Valve’s SteamOS has often presented the perfect excuse to be whisked away from Microsoft’s troublesome Windows 11. The Linux operating system’s better gaming performance has often been proven, utilizing RAM well without the bloatware often found with Windows 11.
SteamOS provides a console-like user interface (UI), making navigation and game launches far easier than Windows 11, despite the recent Xbox mode. With those benefits in mind, I’ve been contemplating a full switch to SteamOS, ditching Windows for good, and the best way to do that would be via Bazzite.
Bazzite (not affiliated with Valve) is effectively a SteamOS clone, specifically designed for “Linux newcomers and enthusiasts alike,” but most importantly, comes with out-of-the-box compatibility with Nvidia and Intel GPUs, and a smooth experience for handhelds.
Using my second streaming PC, I put Bazzite to the test over a few months. Without a doubt, it’s easily the best option for any gamer looking for a console-like couch gaming setup.
With tools like Decky Loader, customization is easy, with plugins to change SteamOS game mode themes, navigation sound effects, or even the startup and shutdown videos. However, despite all the benefits of using the operating system, I still can’t step away from Windows 11 on my main system, and there are multiple reasons why.
Multitasking Drawbacks
(Image credit: Universal Blue / Bazzite)
As a frequent multitasker using applications like Discord to stream games to friends, Bazzite (more specifically SteamOS) isn’t an ideal option. Using Discord to stream games on the same rig works just fine in desktop mode; however, it’s not the same story for its game mode, which is arguably the entire purpose of using Bazzite.
Streaming on Discord in game mode severely drops frame rates in games, with constant stutters in many I tested. There are even instances where attempting to stream an application will result in a black screen. I tried to use the NZXT Signal 4K30 capture card to stream my second PC’s Bazzite activity on Discord via my main PC, but it’s not that simple.
Sure, HDMI passthrough on the capture card is possible, but I didn’t want to be limited to 4K at 60 frames per second on either my TV (which is capable of 144Hz) or my gaming monitor (capable of 240Hz). Frankly, capture cards with higher passthrough capabilities don’t come cheap.
(Image credit: Discord)
Duplicating or projecting the display, as you would on Windows 11, would be the easy solution. However, Gamescope, the compositor responsible for displaying games on screen with Bazzite, cannot duplicate outputs.
Still trying to avoid the NZXT capture card’s 4K 60Hz passthrough limitation, I opted for an HDMI splitter with one input and two output ports. Unfortunately, the moment the capture card is connected, the output on either my TV or monitor has the refresh rate slashed to 60Hz and VRR disabled.
Compatibility Issues
(Image credit: Future / Isaiah Williams)
I wish these issues stopped there, but not quite. A large majority of popular multiplayer games such as Battlefield 6, Call of Duty (most of the modern entries), Destiny 2, and EA Sports FC 26 will not work on Linux due to their anti-cheat systems.
This issue lies directly with publishers and developers for those games that refuse to adapt their anti-cheat systems to work on SteamOS. It also doesn’t seem as though this will change any time soon; the Steam Machine was arguably one way to effectively force the hand of publishers to consider anti-cheat compatibility on Linux, but it’s not exactly a popular PC due to its high price.
It’s also worth noting that Game Pass is inaccessible natively on Bazzite and requires either cloud gaming or third-party launchers, and you’ll be lucky if you can get the latter to function.
The solution to accessing those anti-cheat games is a dual-boot with Windows 11 and Bazzite. However, that isn’t completely ditching Windows 11 as I’ve planned to, and a dual-boot can end up messy thanks to Windows’ forced updates.
(Image credit: Valve)
Perhaps the most frustrating aspect is that Nvidia GPUs don’t play nice with game mode on Bazzite, often resulting in glitchy functionality or completely black screens. I tested this by swapping out the AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT 16GB GPU in my second PC with my spare Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti and found that game mode was just frustrating to use.
So if I wanted to use Bazzite on my main rig equipped with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 Super, its DX12 (a graphics API) gaming performance would be worse than Windows. Overall, the entire purpose of switching over to Linux was for better gaming performance and easy console-like UI navigation; this would be non-existent.
I’m sure all of these pain points will be addressed at some point, whether via Bazzite or Valve’s official SteamOS builds. For now, though, I’ll stick with Windows 11 on my main rig — even though I desperately want to be done with it.
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For a more detailed exploration of my experience, check out the complete article on TechRadar Here.
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