With the rise of PC gaming handhelds like the Steam Deck and Asus ROG Ally , it's become painfully obvious that Windows 11 is not an operating system that's well suited for this form factor. This has led to many people asking for SteamOS to be ported to other handhelds, and it looks like Valve is delivering, with recent information pointing to the company adding support for the Asus ROG Ally in the OS.

This is fantastic news, and if Valve does end up fully supporting the ROG Ally, it would improve the experience in more ways than one. So let's take a look at a few reasons why SteamOS will make the handheld better than it is with Windows.

Better performance

Linux is often faster than Windows

Most people who have never used Linux probably wouldn't know it, but a lot of the time, computers tend to be faster running Linux compared to Windows, and that shows in benchmark scores, too. I've also noticed it in games when I installed Bazzite (a SteamOS clone) on a Windows gaming handheld. If I used the same power setting as I did on Windows, games would usually run a bit faster in Bazzite.

Windows is a complex operating system with a lot of components that aren't really needed for a gaming handheld, and those components end up eating into the system resources, so this is a likely reason why Windows handhelds are not as fast. Microsoft would need to optimize the OS to be more suited for this kind of form factor, but as it stands, SteamOS is a clear better option.

This could play into battery life, too. Windows' background tasks likely use more power, and on top of that, Windows sometimes does a poor job of handling sleep and hibernation, so battery life can suffer that much more. SteamOS should provide a better experience.

Better performance settings

Proper TDP controls

Windows 11's performance settings are incredibly limited, and companies like Asus have to come in with proprietary solutions for things like TDP settings and framerate limiters. However, these implementations aren't perfect, and in fact, the ROG Ally is pretty limited in this regard. You can choose from a few performance modes, but that only gives you options for 10W, 15W, 25W, or 30W. Similarly, the frame rate limiter only supports values like 30, 45, 60, 90, and 120 frames per second. You do have a manual mode that allows you to go very in-depth, but this requires navigating menus and changing things that aren't easy to understand for mot people.

SteamOS gives users more fine-tuned control directly in its overlay, making it easy to change detailed settings on the fly, on top of being able to create profiles per game. You can change the TDP one step at a time, so you can have games use as little as 5W, while others can use, say, 12W. Similarly, the frame rate limiter also supports granular controls, so you can get the exact frame rate you want, allowing you to potentially save more power while still having a good experience.

This is something the Steam Deck does very well, and even trying a SteamOS clone on a Windows handheld, it is possible to bring this solution to other hardware, so I'm hoping that's what happens when SteamOS comes to the ROG Ally. It will be a big improvement.

A proper UI for a gaming handheld

Windows is no good for this

Easily the biggest flaw Windows has that makes it such a bad experience for gaming handhelds is the lack of a proper UI for almost anything. In recent months, Microsoft has made some improvememnts, adapting the Xbox and Game Bar apps to be more friendly for gaming handhelds, but Windows itself is flawed at its core. Asus layers some software on top of Windows to make the experience more suitable, but you can't fully get over how clunky Windows feels with a small touch screen and controller inputs.

The big appeal of SteamOS is that it boots into the gaming UI (which is the foundation for Steam's current Big Picture Mode), which is completely optimized for this kind of input. You can easily browse your games and settings with the touch screen and buttons with an interface that was specifically designed for this kind of input. It's much more intuitive to do anything with this UI, with everything from performance settings to specific game options available within the menus.

Is that enough to switch over?

Of course, all of these benefits do come with drawbacks, too. SteamOS being based on Linux means there are a lot of games not made for the platform, which requires the Proton compatibility layer, and in turn, that can hinder performance a bit. Some games may be entirely unplayable on a different OS, too. Even game stores don't all support Linux and you have to find alternatives for things like the Epic Games Store.

Plus, installing a different operating system is just a hassle most people don't want to go through, and there's no way around that. But I do think that, overall, SteamOS coming to the Asus ROG Ally and other Windows-absed handhelds is for the better.