SteamOS Patch Notes Hint At Support For ASUS ROG Ally Gaming Handheld

If you've read reviews of various PC gaming handheld systems, you've probably noted that almost all of them compare the machine against the Steam Deck and come to the conclusion that using Windows is a downside. In other words, most reviews will tell you that being saddled with Windows (instead of using Linux as the Steam Deck does) is actually a bad thing despite offering perfect software compatibility. The primary reason is because Linux, at least as implemented in "SteamOS" on the Steam Deck, has considerably less overhead than Windows 11, leading to improved performance and battery life.


Valve actually promised an eventual release of SteamOS 3 when the Steam Deck was first revealed, way back in July of 2021, but that hasn't materialized yet. Valve's Lawrence Yang told PC Gamer that the company would "probably start with making it available to other handhelds" in November of last year, and this seems like the first public step toward such a future.

Of course, it's already quite possible to put Linux on these systems yourself, but doing so doesn't garner you all of the extra benefits of SteamOS 3 over Windows 11. Sure, you can enjoy improved efficiency (at the cost of some software support), but you miss out on things like on-the-fly adjustment of screen refresh and SoC power limits, as well as the ability to suspend a game by simply pressing the power button, then resume it when the machine boots.

ASUS and other vendors offer some of these capabilities in Windows via their pre-loaded software. You'll have to be on Windows to make use of said software, though. Official support for the ROG Ally/Ally X and other handhelds (like the Lenovo Legion Go) in SteamOS 3 could mean that those functions will be available for the first time on Linux as well, which is pretty exciting. We'll keep up with this story and report back as it develops, so stay tuned for more information.