I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss Valve's Steam OS after moving away from the Steam Deck for the Asus ROG Ally in 2023. Microsoft's Windows 11 24H2 is currently a total nightmare for PC users, and it's no secret that the brand hasn't shown much care to handheld PC gamers, despite cries for an improved user experience.
While I've still got my eyes locked in on an upgrade from the ROG Ally with the likes of the new Acer Blaze 11, Lenovo Legion Go S, or the MSI Claw 8 AI+ handheld options, I stumbled across Bazzite - a cloud native image built from Fedora Atomic Desktops, which provides users with a Linux experience, notably like SteamOS. This is done by downloading an ISO according to your hardware, which literally allows you to run SteamOS on your desktop PC. Yes, you heard that right.
Big Picture Mode on Steam using Windows certainly has similar basic functions in terms of its user interface. Still, it doesn't come close to what SteamOS offers, and Windows 11 (besides the recent hellish 24H2 update) doesn't cater to handheld gaming needs, only recently promising improvements soon.
Despite Valve's confirmation of SteamOS making its way to other handhelds starting in April this year (launching on the Legion Go S in May), Bazzite is still a fantastic way to experience what the Steam Deck has to offer while you wait, without replacing your more powerful handheld for one.
You can still use Windows 11 with Bazzite SteamOS installed
Minus the slightly slower responsiveness with the home screen's menu buttons, Bazzite's SteamOS operates in the exact same manner as legitimate SteamOS would. Bazzite provides features that you wouldn't have access to on Windows 11 using the Asus ROG Ally like a quick resume after setting your device to sleep, and a simple straightforward performance overlay that isn't buggy.
The biggest benefit of all is that you can easily switch between Windows 11 and Bazzite SteamOS when dual booting (if you have enough storage space on your internal drive). This requires you to create two different partitions for both unless you intend on keeping the custom SteamOS on an external drive.
So features like AFMF 2 that are only available when on Windows 11 (at least for now), can easily be accessed by playing games on Microsoft's operating system instead - games that use anti-cheat like Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 are still not capable of running on SteamOS, so a dual boot is very ideal in this case.
As well as gaining the benefits of Valve's fantastic operating system, you'll be able to enable VRR (variable refresh rate) - this is one of the most vital aspects of handheld gaming PCs, eliminating screen tearing and stutters for smoother frame rates by ensuring your display's refresh rate and your game's frame rate are matched.
Is there any point in using a Steam Deck or Bazzite now that Valve is bringing SteamOS to other handheld gaming PCs?
If you're like me, infuriated by Windows 11's 24H2 issues (especially for gaming), then installing Bazzite on your handheld for now while you wait is a great option. Besides SteamOS' general availability, it will come installed on the Lenovo Legion Go S in May starting at $499 - this will likely outperform the Steam Deck using the new AMD Z2 Go processor, which also may defeat the purpose of buying Valve's handheld.
In both the short and long term, Bazzite will remain useful to handheld and desktop PC gamers since it can also be installed on your beefy system as previously mentioned. So if you're adamant about getting a much sleeker and convenient user experience for gaming right now, Bazzite is your best friend.
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