It's weird hearing everyone complain about Windows but for years people been gaming with PCS... It's not all that bad. I have a steam deck and a rog Ally and I prefer my rog Ally in many cases over the steam deck and windows is not a deal-breaker.. I guess everybody wants a dumbed down "Apple like" experience...
I have a Steam Deck (since launch) and a gaming desktop PC. The Steam Deck runs SteamOS, my gaming desktop runs Fedora linux. Ray tracing works fine on my desktop with Elden Ring, The Witcher III, Cyberpunk, Control, Hogwarts Legacy - to name a few. I have a DIY AMD system; no Intel or nVidia. From my experience, most games run smoother under linux with Proton compared to Windows with the same hardware and settings. Avg FPS and/ or 1% lows can be higher or at least are more stable. There is no shader compilation stutter, because with Proton, Vulcan shaders are compiled before the game starts. I have a rule: "If I can't play a game on my linux devices, the devs don't deserve my money!". But from my experience, almost all the games I own work on SteamOS or Fedora, even when they are unsupported according to the Steam verified proces. Games from other stores are no problem either. Even a non-gaming software will quite often work fine with Proton. ...As long as there is no kernel-level anti-cheat, chances are it'll work. Good to see that 3rd party handhelds are starting to ship with SteamOS!
@@robertgosz4281 I have a laptop with Nvidia GPU and all the games I play run great, I have encountered no issue with nvidia yet. On Ubuntu 24.04 with KDE Wayland session
I have an AMD rx7800xt, and raytracing for me isn't quite yet there. It seems to need more optimization on the mesa drivers it's getting extremely close, but I still have issues with raytracing. All the other AMD technologies work extremely well it just seems to be raytracing is the only thing that needs a bit more ironing out. Im using Bazzite right now and loving every second of it.
I think Microsoft should consider to make the Xbox OS, which is also an operating system dedicated to gaming unlike Windows, portable to other devices. And it has a couple of nice features, think of Quick Resume for example. But in the end I also see everything converging into some hybrid system where gamers can have Steam and Game Pass combined in one system. At least, that would be the best possible outcome for gamers.
They did just state they they will be working on blending Xbox and Windows for handhelds, they absoutely should do it now, if they don't want to be left behind.
Definitely a window gaming OS no bloat no rubbish streamed line for gaming would have full compatibility and some sort of clean users interface KBM & full controller support that's the dream.
This is a good sign for Steam OS at large. Steam Deck is a fantastic device but it will be good to offer consumers more choice of form factor to get into the Steam OS ecosystem. The Legion GO S coming in at $500 is compelling as a device and will get into more markets than the Deck is able to. Microsoft are clearly worried given Jason Ronald coming out and saying Microsoft will have something to possibly by years end. Microsoft seem to have finally awoke to this reality.
The biggest interesting thing is that Valve is charging NOTHING for SteamOS licences. This means that the SteamOS version is going to be $100 cheaper than the Windows one. That's a massive temptation to switch buying habits for a wider audience. It might solidify Valve as the fourth horse in the gaming platform landscape, small as it may be compared to the Big Three.
SteamOS based version could be 100s of dollars cheaper similar to how a console is subsidised as the main revenue is through digital storefront not because of OS license
Windows 11 is free on all devices with screen size lower than 9" since 2012. Lenovo never paid a penny for Windows 11 licence on their handhelds because all of them use screen size lower than 9". Their biggest handheld use 8.8" screen
Now just need get Nvidia to fully support for both GTX/RTX gpu users on steam os. Nobody wanted BLOATED Windows 11. We need better os competition, like steam os. I Can’t wait for steam os come to desktop PCs.
As of right now, Bazzite is a great option that supports nvidia cards just fine for its desktop installation. You’ll get pretty much the exact same experience as steamOS out of it with some nice enhancements and better compatibility
I don't think it'll happen because it's not an easy task and it's not feasible for Valve to do it. They're focusing on handhelds because that's a lucrative business for them and it's much easier thing to do than supporting lots of different hardware that desktop users are using. let alone other app support. It's just a headache and it won't benefit them to do that.
The major issues are developers. Developers choose to not integrate anti-cheats to work in SteamOS/Linux. AMD doesn't have a radeon software app like in Windows. The hdmi forum purposefully gimps hdmi 2.1 features from the open source video drivers for AMD. Some more high end users will also not have access to things like Dolby Atmos because of the nature of it being a proprietary codec and the developers not caring to offer a Linux solution. While a lot of these problems may not bother a majority of users of something like a Steam Deck, they could be more problematic in a home theater/TV gaming scenario. I personally love using Bazzite on my desktop and prefer it over Windows 9 times out of 10, it is in a completely different world than Linux gaming was just years ago. Hopefully a steam machine resurgence could push for developers to be more enthused to add features with Linux compatibility. I think a lot of people are just ethically tired of Windows also in addition to the other issues people have with Windows.
@Patrick-y4d1z I don't play them either but many people do. More people would switch if they could play those games. More people switching, more users will bring more development and features.
@@Patrick-y4d1z Lmao this is always my first thought as well. Oh nooo I can't play some gambling game! Whilst playing some 10-30yr old games.I think I'm the target audience of the deck
Good points, but honestly: I don't miss the radeon software anymore. Sure.. something like framegen on the fly is great (for ppl that use it) but the open source Mesa driver is so much better imo. There were issues before the latest AMD driver update with various games and also with emulators like Cemu, where I had no issues on Linux at all. + If you are into AI Stuff, AMD ROCm on Linux is also the way to go. I don't want to downplay windows, because let's be honest, software is made for windows most of the time. But I really don't miss the bloated Adrenalin Software anymore, when we have LACT on Linux and also MangoHud, if you don't like LACT, there is core ctrl. Can't speak on dolby and hdmi tho, but yeah.. hopefully companies and devs will take Linux more srs, if they see the rise!
1. The devs dont make any choices. It's the bigwigs in upper management. 2. AMD Radeon Software is trash anyway.. You can set most things at bios level 3. All the proprietary stuff, is all the more reason, as you said, to switch. I don't see any reason to stick with windows. And I wouldn't use my Gaming handheld as a (high end) multimedia device either. People should just switch. I am tired of this "but Linux doesn't have software" talk. It's just different software. Yes, some not as good as windows equivalent, but if you dont use it, it won't get any better and some things are just flat out better. Package manager, Auto updates, better window management and many more... Best of them all: Not being in the chokehold of Trillion Dollar company and its quasi monopoly spyware OS.
Software compatibility is a huge deal that kinda gets glazed over in these conversations. Its not just "the kids cant play fortnite cuz da anticheat". Not only would people have to learn linux, which is an undertaking in and of itself, they'd have to learn all of the new replacement applications. Thats a pretty large undertaking for the non enthusiast.
I sold my Steam Deck because it was way too finnicky to do thinks that I'm comfortable doing in Windows. Any time you have to delve into the Linux desktop on the Deck is a bad time. On the Ally, on the other hand, you often HAVE to deal with Windows whether you like it or not, which sucks in its own way.
This is why I have the opinion that Bazzite > SteamOS. With Bazzite, as soon as you finished installing, they ask you if you want to install other apps. If you're a content creator, toggle the DaVinci Resolve button. If you're an office worker, toggle any of the office suite options or all of them to see what fits you best (probably WPS Office). Need to remap keys? Toggle key-remapper. Valve has to be really careful of what they endorse, but Bazzite is fine with making it convenient for anyone who uses it.
@@electrikoptik I think Microsoft needs to create a lightweight version of the OS for smaller devices, if they are serious about handheld gaming. Booting up to a full Windows desktop on a handheld is so depressing.
I really like what Asus have done with their ROG Ally. Yes, Windows can suck hard in a gaming handheld. But I've been fine with my Ally and now Ally X, thanks to Armory Crate and stuffs like ES-DE. I remember I also had several issues and tinkering with my previous Steam Deck LCD and OLED. I remember spending time to navigate through the desktop environment to get something working. So, in this case, at least for me, the amount of time I spent tinkering with both OS to have the devices set up my way is about the same. Don't get me wrong, I love what Steam OS offers. But until we get to the point where at least 90% of Windows stuffs are also available in Linux, some people like me will always feel the limitation of Steam OS. But I'm sure that day will come sooner or later. Or maybe, microsoft will surprise us with Windows for handheld first.
I'm really curious to see the Go S SteamOS in action once released. From what I understand the Z2 Go APU is exclusive to Lenovo, and it seems to be using similar generation Zen and RDNA architecture to Steamdeck... begs the question about how involved Valve was with the device design etc to ensure optimal compatibility. In theory, the Z2 go should be significantly faster than the Deck... CPU boost up to 4.3ghz compared to the 3.5 on deck, 12 GPU CUs vs 8 on the deck + higher GPU clocks and obviously the higher TDP. So my thinking is that the hardware is very similar to the deck and therefore SteamOS should be super well optimized for it already... With AFMF2 on the VRR display this thing should be very capable... And then just a general pondering: Why don't all handhelds rather use 4C8T CPUs and dedicate more power budget to the iGPU? Do we really need 8C16T for something typically not capable of high fps?
I tried the Steam Deck for like a week and did choose the ROG ally instead. Yes the first setup is not 'console like' but I use BigBox as frontend. I have a lot of GOG and Epic Game Store games. Also the ally is better for online games and older cd based games. Modding is also way more convenient on the ally.
Game Pass and Xbox Play Anywhere are the main advantages of Windows 11. Valve would never allow services like that on Steam OS. The main reason they made own system limited to Steam Store is to defend against Game Pass and Epic Store which are becoming more popular every year
I love my Steam Deck and SteamOS is a huge part of that but it still does not support anti-cheat or Xbox titles natively. I dual boot with W11 for that and get by with the OS navigation. If this is a warning shot to MS and Windows then solving anti cheat compatibility in SteamOS is major battle. Likewise MS needs to focus on Xbox OS having no desktop visible & being completely navigable via controller. Thankfully for MS they have templates for that in both how SteamOS works, and how its own console UI works. The race is basically on but the main thing to remember is competition is good.
I was disappointed that the steamos version had lower specs. Like they think steamos is for poors. But someone pointed out the windows version needs more storage because it is bloated.
Ray tracing is generally supported on SteamOS/Linux, but that depends on drivers. For AMD, SteamDeck uses radv driver that didn't have RT support for a long time, but it was added some time age and is fairly mature, though still the amdvlk driver from AMD gives better RT perf (but overall worse performance and compatibility in general). For NVIDIA, RT is supported on all RTXs through their proprietary Vulkan driver and should work OOTB on modern Linux systems as Proton now has NVAPI enabled by default. Though NVIDIA driver still isn't fully compatible with Gamescope and there are bugs and glitches in gaming mode. It only really is functional in a Linux desktop.
The best thing about Fremont will be suspend/resume streaming to your Deck... your phone... your Deckard. That's the unbeatable feature it will offer. As for GamePass, this is the opposite of what Valve wants. Valve isn't selling cheap subsidized hardware so you can go ahead and install GamePass on it and get your games from Microsoft. They want you to buy games on Steam, while making the other storefronts require a little extra tinkering and effort that the regular consumer won't choose to do. So I don't know why people keep hoping Valve adds GamePass. This wouldn't be Microsoft throwing a bone to Valve, it would be the opposite. Valve doesn't want you to have GamePass, Microsoft wants you to have it on every single device.
Does anti cheat work with SteamOS? Thinking of the Steam games not supported on Linux due to anti cheat not working with Linux. Would be nice with an out-of-box fully working system that don't need any workarounds to run games. Windows is not an option.
depending on the game anti cheat games do work on steamos/linux even there support for it to work it's up to the dev to switch it on, like one marvel rivals and devs went out there way getting it to work even for mac user too
but what does valve get out of having xbox game pass on their OS? doesn't that take away from users buying games ON steam which is what valve is really making the money on, not the OS or the consoles.
Hdmi on a steam OS device wouldbe great news because currently hdmi isnt supported in the Linux GPU drivers because the consortium refuses to allow their software in an open source driver. If a steamOS device has HDMI that would most likely mean that we are getting HDMI support on Linux.
@@gs8494 What do you mean? HDR has worked through Gamescope for over a year now. Before with a little tinkering HDR has worked for many years. Now Nvidia cards will have problems as they do not have open source drivers. I guess you are talking about that.
To John’s point on where it would leave Microsoft the obvious answer is for Microsoft to acquire Value. Microsoft do have a track record of investing time and money into businesses prior to acquisition.
I can't see that ever happening, firstly MS would have to persuade Newell to sell, which he wont, and even if there was a world where it would happen MS would then have an unassailable monopoly that all the best lobbying and money couldn't get approved.
The Game Pass and Xbox apps are built using modern APIs and cannot run through Wine. Until Microsoft decides to port these applications away from UWP, SteamOS and Linux gaming will not support native Game Pass functionality.
🤔 I'm sure it's only for the trackpads, it's more haptics than say joypad rumble. If you hit settings - controller- you can see the two sliders for game rumble and steam haptics, scroll further down for calibration and advance settings- haptic settings and there you'll see the ability to increase it from its default 7db upto 12db. And that's it as far as I'm aware anyway 😂
@@johnpreston230if you have time to use a handheld gaming device you have time to install an OS with a modern, convenient installer. SteamOS is better than Bazzite in a multitude of ways, but what you're describing is an entirely moot point.
@@corruptdropbear How so? The Bazzite team literally said they co-operate with many hardware manufacturers to get everything running smoothly. They are upscaling their project now that it has gotten so much eyes on them and good for them.
I hope, Microsoft is now all hands on deck, creating the xboxOS. What that should be? Well just what we know from xbox consoles. But instead, you can use your PC Hardware dedicated for gaming.
microsoft should be worried that every single product of theirs is a laughable facsimile of some much better made my someone else and that they are less of a technology company and more of a speed bump in the path of progress
I believe nextgen Microsoft will not fight Sony anymore, but rather focus to compete against Valve. But the thing is that, I believe they will move away from x86 and use Arm, and the support for native or emulated games in Windows on Arm is still very early, I think SteamOs could do better in that aspect., as Wine has already a somewhat mature Arm translation support that could improve rapdaly with Valve's support.
Microsoft could just make an Xbox Gamepass Launcher as a Flatpak and use Proton/Wine just as Heroic Games Launcher. You login to your gamepass, download the games you want to play, add them to Steam to have them in gamemode.
I feel like the switch to ARM for major games is such a longshot ways away. It's basically only even getting attention because of MacBooks, which even Steam has given up trying to support. I don't think Apple started using Arm processors with noble intentions (exclusivity, more like it) and Windows following suit would just be them trying to copy Apple, as they do with so many things to the annoyance of their users. But unless all the game development tools suddenly gain parity on ARM systems, don't expect ARM processors to have any real stake in the game for a while.
After being hacked and having it impossible to get account back (with microsoft only) i am desperate for a reason to scrap bill gates *didnt buy a legit copy anyway* but still cant wajt to stray further from that evil lunatic. And the world is waking up to it too 🎉❤
I would say start now. Make a bootable usb of fedora or mint, then just see what its like. If you like it you can try dual booting for a bit. Good to get used to it before you have to make the swap. Like moving to any new OS there is a learning curve and you dont want to have to go through that whilst needing your pc for important day to day tasks
I bought an Ally to play games. I miss a proper sleep mode, and I could do without Windows updates breaking things. But that’s about it. The fact I can play pretty much everything, from every platform, is what Windows is best at. SteamOS and Bazzite may gain some ground in the future, but Windows will always be the compatible one for older games. And honestly, Windows isn’t that bad.
@@kuhpunkt That was an assumption on my part, but from what I'm reading, a lot of games do work fine... if you're happy to go beyond the basic simplicity of what something like SteamOS will provide. With Windows there are problems, but mostly I just run them like every other game.
@@Reactor10k So far, nothing. Your statement that Windows will always be the one for older games is just wrong. Try playing Fallout 3 on a modern system.
@@G360LIVE is right, windows is microsoft’s baby, ‘xbox’ is not, corporate office microsoft doesn’t want the xbox division messing with their precious os and that problem is holding us all back in the pc gaming space
And what do you think about SteamOS coming to Android? We already play many Windows games through Winlator, so I think it is very possible, with some adjustments, to make SteamOS run on Android devices.
You want an OS to come to another OS? What? Do you mean SteamOS coming to Arm devices, or Big Picture coming to Android? Literally what the hell do you even think you're talking about?
Because a lot of people also don't care about those multiplayergames... because they are toxic and not fun or just more fun on a desktop. And if you want to, you could still play them via streaming.
The list of incompatible games is relatively small, albeit some major multiplayer games. But mostly this is at fault of the developers. Most Anti-cheats are now Linux compatible, but if devs won't enable the settings to make Linux compatible with their Anti-cheats, then it simply won't work. A lot of devs have stepped up and made it compatible but there are holdouts for sure. I for one have at least 200 games last time I've checked, and really I only have 4 or 5 that don't work, and of them they weren't ones I was particularly playing much anyway. Besides that, SteamOS just has so many other console-like conveniences that Windows doesn't have or simply can't have. I couldn't imagine trying to make windows work on a Steam Deck like device and not be running into constant headaches from windows just not being intended for such a purpose or control scheme.
@HorrorElementFilms I've had no trouble using windows on a handheld but the simplicity and ease of use of steam os is attractive but only when I can play all games from all my libraries like on a windows handheld - until then, I'm Happy to "Struggle" with windows
I agree. The PC Master Race complaining about using Windows seem very odd to me. The Ally X is a great machine. Other than booting up a game from the desktop or client, I’m not sure what this struggle with Windows is.
That never happened, patents were not involved in the death of steam machines. The death of steam machines was the making of Valve's and their partners own doing, on top of Linux gaming was extremely subpar back then.
There's literally nothing stopping you from playing those "free" games on SteamOS. If anything, it'll be an even smoother experience because all of a sudden the AC/DRM of a few titles that make SteamOS go funny isn't a problem anymore.
No, they should sue. Steam is doing monopoly things. Since Microsoft knows a thing or too about this, lol,, I would not encroach on Microsoft‘a territory visa via monopoly type behaviors, as if Microsoft didn’t know what monopolism looks like & the legal ramifications of engaging in it.
his is a semi closed system that trues actively discourage you from paying for games that don’t come from the steam store. Yeah you can hack the OS to gain access to stuff, but who is too assume that the average consumer knows how to hack a steamOS device. Even with that said you cannot install games from the Microsoft store or games from gamepass onto Linux/SteamOS. I’m almost certain it’s impossible due to the abnormal file structure of games that originated directly from Microsoft. Microsoft games are encrypted is specific ways. I don’t see how, even you hacked a steam deck to gain access to the Microsoft store, you could physically install those games.
So once this starts going 3rd party, it’s like an Acer computer with Apple IOS installed & Apple is blocking everything that isn’t Apple related. Apple was literally forced to unblock certain stuff by international courts due to law suits concerning illegal monopolies. This is in that ballpark.
Yeah. SteamOS is Linux where you can install literaly anything you want. So monopolic behavior!!! And of course they should sue Nintendo, Sony and MS (by MS) because of completely closed systems on consoles.
nah ms nothing to worry about. they're already working on improving the windows handheld experience. i doubt steam os is going to take over anything imo. people are much more comfortable with windows os despite it's issues.
Wrong wrong wrong. Nobody want windows 11 on pc. Hardware Unboxed has said it time and time again. “ testing hardware now under windows 11 has become a pain in the butt now, we look forward one day to testing with steam os. “ Ms has Chokehold on pc market. They bullied all other os out business or threaten then with lawsuits. They have choke hold on hardware vendors, software. IBM Os/2 Warp was bullied out business and shut down by ms. Many other os were also shut down by ms. Because they were threat to windows. You don’t see bloated ms pushing out updates almost daily to their os. Valve is. You do know that gaming for Pc was slapped on back in windows 95 days. It was added later with bloated DirectX. Steam os is built from ground up with gaming in mind. Windows was NOT/still is NOT built for gaming in mind. It was tacked on. Cus I Remeber the days, dos days even before windows 3.1.
Microsoft doesn't work on anything lol. Imagine thinking that they will work on improving windows for handheld when 90% of worlds IT sector works on teams and they still havent fixed anything related to it
@carlwheezer1544 nope. They do the same exact thing, but the ps5 pro is way more powerful. Therefore, the cost is understandable. This outdated thing shouldn't be $600+. Talk about overpriced. Ps5 pro is superior in every way.
Besides the form factor a pc is an open platform meaning you are not locked to a company policies. You don't have to pay for online, you can purchase games in any store, you can use any peripheral you want, you can use it to work, etc... That said If you prefer other platform just enjoy I don't care if someone prefers a console
For me, PC offers more freedom in how I play. if i start a game on ps5, i must finish it on ps5. if i start a game on PC, i can finish it on steam deck, my laptop, etc. PC also offers superior streaming options. PS5 remote play caps out at 1080p. It's nice to be able to sit down at any screen in my house and have access to my games from the comfort of my couch, bed, desk, wherever.
Enjoyed my Rog Ally but the windows is the biggest drawback and the biggest headache and annoiance in the handheld.
try bazzite with it
It's weird hearing everyone complain about Windows but for years people been gaming with PCS... It's not all that bad. I have a steam deck and a rog Ally and I prefer my rog Ally in many cases over the steam deck and windows is not a deal-breaker.. I guess everybody wants a dumbed down "Apple like" experience...
@@str8poisintv131
People have been complaining about Windows for years too. You have no point there.
@@str8poisintv131
And no, Steam is not a dumbed down experience in any way. It just a bloat free operating system designed for a specific function.
I like windows on my ally, but that's just my opinion :)
I have a Steam Deck (since launch) and a gaming desktop PC. The Steam Deck runs SteamOS, my gaming desktop runs Fedora linux. Ray tracing works fine on my desktop with Elden Ring, The Witcher III, Cyberpunk, Control, Hogwarts Legacy - to name a few. I have a DIY AMD system; no Intel or nVidia.
From my experience, most games run smoother under linux with Proton compared to Windows with the same hardware and settings. Avg FPS and/ or 1% lows can be higher or at least are more stable. There is no shader compilation stutter, because with Proton, Vulcan shaders are compiled before the game starts.
I have a rule: "If I can't play a game on my linux devices, the devs don't deserve my money!". But from my experience, almost all the games I own work on SteamOS or Fedora, even when they are unsupported according to the Steam verified proces. Games from other stores are no problem either. Even a non-gaming software will quite often work fine with Proton. ...As long as there is no kernel-level anti-cheat, chances are it'll work.
Good to see that 3rd party handhelds are starting to ship with SteamOS!
I have moved from Windows 10 to Linux with my gaming rig around a month ago and even though I run Nvidia I can say I love the experience.
@@robertgosz4281 I have a laptop with Nvidia GPU and all the games I play run great, I have encountered no issue with nvidia yet. On Ubuntu 24.04 with KDE Wayland session
I have an AMD rx7800xt, and raytracing for me isn't quite yet there. It seems to need more optimization on the mesa drivers it's getting extremely close, but I still have issues with raytracing. All the other AMD technologies work extremely well it just seems to be raytracing is the only thing that needs a bit more ironing out. Im using Bazzite right now and loving every second of it.
I think Microsoft should consider to make the Xbox OS, which is also an operating system dedicated to gaming unlike Windows, portable to other devices. And it has a couple of nice features, think of Quick Resume for example. But in the end I also see everything converging into some hybrid system where gamers can have Steam and Game Pass combined in one system. At least, that would be the best possible outcome for gamers.
They did just state they they will be working on blending Xbox and Windows for handhelds, they absoutely should do it now, if they don't want to be left behind.
Definitely a window gaming OS no bloat no rubbish streamed line for gaming would have full compatibility and some sort of clean users interface KBM & full controller support that's the dream.
@@rowaystarco there very focus on AI, I heard they been working on it for over a year ago and they may have something, but it's not there focus atm
ALL i want from them is the ability the play all the game i bought from their store on pc ...
Ms is partnering with valve to bring steam to Xbox and vice versa
This is a good sign for Steam OS at large. Steam Deck is a fantastic device but it will be good to offer consumers more choice of form factor to get into the Steam OS ecosystem. The Legion GO S coming in at $500 is compelling as a device and will get into more markets than the Deck is able to. Microsoft are clearly worried given Jason Ronald coming out and saying Microsoft will have something to possibly by years end. Microsoft seem to have finally awoke to this reality.
The biggest interesting thing is that Valve is charging NOTHING for SteamOS licences. This means that the SteamOS version is going to be $100 cheaper than the Windows one. That's a massive temptation to switch buying habits for a wider audience. It might solidify Valve as the fourth horse in the gaming platform landscape, small as it may be compared to the Big Three.
SteamOS based version could be 100s of dollars cheaper similar to how a console is subsidised as the main revenue is through digital storefront not because of OS license
Windows 11 is free on all devices with screen size lower than 9" since 2012. Lenovo never paid a penny for Windows 11 licence on their handhelds because all of them use screen size lower than 9". Their biggest handheld use 8.8" screen
Keep in mind that the SteamOS version only has 512GB of storage, whereas the Windows version comes with 1TB.
@@Gramini cause Windows eats more
Windows doesn’t charge companies that much for keys
Now just need get Nvidia to fully support for both GTX/RTX gpu users on steam os.
Nobody wanted BLOATED Windows 11. We need better os competition, like steam os. I Can’t wait for steam os come to desktop PCs.
SteamOS will mean no more Windows for me
We'll get Xbox os for pc but with telemetry and forced online account
Steam os literally uses linux so why not install something like ubuntu yourself on your pc.
As of right now, Bazzite is a great option that supports nvidia cards just fine for its desktop installation. You’ll get pretty much the exact same experience as steamOS out of it with some nice enhancements and better compatibility
I don't think it'll happen because it's not an easy task and it's not feasible for Valve to do it. They're focusing on handhelds because that's a lucrative business for them and it's much easier thing to do than supporting lots of different hardware that desktop users are using. let alone other app support. It's just a headache and it won't benefit them to do that.
The major issues are developers. Developers choose to not integrate anti-cheats to work in SteamOS/Linux. AMD doesn't have a radeon software app like in Windows. The hdmi forum purposefully gimps hdmi 2.1 features from the open source video drivers for AMD. Some more high end users will also not have access to things like Dolby Atmos because of the nature of it being a proprietary codec and the developers not caring to offer a Linux solution. While a lot of these problems may not bother a majority of users of something like a Steam Deck, they could be more problematic in a home theater/TV gaming scenario. I personally love using Bazzite on my desktop and prefer it over Windows 9 times out of 10, it is in a completely different world than Linux gaming was just years ago. Hopefully a steam machine resurgence could push for developers to be more enthused to add features with Linux compatibility. I think a lot of people are just ethically tired of Windows also in addition to the other issues people have with Windows.
Those games also tend to be toxic crap like CoD or FIFA too, so I have no issues in not playing them.
@Patrick-y4d1z I don't play them either but many people do. More people would switch if they could play those games. More people switching, more users will bring more development and features.
@@Patrick-y4d1z Lmao this is always my first thought as well. Oh nooo I can't play some gambling game! Whilst playing some 10-30yr old games.I think I'm the target audience of the deck
Good points, but honestly: I don't miss the radeon software anymore. Sure.. something like framegen on the fly is great (for ppl that use it) but the open source Mesa driver is so much better imo. There were issues before the latest AMD driver update with various games and also with emulators like Cemu, where I had no issues on Linux at all. + If you are into AI Stuff, AMD ROCm on Linux is also the way to go.
I don't want to downplay windows, because let's be honest, software is made for windows most of the time. But I really don't miss the bloated Adrenalin Software anymore, when we have LACT on Linux and also MangoHud, if you don't like LACT, there is core ctrl.
Can't speak on dolby and hdmi tho, but yeah.. hopefully companies and devs will take Linux more srs, if they see the rise!
1. The devs dont make any choices. It's the bigwigs in upper management.
2. AMD Radeon Software is trash anyway.. You can set most things at bios level
3. All the proprietary stuff, is all the more reason, as you said, to switch. I don't see any reason to stick with windows. And I wouldn't use my Gaming handheld as a (high end) multimedia device either.
People should just switch. I am tired of this "but Linux doesn't have software" talk. It's just different software. Yes, some not as good as windows equivalent, but if you dont use it, it won't get any better and some things are just flat out better. Package manager, Auto updates, better window management and many more...
Best of them all: Not being in the chokehold of Trillion Dollar company and its quasi monopoly spyware OS.
Software compatibility is a huge deal that kinda gets glazed over in these conversations. Its not just "the kids cant play fortnite cuz da anticheat". Not only would people have to learn linux, which is an undertaking in and of itself, they'd have to learn all of the new replacement applications. Thats a pretty large undertaking for the non enthusiast.
Have you ever used a Steam Deck?
I sold my Steam Deck because it was way too finnicky to do thinks that I'm comfortable doing in Windows. Any time you have to delve into the Linux desktop on the Deck is a bad time. On the Ally, on the other hand, you often HAVE to deal with Windows whether you like it or not, which sucks in its own way.
This is why I have the opinion that Bazzite > SteamOS. With Bazzite, as soon as you finished installing, they ask you if you want to install other apps. If you're a content creator, toggle the DaVinci Resolve button. If you're an office worker, toggle any of the office suite options or all of them to see what fits you best (probably WPS Office). Need to remap keys? Toggle key-remapper.
Valve has to be really careful of what they endorse, but Bazzite is fine with making it convenient for anyone who uses it.
@@kuhpunkt im literally typing this on my steamdeck.
@@Buddhakingpen Then you would know that you don't have to "learn linux" to boot up the device and play games.
It's over Windows gaming, SteamOS has the higher ground!
Competition is good. Hopefully Windows on gaming handhelds approve.
@@electrikoptik I think Microsoft needs to create a lightweight version of the OS for smaller devices, if they are serious about handheld gaming. Booting up to a full Windows desktop on a handheld is so depressing.
Cant wait for SteamOS for rog ally !! Windows is too heavy for it
Why not Bazzite?
I really like what Asus have done with their ROG Ally. Yes, Windows can suck hard in a gaming handheld. But I've been fine with my Ally and now Ally X, thanks to Armory Crate and stuffs like ES-DE.
I remember I also had several issues and tinkering with my previous Steam Deck LCD and OLED. I remember spending time to navigate through the desktop environment to get something working. So, in this case, at least for me, the amount of time I spent tinkering with both OS to have the devices set up my way is about the same.
Don't get me wrong, I love what Steam OS offers. But until we get to the point where at least 90% of Windows stuffs are also available in Linux, some people like me will always feel the limitation of Steam OS. But I'm sure that day will come sooner or later. Or maybe, microsoft will surprise us with Windows for handheld first.
I'm really curious to see the Go S SteamOS in action once released. From what I understand the Z2 Go APU is exclusive to Lenovo, and it seems to be using similar generation Zen and RDNA architecture to Steamdeck... begs the question about how involved Valve was with the device design etc to ensure optimal compatibility. In theory, the Z2 go should be significantly faster than the Deck... CPU boost up to 4.3ghz compared to the 3.5 on deck, 12 GPU CUs vs 8 on the deck + higher GPU clocks and obviously the higher TDP. So my thinking is that the hardware is very similar to the deck and therefore SteamOS should be super well optimized for it already... With AFMF2 on the VRR display this thing should be very capable... And then just a general pondering: Why don't all handhelds rather use 4C8T CPUs and dedicate more power budget to the iGPU? Do we really need 8C16T for something typically not capable of high fps?
4:00 everything isn't an Xbox though. I can't play my digital copy of fight night champion unless I buy an Xbox. An actual one. The campaign is a lie.
Amazing video, thank you Digital Foundry.
They still getting a piece of this
if microsoft wants their handhelds to be like an xbox they need their own version of steamOS. windows is awful for this type of device.
I tried the Steam Deck for like a week and did choose the ROG ally instead. Yes the first setup is not 'console like' but I use BigBox as frontend. I have a lot of GOG and Epic Game Store games. Also the ally is better for online games and older cd based games. Modding is also way more convenient on the ally.
Windows 11 is holding back Gamepass.
Game Pass and Xbox Play Anywhere are the main advantages of Windows 11. Valve would never allow services like that on Steam OS. The main reason they made own system limited to Steam Store is to defend against Game Pass and Epic Store which are becoming more popular every year
What are the chances of a valve console-style machine with strix halo ?
Not bad.
I love my Steam Deck and SteamOS is a huge part of that but it still does not support anti-cheat or Xbox titles natively.
I dual boot with W11 for that and get by with the OS navigation.
If this is a warning shot to MS and Windows then solving anti cheat compatibility in SteamOS is major battle.
Likewise MS needs to focus on Xbox OS having no desktop visible & being completely navigable via controller.
Thankfully for MS they have templates for that in both how SteamOS works, and how its own console UI works.
The race is basically on but the main thing to remember is competition is good.
That will change though if enough people buy devices like this
I was disappointed that the steamos version had lower specs. Like they think steamos is for poors. But someone pointed out the windows version needs more storage because it is bloated.
Wow.
Gosh I hate windows on handheld.
Nintendo should be worried not Microsoft. Xbox will just become a subscription service.
There is no difference between rt on Linux and windows by now.
Actually I did a few tests yesterday and Black Myth Wukong with high RT runs better on Linux than on my Windows 10. I was shocked...
have two steam decks and i love steam OS, cant wait till the day i can use it on my desktop PC
Ray tracing is generally supported on SteamOS/Linux, but that depends on drivers. For AMD, SteamDeck uses radv driver that didn't have RT support for a long time, but it was added some time age and is fairly mature, though still the amdvlk driver from AMD gives better RT perf (but overall worse performance and compatibility in general).
For NVIDIA, RT is supported on all RTXs through their proprietary Vulkan driver and should work OOTB on modern Linux systems as Proton now has NVAPI enabled by default. Though NVIDIA driver still isn't fully compatible with Gamescope and there are bugs and glitches in gaming mode. It only really is functional in a Linux desktop.
The best thing about Fremont will be suspend/resume streaming to your Deck... your phone... your Deckard. That's the unbeatable feature it will offer. As for GamePass, this is the opposite of what Valve wants. Valve isn't selling cheap subsidized hardware so you can go ahead and install GamePass on it and get your games from Microsoft. They want you to buy games on Steam, while making the other storefronts require a little extra tinkering and effort that the regular consumer won't choose to do. So I don't know why people keep hoping Valve adds GamePass. This wouldn't be Microsoft throwing a bone to Valve, it would be the opposite. Valve doesn't want you to have GamePass, Microsoft wants you to have it on every single device.
Does anti cheat work with SteamOS? Thinking of the Steam games not supported on Linux due to anti cheat not working with Linux. Would be nice with an out-of-box fully working system that don't need any workarounds to run games. Windows is not an option.
Nope
@jakeislavic3024 Well that sucks
depending on the game anti cheat games do work on steamos/linux even there support for it to work it's up to the dev to switch it on, like one marvel rivals and devs went out there way getting it to work even for mac user too
but what does valve get out of having xbox game pass on their OS? doesn't that take away from users buying games ON steam which is what valve is really making the money on, not the OS or the consoles.
Is the ssd gen 3 or gen 4 compatible?
yes
You would have thought MS would have by this point attempted to do something, so if they haven't, they deserve everything they get
Hdmi on a steam OS device wouldbe great news because currently hdmi isnt supported in the Linux GPU drivers because the consortium refuses to allow their software in an open source driver. If a steamOS device has HDMI that would most likely mean that we are getting HDMI support on Linux.
What are you on about? We have HDMI support on linux.
@@RanEncounter He probably means HDR I think.
@@gs8494 We have HDR support on linux too. I have no idea what you two are even trying to say.
@@RanEncounter It's not supported officially, it's being worked on.
@@gs8494 What do you mean? HDR has worked through Gamescope for over a year now. Before with a little tinkering HDR has worked for many years. Now Nvidia cards will have problems as they do not have open source drivers. I guess you are talking about that.
Figure out anti cheat and we can talk.
To John’s point on where it would leave Microsoft the obvious answer is for Microsoft to acquire Value. Microsoft do have a track record of investing time and money into businesses prior to acquisition.
And how are they supposed to do that?
I can't see that ever happening, firstly MS would have to persuade Newell to sell, which he wont, and even if there was a world where it would happen MS would then have an unassailable monopoly that all the best lobbying and money couldn't get approved.
The Game Pass and Xbox apps are built using modern APIs and cannot run through Wine. Until Microsoft decides to port these applications away from UWP, SteamOS and Linux gaming will not support native Game Pass functionality.
they still have other two models actuallty.
This things need to be smaller. Otherwise, good to finally have steamOS going third party
Question, if you get the steamOS version, what happens with emulators like pcxs2? Will they be downloadable?
PCSX2 is a native linux app.
most emulators have native linux version
@@kuhpunkt I'm not PC tech savvy, what does that mean?
@@Fundraiser039 It means that there is a version of PCSX2 that runs on Linux without problems.
@@Fundraiser039SteamOS is Linux-based, as is PCSX2.
I will say i played ghost of tsushima on my steam deck and it claims unsupported cause of legends mode but the single player worked perfectly
Hmmm, should Sony be worried?
Am i missing somethin? My stramdecks dont have amy vibration.
🤔 I'm sure it's only for the trackpads, it's more haptics than say joypad rumble.
If you hit settings - controller- you can see the two sliders for game rumble and steam haptics, scroll further down for calibration and advance settings- haptic settings and there you'll see the ability to increase it from its default 7db upto 12db. And that's it as far as I'm aware anyway 😂
Then you have a defective unit. All Steam Decks have rumble as well as tactile vibratory feedback for the trackpads.
@turbochargedfilms they don't have rumble. The Baltic pads can be turned up, but still nothing like a rumble motor.
@@leehawleyphotography9326 Yep, it's just the haptics motors is all.
Get adobe software on steamos and then we can all put windows in the bin
Why need Steam OS when Bazzite already so good ?
@@Mr3-j4m Bazzite is awesome but it's not a preinstalled solution manufacturers can guarantee works on their stuff
cause a guy like me has no idea where to start and how to update it and all that stuff. It's for people who have time for this. I don't.
It's just good, steamos could be great
@@johnpreston230if you have time to use a handheld gaming device you have time to install an OS with a modern, convenient installer. SteamOS is better than Bazzite in a multitude of ways, but what you're describing is an entirely moot point.
@@corruptdropbear How so? The Bazzite team literally said they co-operate with many hardware manufacturers to get everything running smoothly. They are upscaling their project now that it has gotten so much eyes on them and good for them.
I have only one question.... what's "Microsoft"?
Good. More competition the better.
I hope, Microsoft is now all hands on deck, creating the xboxOS. What that should be? Well just what we know from xbox consoles. But instead, you can use your PC Hardware dedicated for gaming.
I honestly don't know why they wouldn't find a way to get game pass on SteamOS as well as making a Xbox OS console, best of both worlds.
Nintendo, look what you've started!❤
microsoft should be worried that every single product of theirs is a laughable facsimile of some much better made my someone else and that they are less of a technology company and more of a speed bump in the path of progress
I believe nextgen Microsoft will not fight Sony anymore, but rather focus to compete against Valve. But the thing is that, I believe they will move away from x86 and use Arm, and the support for native or emulated games in Windows on Arm is still very early, I think SteamOs could do better in that aspect., as Wine has already a somewhat mature Arm translation support that could improve rapdaly with Valve's support.
Microsoft could just make an Xbox Gamepass Launcher as a Flatpak and use Proton/Wine just as Heroic Games Launcher.
You login to your gamepass, download the games you want to play, add them to Steam to have them in gamemode.
I feel like the switch to ARM for major games is such a longshot ways away. It's basically only even getting attention because of MacBooks, which even Steam has given up trying to support. I don't think Apple started using Arm processors with noble intentions (exclusivity, more like it) and Windows following suit would just be them trying to copy Apple, as they do with so many things to the annoyance of their users. But unless all the game development tools suddenly gain parity on ARM systems, don't expect ARM processors to have any real stake in the game for a while.
After being hacked and having it impossible to get account back (with microsoft only) i am desperate for a reason to scrap bill gates *didnt buy a legit copy anyway* but still cant wajt to stray further from that evil lunatic. And the world is waking up to it too 🎉❤
I was close to buying legion go s but realised its underpowered version of legion go
once windows 10 is dead this year, i'm moving to linux
I would say start now. Make a bootable usb of fedora or mint, then just see what its like. If you like it you can try dual booting for a bit.
Good to get used to it before you have to make the swap. Like moving to any new OS there is a learning curve and you dont want to have to go through that whilst needing your pc for important day to day tasks
I bought an Ally to play games. I miss a proper sleep mode, and I could do without Windows updates breaking things. But that’s about it. The fact I can play pretty much everything, from every platform, is what Windows is best at. SteamOS and Bazzite may gain some ground in the future, but Windows will always be the compatible one for older games. And honestly, Windows isn’t that bad.
"but Windows will always be the compatible one for older games"
That one is just not true. Compatibility for older games is better on Proton.
@@kuhpunkt That was an assumption on my part, but from what I'm reading, a lot of games do work fine... if you're happy to go beyond the basic simplicity of what something like SteamOS will provide. With Windows there are problems, but mostly I just run them like every other game.
@@Reactor10k A lot of older games don't run well on Windows 11 and require workarounds. They run just fine with Proton.
@@kuhpunkt The same can be said of Proton for some games. How much tweaking did you have to do beyond loading up SteamOS and getting games to run?
@@Reactor10k So far, nothing. Your statement that Windows will always be the one for older games is just wrong. Try playing Fallout 3 on a modern system.
Windows is not a critical product for Microsoft anymore, 90s are over.
Windows is one of Microsoft's biggest sources of revenue. It's very critical for Microsoft, and that's why Microsoft is so protective of Windows.
@@G360LIVEit is not lol. Windows is an advertisement investment for Microsoft now. Just like Google search is for advertising aswell
@@G360LIVE is right, windows is microsoft’s baby, ‘xbox’ is not, corporate office microsoft doesn’t want the xbox division messing with their precious os and that problem is holding us all back in the pc gaming space
@@michaeljamesm these times are over, it's not anymore. Sorry folks you're wrong :)
Windows 11 sucks
And what do you think about SteamOS coming to Android? We already play many Windows games through Winlator, so I think it is very possible, with some adjustments, to make SteamOS run on Android devices.
It sounds like you want Steam Big picture mode in general on Android not a completely different operating system
yikes
You want an OS to come to another OS? What? Do you mean SteamOS coming to Arm devices, or Big Picture coming to Android? Literally what the hell do you even think you're talking about?
What if SteamOS is coming to Windows (WSL-like)? Or Xbox Windows app is rebranded to Steam?
Once I found out steam os can't play some pretty major games, I decided to go with a windows device - why would anyone want to limit themselves ?
I feel ya there, but out of my entire catalog of games on Steam there is only 2 games that are not compatible with Linux/SteamOS
Because a lot of people also don't care about those multiplayergames... because they are toxic and not fun or just more fun on a desktop. And if you want to, you could still play them via streaming.
The list of incompatible games is relatively small, albeit some major multiplayer games. But mostly this is at fault of the developers. Most Anti-cheats are now Linux compatible, but if devs won't enable the settings to make Linux compatible with their Anti-cheats, then it simply won't work. A lot of devs have stepped up and made it compatible but there are holdouts for sure.
I for one have at least 200 games last time I've checked, and really I only have 4 or 5 that don't work, and of them they weren't ones I was particularly playing much anyway. Besides that, SteamOS just has so many other console-like conveniences that Windows doesn't have or simply can't have. I couldn't imagine trying to make windows work on a Steam Deck like device and not be running into constant headaches from windows just not being intended for such a purpose or control scheme.
@HorrorElementFilms I've had no trouble using windows on a handheld but the simplicity and ease of use of steam os is attractive but only when I can play all games from all my libraries like on a windows handheld - until then, I'm Happy to "Struggle" with windows
I agree. The PC Master Race complaining about using Windows seem very odd to me. The Ally X is a great machine. Other than booting up a game from the desktop or client, I’m not sure what this struggle with Windows is.
GeForce now confirmed for Steam Deck too.
I don’t play all my games on steam cause I’m not some drone/sheep
wow, you are so cool!
Good thing SteamOS supports pretty much every third-party store and any third-party software, then
@@kuhpunkt ty
Didn't they manage to kill off steam machines via patents last time? Would be interested to find out how they get around it here
That never happened, patents were not involved in the death of steam machines. The death of steam machines was the making of Valve's and their partners own doing, on top of Linux gaming was extremely subpar back then.
Windows allows me to get free games sooooo
you can pirate on linux
There's literally nothing stopping you from playing those "free" games on SteamOS. If anything, it'll be an even smoother experience because all of a sudden the AC/DRM of a few titles that make SteamOS go funny isn't a problem anymore.
@@turbochargedfilms thanks gives me some insight
Why doesn't Microsoft just buy Valve? Then they can take over Steam OS. Mua-ha-ha-ha-ha.
Gabe will defend us from such evil. He is the chosen one
How are they supposed to buy Valve?
@@Pelicanzzz he's not, the employees of Valve are
No, they should sue. Steam is doing monopoly things. Since Microsoft knows a thing or too about this, lol,, I would not encroach on Microsoft‘a territory visa via monopoly type behaviors, as if Microsoft didn’t know what monopolism looks like & the legal ramifications of engaging in it.
Who should sue whom for what reason?
his is a semi closed system that trues actively discourage you from paying for games that don’t come from the steam store. Yeah you can hack the OS to gain access to stuff, but who is too assume that the average consumer knows how to hack a steamOS device. Even with that said you cannot install games from the Microsoft store or games from gamepass onto Linux/SteamOS. I’m almost certain it’s impossible due to the abnormal file structure of games that originated directly from Microsoft. Microsoft games are encrypted is specific ways. I don’t see how, even you hacked a steam deck to gain access to the Microsoft store, you could physically install those games.
So once this starts going 3rd party, it’s like an Acer computer with Apple IOS installed & Apple is blocking everything that isn’t Apple related. Apple was literally forced to unblock certain stuff by international courts due to law suits concerning illegal monopolies. This is in that ballpark.
@@edwardlashley3572 Hack steamOS lmao you mean go to desktop mode and just do regular linux pc things there?
Yeah. SteamOS is Linux where you can install literaly anything you want. So monopolic behavior!!!
And of course they should sue Nintendo, Sony and MS (by MS) because of completely closed systems on consoles.
nah ms nothing to worry about. they're already working on improving the windows handheld experience. i doubt steam os is going to take over anything imo. people are much more comfortable with windows os despite it's issues.
Wrong wrong wrong. Nobody want windows 11 on pc. Hardware Unboxed has said it time and time again. “ testing hardware now under windows 11 has become a pain in the butt now, we look forward one day to testing with steam os. “
Ms has Chokehold on pc market. They bullied all other os out business or threaten then with lawsuits. They have choke hold on hardware vendors, software. IBM Os/2 Warp was bullied out business and shut down by ms. Many other os were also shut down by ms. Because they were threat to windows.
You don’t see bloated ms pushing out updates almost daily to their os. Valve is.
You do know that gaming for Pc was slapped on back in windows 95 days. It was added later with bloated DirectX. Steam os is built from ground up with gaming in mind.
Windows was NOT/still is NOT built for gaming in mind. It was tacked on. Cus I Remeber the days, dos days even before windows 3.1.
I could see SteamOS taking over the Handheld space, but at the same time I can see the handheld space being a tiny % of PC gamers, like 5% or less.
Microsoft doesn't work on anything lol. Imagine thinking that they will work on improving windows for handheld when 90% of worlds IT sector works on teams and they still havent fixed anything related to it
PS5 PRO IS STILL THE BEST DEAL IN GAMING!!!!!! MEGA L FOR THE QUEERBOX SERIES X FANQUEER GAYMERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What a malaka you are
Get well brudda
OnePlus 12 - 13 w emulators and ps5 controller/ cast to tv is the best value
🤣
Ryan Miller why do you hide behind so many accounts? 😂
Why are pc neckbeards willing to pay for 720p-1080p for $600+ but find the superior ps5 pro expensive 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
those are 2 completely different machines with different use cases. It's like comparing an iPad to a mcdonalds digital ordering board
@carlwheezer1544 nope. They do the same exact thing, but the ps5 pro is way more powerful. Therefore, the cost is understandable. This outdated thing shouldn't be $600+. Talk about overpriced. Ps5 pro is superior in every way.
Besides the form factor a pc is an open platform meaning you are not locked to a company policies. You don't have to pay for online, you can purchase games in any store, you can use any peripheral you want, you can use it to work, etc...
That said If you prefer other platform just enjoy I don't care if someone prefers a console
For me, PC offers more freedom in how I play. if i start a game on ps5, i must finish it on ps5. if i start a game on PC, i can finish it on steam deck, my laptop, etc.
PC also offers superior streaming options. PS5 remote play caps out at 1080p.
It's nice to be able to sit down at any screen in my house and have access to my games from the comfort of my couch, bed, desk, wherever.
@@carlwheezer1544 Don't bother replying, this guy's got the tism and is posting PS5 pro stuff in every DF video lol.