These YouTubers have put a Steam-like OS on the ROG Xbox Ally X

When the ROG Xbox Ally X launched, it received a lot of mixed reviews. While many found the hardware to be fine, it’s the software that has been the main sticking point. It features a lightweight version of Windows that comes with an Xbox full-screen experience, which is meant to optimize the operating system for handheld gaming. However, this experience doesn’t quite land the plane. To see if Windows is really what’s keeping this device from reaching its true potential, some creators tried installing a Steam-like OS based on Linux called Bazzite.

Two YouTubers who go by ETA Prime and Cyber Dopamine (via Windows Central) decided to try and install Bazzite on their ROG Xbox Ally X. They were able to install the OS successfully with little to no issues. They then began testing Bazzite to see how it compares to Windows.

Not only does Bazzite offer a clean interface that’s friendly for controllers, but it also offers more control over the hardware. You can adjust various settings such as TDP limits, GPU frequency caps, and fan curves. Other settings, like RGB lighting control, are also being worked on by the Bazzite team.

Another area of improvement is how fast you can put the device to sleep and come back to where you left off. In Cyber Dopamine’s video, he points out that you can wake the device almost instantly and start playing. Windows, on the other hand, can take much longer to wake up.

ETA Prime found through his testing that battery life is similar between Windows and Bazzite. However, there’s enough of a difference to suggest that Bazzite may be slightly more energy-efficient. At low power, the YouTuber was able to get eight hours of playing time with 2D indie games. Two hours and thirty minutes with a AAA game running at 17W. And around two hours when playing a AAA game at 25W.

To gauge the difference in game performance, the two tested a variety of AAA games at different settings. According to Cyber Dopamine’s findings, playing Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 at 1080p and 17W ran at 62FPS. That measurement went down to 47FPS on Windows. Switching to Hogwarts Legacy at the same settings, it was 50FPS for Windows and 62FPS for Bazzite.

Based on these videos, it appears that the ROG Xbox Ally X is capable of more than Windows allows. So while this Xbox full-screen experience helps Windows provide a better handheld experience than other Windows handhelds, it looks like Microsoft still has a ways to go.