS is that it was designed with both touch and the built-in controller in mind. Windows, despite changes made to make it more touch friendly, wasn't made for a screen this small.

You can get around Windows with the controls, but there's a learning curve. The right control stick or touch pad (Go for the pad, trust me) can move the mouse around. The left stick can move through selections in menus, while the right touchpad lets you scroll either vertically or horizontally.

One thing that took me a while to get used to is that the right trigger is a left click, while the left trigger is a right click. This might make sense if you're playing a first person shooter, where the right trigger is typically set to fire, but I found it confusing here.

Either way, I did find that sometimes the controls would freeze, especially when launching programs. It's weird to have your mouse hang, but sometimes the touchpads — including the haptics — would freeze up.

There is a touch keyboard in Windows 10, but there's also the option for the Steam keyboard overlay, which lets you use each of the two touchpads to pick letters. As long as Steam is open, you can trigger that by pressing on the thumb sticks.

In Windows 10, the Action Center will be your friend. You'll want to expand all of the options so that you have quick access to the brightness slider and Bluetooth connection options. I wish you could bind these to the "..." button on the hardware, which is otherwise useless in Windows 10. For now, if you're playing a game and want to adjust an option, you have to back out to the desktop to make these changes.

The "Steam" button also does nothing, with one big exception: Big Picture Mode in Steam. Like SteamOS itself, this was designed to be used with a controller. When in a game, the Steam button brings up the Big Picture mode overlay for controller options, the keyboard overlay and to exit the game easily.

Those controller options also let you bind a shortcut for screenshots while playing Steam games. But the Windows Screenshot tool is heavily dependent on the Windows + Shift + S shortcut which makes it a hassle to capture images if you don't know how. See our article on how to take screenshots in Windows 10 or 11 to learn all the ways you can (even without a keyboard).

Big Picture Mode is the closest you'll get to SteamOS. It also provides some of the controller configurations you get with SteamOS, giving Steam a bit of an edge over other stores, even on Windows.

But the biggest benefit to installing Windows on your Steam Deck is that you can install launchers other than Steam. Epic Games, Origin, GOG Galaxy, Rockstar Games and others are all fair game. If you have PC Game Pass, those games will work, too, as will games that don't run on SteamOS due to anti-cheat issues.

You could even install a library manager like Playnite to launch games from any launcher in one place. (But you have to trust them. Playnite, for instance, requires your logins for other launchers to sync everything.)

I imagine, in time, that the community of Steam Deck users may end up coming up with its own software and fixes to issues the Steam Deck has with Windows. It wouldn't be the first time that when no one supports something, the users do. But there's no timeframe on when Steam Deck users and developers may coalesce around fixing issues, but Valve has already said that it is"unfortunately unable to offer 'Windows on Deck' support."

SteamOS or Windows?

There's no doubt, the Steam Deck is a better experience when it's running SteamOS. It fits the hardware and has quick access to any setting you may want to change mid-game.

Windows, by contrast, doesn't have the same support, and Valve says it won't be providing it. It works, and some games even run better on it. But you'll have to jump through more hoops to make it work. You'll get the benefit of the freedom that the PC ecosystem provides, including more launchers and games that aren't on Steam.

The ideal, to me, would be dual booting. Valve has said it is working on a SteamOS installer that will allow for it, but the company hasn't announced any timing. Right now, it's an all-or-nothing situation with the SSD. SteamOS or Windows. Pick one.

Ideally, you could keep your Steam library on SteamOS with a small Windows partition for Epic Games, PC Game Pass or other launchers. Right now, the closest you can do is to install Windows on an SD card. We haven't run performance tests there, but going that route should let you easily swap between Windows and SteamOS by changing the boot device. You can learn how to do that in our tutorial if you want to try it out.

If your entire library is on Steam, there's no reason to switch. But the PC ecosystem has always been about openness, so while the Windows experience is rougher around the edges than I would like, I'm grateful that it works. I have plenty of free games I've downloaded from Epic and I ought to get to them eventually.

Valve's Steam Deck runs SteamOS out of the box, which is based on Arch Linux. It allows for a simplified, almost console-style experience that's easily navigated with the handheld's controllers.

Despite Valve's efforts, not every game runs smoothly on the Deck yet. Some games designed for Windows don't yet play well with Steam's Proton compatibility layer for Linux. Additionally, SteamOS also doesn't support non-Steam games, like those from the Epic Games Store.

But the Steam Deck is a PC, which means that there's nothing stopping you from installing alternative operating systems. If you want to run your Steam games and also play those from other stores, Windows may be your best option. Additionally, installing Windows means that you won't have any Proton compatibility issues for Windows-native games. Those games should be just as compatible as they are on the best gaming PCs, albeit with the Steam Deck's limited specs in mind. Additionally, using Windows means that if you're a subscriber to Xbox Game Pass, you'll be able to play games from that service on the Steam Deck. 

There are trade-offs, however. The OS will be harder to navigate without a keyboard and mouse, and features like suspending games are built into SteamOS and won't work on Windows.

You can find drivers for Windows on Steam Deck here. As of this update, there are drivers for the GPU, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, but not audio. The speakers and 3.5 mm headphone jack won't work, but you'll be able to get sound over Bluetooth or USB Type-C speakers or headphones.

We'll be running this tutorial with Windows 10. Windows 11 requires a firmware TPM which, as of this writing, isn't implemented in the Steam Deck's BIOS. That will come in an upcoming update, Valve's Lawrence Yang told me, and the steps for installing the newer OS should largely be the same.

Before you install Windows 10, you can check our our Windows on Steam Deck benchmarks and impressions to get an idea of how it will perform.

We'll be detailing two ways to run Windows on the Steam Deck. The first installs to the internal SSD, while the second runs Windows off of a microSD card. The former is likely to be faster, but the latter is more reversible until Steam provides documentation on how to dual boot.

With all of those caveats, here's how to install Windows on a Steam Deck: 

Method 1: Install Windows to the Steam Deck’s SSD

Be careful doing it this way. At the moment, Windows can’t be dual booted, so it will take up your whole drive. To switch back, you’ll need Valve’s recovery image.

1. Create a Windows 10 or 11 installation drive.

To get started, you'll need to make a Windows installer on a USB drive. Go here to create one for the version of Windows you want to install. This is easiest to do from a separate, Windows-based PC. Follow the instructions to create the installation media.

2. With the power off, plug the USB drive into the Steam Deck.

If you have a USB Type-C flash drive, you can plug it directly into the port on the Steam Deck. If not, you'll need a USB-C hub to do so.

3. Hold the Volume Down button and power on the system to access the boot menu.

If you're using the Steam Deck's controls, use the D-Pad to move to the "EFU USB Device," then press A to select it. 

4. The Steam Deck will boot up.

5. The Windows installer will start. Yes, it is sideways. 

If you're using a USB-C hub, you may want to plug in a keyboard and mouse. The Steam Deck's controls won't do anything here. That being said, if you don't have a keyboard and mouse, the touchscreen will continue to work.

6. Choose your language and click or tap "Next." 

7. Click or tap "Install Now." 

8. Activate Windows. If you have a product key, you'll be asked to enter it there. There is a touchscreen keyboard if you need it. If you don't have a key, choose "I don't have a product key."

9. Choose your version of Windows, then click or tap  "Next."

Here, we used Windows 10 Home. 

10. Agree to the terms and conditions to continue.Check the box and click or tap "Next. " That is, assuming you agree. If you don't, stop now and return to SteamOS. 

11. Choose a Custom Windows Install. Upgrade installs only work on computers that already have a version of Windows. 

12. Delete partitions to make space for Windows.

When you go to install Windows, you'll notice that the SSD is split into eight partitions, and you can't install Windows onto any of them. You will have to remove partitions to install Windows. We deleted partition 8, which was the largest of them.

If you are uncomfortable deleting the partitions on your SSD, you may want to consider installing Windows on an SD card and booting from there, or even sticking with SteamOS. You can still back out at this point without deleting any data. 

13. Select "Drive 0 Unallocated Space" and tap or click "Next." 

14. Windows will begin to install. 

15. The Steam Deck will reset. 

You may see the screen orientation change a few times.

16. Follow the Windows setup process.The instructions are all on-screen. You could use a keyboard and mouse or the touchscreen again. Here, the D-Pad up and down arrows work, as does the A button, but the screen is still sideways. 

If you want to connect to the internet, you'll need an Ethernet to USB cable. As of this writing, Windows on the Steam Deck doesn't have working Wi-Fi drivers.

17. The Windows desktop will appear.  Note that it is still sideways. We'll fix this shortly. 

Because Windows drivers aren't finalized, we got an error that read "Searching for Display Driver: Screen, resolution, performance and battery life may be reduced until a compatible driver has finished installing."

18. Go to Start > Settings > System > Display 

19. Scroll down to Display Orientation and choose "Landscape" to orient the screen in the right direction. 

Now, you have Windows 10 installed on your Steam Deck. As of publication, there's still plenty to be fixed. The speakers don't work, but you can get audio over Bluetooth or USB Type-C. To return to SteamOS, you'll need to use a recovery image.

Another Method: Boot Windows from a microSD card or USB Drive 

Note: We're using a microSD card here, but the steps should be the same for a USB stick.

To get started, you'll need a Windows ISO. Go here to download the media creator. This is easiest to do from a separate, Windows-based PC. Follow the instructions to create the ISO.

Next, you'll need software to make your microSD card into a bootable drive. We'll be using Rufus, which is free, but if you're familiar with another piece of software, you can do it that way.

2. Open Rufus

3. Select your microSD card and Windows ISO

4. Under Image Option, choose "Windows to Go."

5. Under partition scheme, pick MBR. In advanced options,  check "Use Rufus MBR with BIOS ID"

6. Click "Start."Now you wait. This may take a bit.

7. Eject your SD card from your PC and put it in the Steam Deck 

8. With the Steam Deck turned off, hold Volume Down and press the power button.

9. Select the SD Card in the boot manager. The D-Pad works to pick a drive, and you can select it with the A button. 

10. Windows will start to boot. (Yes, it will be sideways. This is normal.) 

11 . Proceed with Windows setup. You may want to use a keyboard and mouse here, though you can get through the whole thing with the touch screen. 

You'll end up on the Windows desktop. It will still be sideways. 

Because Windows drivers aren't finalized, we got an error that read "Searching for Display Driver: Screen, resolution, performance and battery life may be reduced until a compatible driver has finished installing."

12.  Go to Start > Settings > System > Display 

13 . Scroll down to Display Orientation and choose "Landscape" to orient the screen in the right direction. 

Because Windows is on the microSD card, when you reboot your Steam Deck, you'll return to Steam OS on the SSD. If you want to return to Windows, you'll have to enter the boot manager (Volume Down + Power) and select the SD card.

Updated March 10 with the fact that Steam has released Windows drivers for the Steam Deck.

Valve has finally delivered Windows drivers for the Steam Deck. While the handheld launched without the full support for the operating system, resources for the GPU, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are all available.

Those who want the drivers can find them here. Note that audio drivers aren't ready yet, as they "Are still be worked on by AMD and other parties." That means you'll need to use USB-C or Bluetooth audio to get sound, because the speakers and headphone jack won't work.

Those who want to install Windows on Steam Deck will need to stick with Windows 10 for now;  Windows 11 requires a BIOS that supports firmware TPM support. Steam says this will arrive soon, but for now you'll need to use the older version.

Additionally, you'll have to install Windows on the entire SSD or boot from an SD card. The SteamOS installer that allows for dual-booting with another OS "isn't ready yet" and no timeline has been given. That, however, sounds to me like the ideal way to run the Steam Deck if you use PC Game Pass or want to access games on other launchers.

Of course, if you want to try Windows, you can still get back to SteamOS. Valve has published a recovery image here so that you can get back to factory settings.

Switching to Windows will allow support for other launchers, like the Epic Games Store and GOG. Games also won't have to run through the Proton compatibility layer, so some games may offer better performance on Windows. But Valve isn't offering "Windows on Deck" support, meaning that SteamOS features like suspending won't work, nor will the Steam and the "..." options button do anything.

For those who want to install Windows 10, we've published a tutorial here. 

A few days ago, we reported on Valve's Steam Deck compatibility progress, noting how the list went from just 120 games to over 240 titles in under a week. But now, that number pales in comparison with what we have today. Valve has managed to bring that number to a whopping 520 titles in just a few days -- as reported by GamingOnLinux.

More specifically, Valve split the number into two categories: the list of Verified games amounts to 309 games, while the number of Playable games takes up the remaining count at 211. If you are unaware, this is part of Valve's new "Deck Verified" program that features four categories for game compatibility, Verified, Playable, Unsupported, and Unknown.

The Steam Deck now has 309 titles fully supported on the console as natively designed. The additional 211 Playable titles might require some user tweaking to get the game running, but it still means the games will run on the new handheld console.

But, despite having 520 titles now operational on the Steam Deck, none of those games are in Steam's top 10 or even top 20 list of most popular games played on the Steam library. God of War, the only exception, ranks 18th place in Steam's hierarchy.

Arguably this is not great for the Steam Deck since Steam's top 10 to 20 most popular games hold a large majority of gamers using Steam right now. Getting early support for these titles would give more mainstream gamers a considerable incentive to purchase the Steam Deck.

But, we presume Valve is not taking this lightly. We already know a large blocker to games support are issues related to anti-cheat software. If you look on ProtonDB's website, it appears most games running anti-cheat software have significant difficulties running on Linux operating systems, with only a few titles getting Gold status (meaning the game runs almost perfectly). 

Since the Steam Deck uses Valve's homebrewed version of Linux called SteamOS, all ProtonDB's limitations will apply to the console.

The good news is that companies such as Epic, with its Easy Anti-Cheat software, have already added support for the Steam Deck and Linux, which is excellent news. But as far as we're aware, not all anti-cheat software companies have prioritized Linux support right now, which will make games not running Easy Anti-Cheat difficult to implement onto the Deck.

Either way, Valve is getting more and more games supported on the Steam Deck in record time. With this level of pace, we should start seeing more popular games in the Steam Library running on the Steam Deck soon.

With review samples of the Steam Deck now going out to select media outlets, it appears Valve is ramping up Steam Deck game verification with 243 titles now supported as of this writing.

As reported by GamingOnLinux, this is a massive jump in supported titles in very little time. Less than a week ago, the amount of Deck Verified titles was just 120.

This could be good news not just for consumers who will get their hands on the Steam Deck at the end of the month, but also for media outlets doing full reviews of the Steam Deck. Reviewers will be able to give us a more realistic view of what Valve's Deck Verified process is capable of, and what we can expect from it.

It will be interesting to see if Valve maintains this sort of pace, Valve has already stated it wants to get the entire Steam library compatible under the Steam Deck, which is a lofty goal. With more than 50,000 titles already in the Steam Libary, Valve will need to move fast if it wants to get all titles supported in the next couple of years.

The Deck Verified program is a focused on making games in the Steam Library run as comfortably and smoothly as possible on the Deck. 

The verification program is split into four categories: Verified, Playable, Unsupported, and Unknown. Verified is where the game works perfectly on Steam Deck;. Playable means the game is capable of running on the Deck, but might require some user intervention to make the game run on the console; Unsupported means the game does not work on the Deck; and unknown means Valve has not checked if the game at all for verification.

Initial reviews (more like previews) of the Steam Deck dropped just a few days ago and gave us a good idea of what the Steam Deck is capable of. In a video by LinusTechTips, first impressions were very good with the Steam Deck outperforming several competing Windows-based handhelds for just a fraction of the cost.

Even more impressive is the fact that Valve's Steam Deck is doing all this on the company's Linux-based SteamOS, with several of the titles demoed running through the ProtonDB compatibility layer. For instance in Control, LinusTechTips tested the game at low settings and achieved nearly 60FPS at the console's native 800p resolution.

One game, in particular, had strange performance characteristics: Forza Horizon 5. When LinusTechTips tested the game, they noticed strange "rubber banding" effects while driving, despite the frame rate being consistently high. Once more games are tested, it'll be interesting to see if bugs like this happen again with other titles and how quickly Valve can fix them.