After utilizing Bazzite (a SteamOS clone) on my Asus ROG Ally, with a plethora of options that are perfect for a console-like person interface (UI), I’m edging nearer to putting in it on my principal desktop gaming PC.
If you are questioning why, the reply is easy. Microsoft’s Windows 11 has been a irritating working system for gaming, in my expertise, with quite a few UI bugs and errors which have left me tempted to step away from my desktop setup solely.
I’m absolutely conscious of Microsoft’s new Xbox PC app and the upcoming ‘full-screen expertise’, which is meant to enhance sport efficiency and portability for handheld customers, with a streamlined console-like UI, much like what Valve has going with SteamOS. As I’ve talked about earlier than, I’m excited to see how this works as soon as the ROG Xbox Ally launches, however I’m not confident it will topple SteamOS – so I’ll likely use it on my handheld via a dual boot setup.
As for SteamOS, or more specifically, Bazzite in this case, this can easily be installed on most desktop gaming PCs, and will be highly beneficial for those with AMD hardware. However, it’s not exactly the same story for Nvidia hardware, since the ‘Steam Gaming Mode’ requirements has Nvidia GPU support, but in beta with ‘major caveats compared to AMD hardware‘.
It’s not nearly Nvidia {hardware} both; I’ve examined Discord on my Asus ROG Ally operating Bazzite, and whereas it features nicely for voice chat and display screen sharing in Game Mode, the latter is not precisely nicely polished. To put it merely, streams in servers can randomly finish with out reasoning or seem darkish with nothing on display screen.
Streaming to pals on Discord has simply turn into a basic a part of my gaming enjoyment, and if I’m going to maneuver away from Windows 11 as my principal working system on my desktop rig, full official Nvidia GPU assist (or on the very least stepping out of beta on Bazzite) and Discord are an absolute should for me.
SteamOS Game Mode on a desktop PC with Discord and higher GPU assist is sort of a supercharged PS5 or Xbox Series X console
I’m positive that I’m not the one PC gamer who makes use of their residence TV to dive into immersive titles, particularly while you need to sit away out of your desk after work. Sure, that is what handheld gaming PCs are for, however I’d be mendacity to you if I mentioned holding up any handheld for an prolonged interval does not get tiring.
While I personal a PS5, it isn’t my principal supply of gaming; to be clear, I solely nonetheless personal one due to unique PlayStation titles, and since GTA 6 won’t be coming to PC day one. Fortunately, I have hardware powerful enough to run games at 4K on high graphics settings, so combining this with an operating system that has UI akin to a Nintendo Switch, PS5, or Xbox Series X console seems like a no-brainer to me.
It makes gaming so much easier, knowing you can hop in and out of games without worrying if it will crash or you randomly lose controller functionality, or worse, have your entire system lock up on you, essentially forcing you to restart. And that all goes without mentioning possibly the most impressive and important feature of Bazzite/SteamOS.
Quick Resume is a literal Godsend, allowing you to put your system to sleep and pick right back up from where you left off when you return. Now, I’ve not installed any version of SteamOS on my desktop rig yet, but there’s no reason why it shouldn’t work in the exact same manner.
Without going off track, what I’m saying is the addition of Discord’s screen sharing capabilities (improved to work well on SteamOS) and greater official GPU support, with an already impressive console-like OS, is the stuff of dreams for easy and simple gaming.
It’s not like a desktop PC with an Nvidia GPU won’t work at all on Bazzite, I’d just much rather avoid any issues that might not have occurred on Windows 11 (excluding the recent driver hiccups from Nvidia itself), specifically regarding the GPU.
Once these matters are addressed through official integration as an app on Steam from Discord, and better Nvidia hardware functionality in SteamOS Game Mode, is the moment Windows 11 will become a secondary operating system, with Valve’s SteamOS easily replacing it.