When Valve announced its upcoming Steam Machine hardware last month, some eagle-eyed gamers may have been surprised to see that the official spec sheet lists support for HDMI 2.0 output, rather than the updated, higher-bandwidth HDMI 2.1 standard introduced in 2017. Now, Valve tells Ars that, while the hardware itself actually supports HDMI 2.1, the company is struggling to offer full support for that standard due to Linux drivers that are “still a work-in-progress on the software side.”
As we noted last year, the HDMI Forum (which manages the official specifications for HDMI standards) has officially blocked any open source implementation of HDMI 2.1. That means the open source AMD drivers used by SteamOS can’t fully implement certain features that are specific to the updated output standard.
“At this time an open source HDMI 2.1 implementation is not possible without running afoul of the HDMI Forum requirements,” AMD engineer Alex Deucher said at the time.
Doing what they can
This situation has caused significant headaches for Valve, which tells Ars it has had to validate the Steam Machine’s HDMI 2.1 hardware via Windows during testing. And when it comes to HDMI performance via SteamOS, a Valve representative tells Ars that “we’ve been working on trying to unblock things there.”
That includes unblocking HDMI 2.0’s resolution and frame-rate limits, which max out at 60 Hz for a 4K output, according to the official standard. Valve tells Ars it has been able to increase that limit to the “4K @ 120Hz” listed on the Steam Machine spec sheet, though, thanks to a technique called chroma sub-sampling.
By Valve’s admission, its upcoming Steam Machine desktop isn’t swinging for the fences with its graphical performance. The specs promise decent 1080p-to-1440p performance in most games, with 4K occasionally reachable with assistance from FSR upscaling—about what you’d expect from a box with a modern midrange graphics card in it.
But there’s one spec that has caused some concern among Ars staffers and others with their eyes on the Steam Machine: The GPU comes with just 8GB of dedicated graphics RAM, an amount that is steadily becoming more of a bottleneck for midrange GPUs like AMD’s Radeon RX 7060 and 9060, or Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 4060 or 5060.
In our reviews of these GPUs, we’ve already run into some games where the RAM ceiling limits performance in Windows, especially at 1440p. But we’ve been doing more extensive testing of various GPUs with SteamOS, and we can confirm that in current betas, 8GB GPUs struggle even more on SteamOS than they do running the same games at the same settings in Windows 11.
The good news is that Valve is working on solutions, and having a stable platform like the Steam Machine to aim for should help improve things for other hardware with similar configurations. The bad news is there’s plenty of work left to do.
The numbers
We’ve tested an array of dedicated and integrated Radeon GPUs under SteamOS and Windows, and we’ll share more extensive results in another article soon (along with broader SteamOS-vs-Windows observations). But for our purposes here, the two GPUs that highlight the issues most effectively are the 8GB Radeon RX 7600 and the 16GB Radeon RX 7600 XT.
These dedicated GPUs have the benefit of being nearly identical to what Valve plans to ship in the Steam Machine—32 compute units (CUs) instead of Valve’s 28, but the same RDNA3 architecture. They’re also, most importantly for our purposes, pretty similar to each other—the same physical GPU die, just with slightly higher clock speeds and more RAM for the 7600 XT than for the regular 7600.
Those additional options should be welcome news for fans looking for new ways to play PC games of a certain era. The PC Gaming Wiki lists over 400 titles written with the D3D7 APIs, and while most of those games were released between 2000 and 2004, a handful of new D3D7 games have continued to be released through 2022.
The D3D7 games list predictably includes a lot of licensed shovelware, but there are also well-remembered games like Escape from Monkey Island, Arx Fatalis, and the original Hitman: Codename 47. WinterSnowfall writes that the project was inspired by a desire to play games like Sacrifice and Disciples II on top of the existing dxvk framework.
Despite some known issues with certain D3D7 titles, WinterSnowfall writes that recent tuning means “things are now anywhere between decent to stellar in most of the supported games.” Still, the project author warns that the project will likely never reach full compatibility since “D3D7 is a land of highly cursed API interoperability.”
Don’t expect this project to expand to include support for even older DirectX APIs, either, WinterSnowfall warns. “D3D7 is enough of a challenge and a mess as it is,” the author writes. “The further we stray from D3D9, the further we stray from the divine.”
An Xbox-branded extension of Asus’ existing ROG Ally handheld line, the basic ROG Xbox Ally and more powerful ROG Xbox Ally X, both run a version of Windows 11 Home that’s been redesigned with a controller-first Xbox-style user interface. The idea is to preserve the wide game compatibility of Windows—and the wide compatibility with multiple storefronts, including Microsoft’s own, Valve’s Steam, the Epic Games Store, and more—while turning off all of the extra Windows desktop stuff and saving system resources. (This also means that, despite the Xbox branding, these handhelds play Windows PC games and not the Xbox versions.)
Microsoft and Asus initially announced the handhelds in June. Microsoft still isn’t sharing pricing information for either console, so it’s hard to say how their specs and features will stack up against the Steam Deck (starting at $399 for the LCD version, $549 for OLED), Nintendo’s Switch 2 ($450), or past Asus handhelds like the ROG Ally X ($800).
Both consoles share a 7-inch, 1080p IPS display with a 120 Hz refresh rate, Wi-Fi 6E, and Bluetooth 5.4 support, but their internals are quite a bit different. The lower-end Xbox Ally uses an AMD Ryzen Z2 A chip with a 4-core Zen 2-based CPU, an eight-core RDNA2-based GPU, 512GB of storage, and 16GB of LPDDR5X-6400—specs nearly identical to Valve’s 3-year-old Steam Deck. The Xbox Ally X includes a more interesting Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme with an 8-core Zen 5 CPU, a 16-core RDNA3.5 GPU, 1TB of storage, 24GB of LPDDR5X-8000, and a built-in neural processing unit (NPU).
The beefier hardware comes with a bigger battery—80 WHr in the Ally X, compared to 60 WHr in the regular Ally—and that also makes the Ally X around a tenth of a pound (or 45 grams) heavier than the Ally.
Microsoft is already highlighting its software advantage over SteamOS, promoting the Xbox Experience for Handhelds’ “aggregated game library” that can provide “access to games you can’t get elsewhere” through multiple Windows-based game launchers. There’s no reason to think that living room console players wouldn’t also be interested in that kind of no-compromise access to the full suite of Windows gaming options.
Microsoft has been preparing the Xbox brand for this ultimate merger between PC and console gaming for years, too. While the name “Xbox” was once synonymous with Microsoft’s console gaming efforts, that hasn’t been true since the launch of “Xbox on Windows 10” in 2015 and the subsequent Windows Xbox app.
Meanwhile, offerings like Microsoft’s “Play Anywhere” initiative and the Xbox Game Pass for PC have gotten players used to purchases and subscriptions giving them access to games on both Xbox consoles and Windows PCs (not to mention cloud streaming to devices like smartphones). If your living room Xbox console simply played Windows games directly (along with your Windows-based handheld gaming PC), this sort of “Play Anywhere” promise becomes that much simpler to pull off without any need for porting effort from developers.
These are the kinds of thoughts that ran through my mind when I heard Bond say yesterday that Xbox is “working closely with the Windows team to ensure that Windows is the number one platform for gaming” while “building you a gaming platform that’s always with you so you can play the games you want across devices anywhere you want, delivering you an Xbox experience not locked to a single store or tied to one device.” That could simply be the kind of cross-market pablum we’re used to hearing from Microsoft. Or it could be a hint of a new world where Microsoft finally fully leverages its Windows gaming dominance into a new vision for a living room Xbox console.
Valve’s instructions will walk you through downloading a SteamOS recovery image and copying it to a USB drive using either the Rufus tool (on Windows) or Balena Etcher (the preferred macOS and Linux utility). After turning Secure Boot off, you should be able to boot from the USB drive and install SteamOS as you would on a regular Steam Deck.
Note that there’s no simple, officially supported way to dual-boot SteamOS and Windows; if you decide to turn your handheld, laptop, or desktop into a new Steam Machine, the only way to make it back into a Windows PC is to re-enable Secure Boot and install a fresh copy from another USB drive.
The SteamOS 3.7 update (officially, version 3.7.8) also includes a bunch of other updates to the underlying software: version 6.11 of the Linux kernel (up from version 6.5 in SteamOS 3.6), “a newer Arch Linux base,” version 6.2.5 of the Plasma interface in desktop mode, new Mesa graphics drivers, and various other tweaks and bug fixes.
A second act for SteamOS
The original version of SteamOS was designed to be widely compatible with all kinds of PC hardware and was available both from major PC manufacturers and as a standalone OS that you could (and which we did) install on custom, self-built PCs. But these computers and that version of SteamOS mostly flopped, at least in part because they only ran a small subset of games that natively supported Linux.
The current version of SteamOS launched with more modest aims as the first-party operating system for a single piece of hardware. But by focusing on the game compatibility problem first and leading the way with category-defining hardware, Valve has actually built a much stronger foundation for the current version of SteamOS than it did for the original.
That doesn’t make SteamOS a drop-in replacement for Windows—without strong support for Intel or Nvidia hardware, it’s not a great candidate for the majority of gaming PCs, or even Intel-powered gaming handhelds like the MSI Claw A1M. And Windows is set up to be a multipurpose general-use operating system in ways that SteamOS isn’t; Valve still says that, despite the presence of desktop mode, “users should not consider SteamOS as a replacement for their desktop operating system.” But for certain kinds of systems that are primarily used as gaming PCs, SteamOS is a real contender.
Almost exactly a year ago, we were publicly yearning for the day when more portable gaming PC makers could ditch Windows in favor of SteamOS (without having to resort to touchy unofficial workarounds). Now, that day has finally come, with Lenovo announcing the upcoming Legion Go S as the first non-Valve handheld to come with an officially licensed copy of SteamOS preinstalled. And Valve promises that it will soon ship a beta version of SteamOS for users to “download and test themselves.”
As Lenovo’s slightly downsized followup to 2023’s massive Legion Go, the Legion Go S won’t feature the detachable controllers of its predecessor. But the new PC gaming handheld will come in two distinct versions, one with the now-standard Windows 11 installation and another edition that’s the first to sport the (recently leaked) “Powered by SteamOS” branding.
The lack of a Windows license seems to contribute to a lower starting cost for the “Powered by SteamOS” edition of the Legion Go S, which will start at $500 when it’s made available in May. Lenovo says the Windows edition of the device—available starting this month—will start at $730, with “additional configurations” available in May starting as low as $600.
The Windows version of the Legion Go S will come with a different color and a higher price. Credit: Lenovo
Both the Windows and SteamOS versions of the Legion Go S will weigh in at 1.61 lbs with an 8-inch 1200p 120 Hz LCD screen, up to 32GB of RAM, and either AMD’s new Ryzen Z2 Go chipset or an older Z1 core.
Watch out, Windows?
Valve said in a blog post on Tuesday that the Legion Go S will sport the same version of SteamOS currently found on the Steam Deck. The company’s work getting SteamOS onto the Legion Go S will also “improve compatibility with other handhelds,” Valve said, and the company “is working on SteamOS support for more devices in the future.”
I was on vacation last week, the kind of vacation in which entire days had no particular plan. I had brought the ROG Ally X with me, and, with the review done and Windows still annoying me, I looked around at the DIY scene, wondering if things had changed since my last foray into DIY Steam Deck cloning.
Things had changed for the better. I tried out Bazzite, and after dealing with the typical Linux installation tasks—activating the BIOS shortcut, turning off Secure Boot, partitioning—I had the Steam Deck-like experience I had sought on this more powerful handheld. Since I installed Bazzite, I have not had to mess with drivers, hook up to a monitor and keyboard for desktop mode, or do anything other than play games.
Until Valve officially makes SteamOS available for the ROG Ally and (maybe) other handhelds, Bazzite is definitely worth a look for anyone who thinks their handheld could do better.
Bazzite says that you can swap an SD card full of games between any two systems running Bazzite. This kind of taunting possibility is very effective on people like me. Credit: Bazzite
More game platforms, more customization, same Steam-y feel
There are a few specific features for the ROG Ally X tossed into Bazzite, and the Linux desktop is Fedora, not Arch. Beyond that, it is like SteamOS but better, especially if you want to incorporate non-Steam games. Bazzite bakes in apps like Lutris, Heroic, and Junk Store, which Steam Deck owners often turn to for loading in games from Epic, GOG, itch.io, and other stores, as well as games with awkward Windows-only launchers.
You don’t even need to ditch Windows, really. If you’re using a handheld like the ROG Ally X, with its 1TB of storage, you can dual-boot Bazzite and Windows with some crafty partition shrinking. By all means, check that your game saves are backed up first, but you can, with some guide-reading, venture into Bazzite without abandoning the games for which you need Windows.
Perhaps most useful to the type of person who owns a gaming handheld and also will install Linux on it, Bazzite gives you powerful performance customization at the click of a button. Tap the ROG Ally’s M1 button on the back, and you can mess with Thermal Design Power (TDP), set a custom fan curve, change the charge limit, tweak CPU and GPU parameters, or even choose a scheduler. I most appreciated this for the truly low-power indie games I played, as I could set the ROG Ally below its standard 13 W “Silent” profile down to a custom 7 W without heading deep into Asus’ Armoury Crate.
Enlarge/ Yes, that is SteamOS. No, that is not a Steam Deck.
Since the successful launch of the Steam Deck nearly two years ago, we’ve seen plenty of would-becompetitors that have tried to mimic the Deck’s portable form factor and ability to run PC games. Thus far, though, these competitors have all been missing one of the Steam Deck’s best features: integration with the increasingly robust, Linux-based SteamOS 3.
That’s finally set to change with the just-announced Ayaneo Next Lite, the first non-Valve portable hardware set to come with SteamOS pre-installed. We can only hope this is the start of a trend, as Valve’s gaming-focused operating system brings many advantages over gaming portables (and maybe desktops) that run a full Windows installation.
A bespoke, portable gaming OS
Ayaneo’s announcement highlights a few vague-ish features of the Next Lite, including a 7-inch 800p screen, a 47 Wh battery, and drift-resistant hall-effect joysticks. But even though the announcement doesn’t include a specific asking price, Ayaneo promises that the device “integrates outstanding cost-effectiveness” and will be “the all-new cost-effective choice with flagship experiences.”
That ad copy highlights one of the main advantages a SteamOS-based gaming portable brings over one sporting Windows: cost. Sure, OEMs are likely paying much less than the $139 consumer asking price for a copy of Windows 11. Still, even a $70-per-unit bulk license would represent a good 10 percent of the ASUS ROG Ally’s $700 asking price (and an even bigger chunk of the price difference between the Ally and the Steam Deck). In an increasingly competitive portable PC gaming market, being able to cut out that significant cost over Windows-based alternatives could be a big deal.
Enlarge/ Look how happy not paying for a Windows license has made these gamers.
Then there’s the interface. Modern Windows is designed with a desktop/laptop or tablet form factor in mind. That UI definitely leaves something to be desired when forced into a 7- or 8-inch touchscreen that lacks a keyboard and mouse. Our review of the ROG Ally highlights just how annoying it can be to have to fiddle with Windows settings on a touchscreen running “an awkwardly scaled” version of the OS. And while Microsoft has experimented with a handheld-friendly version of Windows meant for portable gaming devices, nothing public has yet come of the effort.
SteamOS 3, on the other hand, has been built from the ground up with portable gaming on Steam Deck in mind. That comes through in many little ways, like a built-in “suspend” mode, tons of battery-optimization features, and menus that are designed for a small screen and joystick navigation.
And let’s not forget the way that most Steam games are pre-configured and optimized to “just work” on the OS after you download them, eliminating the kind of settings tweaking that’s often needed when running Windows on a gaming portable. As Ars’ Kevin Purdy summed it up in his ROG Ally review, “I find it easier to install, launch, and configure games on Valve’s Steam Deck, a handheld PC rooted in Arch Linux, than on the Ally’s combination of Windows 11 and Asus’ own Armoury Crate software.”
Enlarge/ A mess of launchers and OS cruft crowd the screen when launching The Witcher 3 on the ROG Ally.
Kevin Purdy
Yes, a Windows installation means a gaming portable is compatible with almost every PC game ever made, including many that still don’t run on SteamOS for one reason or another. But SteamOS’s robust Proton compatibility layer means an ever-expanding list of thousands of games are certified as at least “Playable” on SteamOS, including most of Steam’s most popular titles. That’s a huge change from the desktop-focused “Steam Machines” era of the mid-’10s, when early versions of SteamOS could only run the relative handful of games that developers bothered to explicitly port to Linux.
While Proton does come with at least some performance overhead, a variety of Steam Deckbenchmarks show games running under SteamOS tend to perform comparably (or sometimes better) than those running under Windows on the handheld. That’s also a huge change from the Steam Machines era, when Ars’ testing showed that many SteamOS games ran significantly worse than their Windows counterparts on the same desktop hardware.
