Since finding out about Valve’s plan to bring SteamOS, the Steam Deck’s top-notch operating system, to more handhelds earlier this year, we’ve been waiting to see how it might change the game for some of our favorite portable gaming PCs. Well, the time might be upon us, with one YouTuber bringing a version of SteamOS to the Asus ROG Ally. It looks pretty impressive, but there are a couple of caveats.
For those who don’t know, the Asus ROG Ally is one of the best handheld consoles out there in terms of pure performance, but like the Lenovo Legion Go, its Windows 11 operating system makes it feel pretty clunky to use, and I’ve spent the better part of the last year lamenting Microsoft’s approach to handhelds. The Steam Deck, on the other hand, is a breeze to use, with Valve’s software making it easy to download and play the best Steam Deck games without having to deal with any Windows pop-ups or a convoluted game launcher.
YouTuber Phawx seems to be the first to get SteamOS running on the Asus ROG Ally. However, it’s worth noting that he’s not using the new SteamOS 3.8 release, which, as we reported last week, saw the first notes relating to SteamOS compatibility for some of the Steam Deck alternatives out there, but SteamOS Holo, which comes with a couple of limitations. For example, the Asus ROG Ally with SteamOS Halo is fixed to 15 thermal draw power, or TDP, so you’re not getting the maximum performance power of the device’s AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme processor, and you also can’t make use of the Ally’s back buttons or Xbox Guide button.
While this is certainly a big development in the handheld arena, the first real test of SteamOS on a non-Steam Deck handheld is coming in just a couple of months, with the launch of the Lenovo Legion Go S with SteamOS coming in May. There is a slight concern that Valve might be shooting itself in the foot by introducing SteamOS to more handhelds, as it makes the Steam Deck a little less unique, but we’ll have to see how many brands adopt SteamOS and wait for Valve’s future hardware plans before we can see if any of them can topple the market-leading console.
Despite the SteamOS developments, it’s worth pointing out that Microsoft hasn’t given up on the handheld PC gaming battle. Reports suggest that we could get an Xbox-branded handheld with a new Xbox-inspired operating system before the end of the year. Either way, we now have two brands battling it out to be the go-to for handheld software, and with the resources they both have, the handheld experience can only get better from here on in.
Of course, we’ll be eager to get our hands on the Lenovo Legion Go S with SteamOS as soon as it launches to see how it compares to both the Steam Deck and the Lenovo Legion Go S with Windows that arrived earlier this year. Still, if you can’t wait for some new hardware, be sure to check out our picks for the best gaming phones and the best gaming tablets while you’re here, with plenty of options across a range of budgets.