Bazzite has transformed the Asus ROG Ally X into one of the best handheld devices available today, making Windows look subpar in comparison.
When I first installed Bazzite on a Windows gaming handheld, I couldn’t help but laugh. It looked like a blatant clone of Valve’s Steam Deck interface, and its many bugs initially turned me away.
Fast forward to today, and the Asus ROG Ally X running Bazzite has effectively replaced the Steam Deck in my life. Right now, it could very well be the best handheld you can buy with your time and money. Why? It combines about 90% of the Steam Deck’s ease of use with Ally’s more powerful hardware, an 80Wh battery, and a variable refresh rate screen. Depending on the game, it can even offer better performance and battery life than its Windows counterpart. After testing it for five months, I’ve rarely looked back.
This combination isn’t for everyone, though. At $800, the Ally X is far pricier than the Steam Deck, and Bazzite still has a few quirks that might annoy users. But since Bazzite makes Windows handhelds into genuine competitors to the Steam Deck so effortlessly, I believe it proves a critical point: manufacturers sticking with Windows are making a mistake. Other brands, like Lenovo, should start hedging their bets with alternatives sooner rather than later.
Bazzite: The Game-Changer
Bazzite is an open-source project that brings the best of SteamOS to hardware Valve hasn’t officially approved yet. Technically, it’s not SteamOS—it’s based on Fedora Linux instead of Arch Linux, with a host of custom tweaks and updated components. Yet, it runs the same games the same way, with a UI so similar it even includes Valve’s Steam Deck button tutorials. Since Valve’s licensing permits unlimited distribution of its software, this setup is entirely above board.
Contrary to popular belief, Windows handhelds don’t necessarily offer more games than SteamOS. Valve’s Proton compatibility layer allows many Windows games to run better on SteamOS than they do on Windows handhelds. Plus, the Linux community has already fixed numerous games abandoned on Windows. Sure, SteamOS has fewer multiplayer shooting games due to publishers’ reluctance to provide equivalent anti-cheat solutions, but for me, that’s a minor trade-off.
Surprisingly, Bazzite doesn’t feel like a hack. It’s been more reliable for me than Windows, making Windows feel out of place on handheld devices—even though I use Windows daily on my desktop. Setting it up is straightforward, thanks to its installer that guides you through the process. You can even dual-boot it alongside Windows, switching between the two by pressing the handheld’s boot menu shortcut button during restart.
When I compared Bazzite and Windows side by side on the Asus ROG Ally X, I often found that games ran faster, smoother, and consumed slightly less power with Bazzite’s Linux-based OS.
Performance and Battery Life: The Pros and Cons
While some games like Cyberpunk 2077 and Deus Ex: Mankind Divided showed up to 13% better performance on Bazzite, other titles had similar performance on both systems. For instance, Returnal initially struggled on Bazzite, though a recent update fixed the issue, while Shadow of the Tomb Raider performed better on Bazzite at first but later worsened with an update.
Even when performance improvements weren’t dramatic, games often felt smoother with fewer stutters. Thanks to the Ally X’s variable refresh rate screen and faster chip, many titles looked and felt better on this device compared to the Steam Deck OLED.
Battery life was another area where Bazzite impressed. By fine-tuning power settings, I was able to extend battery life for less demanding games, achieving class-leading durations rivaling even the Steam Deck OLED. For example, in Slay the Spire, I managed to lower total power consumption to just 6.4W, theoretically allowing up to 12.5 hours of battery life from the 80Wh pack.
The Quirks of Bazzite
Bazzite isn’t perfect, though. Rear macro buttons on the Ally X need manual setup to work, and you can’t access Linux desktop mode or the shutdown menu via the power button. Occasionally, uninstalling a game or updating the system feels slower than it should. And while updates are ongoing, there are still occasional bugs like slowdowns when the battery drains too low.
That said, the maintainers are working on these issues, including a new hibernation mode and smoother updates.
Is It Worth It?
At $800, the Asus ROG Ally X costs nearly double the base Steam Deck and significantly more than its OLED variant, which I’d personally recommend. For that price, I’d want assurance that the Ally X isn’t just the best handheld today but will remain so tomorrow.
If you already own an Ally X or similar device, installing Bazzite is a no-brainer, especially in a dual-boot configuration. You might find yourself missing Windows far less than you’d expect—and discover how much better portable gaming can be.
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