We’ve spent the last week with the brand-new Asus ROG Xbox Ally X, and our initial impressions are overwhelmingly positive. It’s a refinement of the original Ally in all the right ways, with better ergonomics, more RAM, and a larger battery. Out of the box, it runs a custom-tuned version of Windows 11, designed to make PC gaming on the go as seamless as possible.
But a quiet revolution is happening in the handheld PC space, and its name is SteamOS. Valve’s Linux-based operating system, the heart of the Steam Deck, offers a console-like simplicity that many users find preferable to Windows. This shift has been significant enough to prompt responses from industry giants, with Microsoft refining Windows for handhelds and OEMs like Lenovo partnering directly with Valve.
So, what happens when you take Microsoft’s partner hardware and try to install a SteamOS-like experience on it? That’s the exact question popular tech YouTuber Dawid Does Tech Stuff set out to answer by installing Bazzite Linux on the new ROG Xbox Ally X. The results, documented in a detailed video, are a fascinating mix of tantalizing potential and frustrating reality.
The Allure of Bazzite: A SteamOS for the Masses
Bazzite is not SteamOS, but it’s the next best thing. It’s a Linux distribution based on Fedora that meticulously recreates the Steam Deck’s user experience, including its gaming-focused Big Picture Mode interface. For owners of non-Steam Deck handhelds, it promises the fluidity and simplicity of a console without being locked into a single hardware ecosystem.
Dawid’s mission was simple: could Bazzite transform the powerful ROG Xbox Ally X into the ultimate Windows-free gaming handheld? The journey to find out, however, was anything but.
A Rocky Road to Installation
The process began straightforwardly enough, with a download of the official Bazzite image for the Ally series and the use of Rufus to create a bootable USB drive. The first installation attempt failed with a cryptic “unknown error.” After some digging, the culprit was identified: Windows 11’s BitLocker encryption was locking down the SSD, preventing Bazzite from formatting the drive.
After disabling BitLocker and opting for a dual-boot setup by partitioning the SSD, the installation finally proceeded. But the challenges were just beginning.
Booting Up to Broken Buttons and a "Decalcified Brain"
Upon first boot into Bazzite, the YouTuber was met with a major problem: the handheld’s controls were completely unresponsive. After a few minutes, some inputs began to work, but crucial buttons, including the menu and command keys, remained dead. Control was only partially restored after manually rebinding inputs within Steam.
Yet, amidst the chaos, a glimmer of brilliance shone through. The moment the system was navigable, the improvement in responsiveness was immediate and dramatic.
“It almost feels like I’ve decalcified its brain,” Dawid remarked, clearly impressed. Menus snapped open instantly, navigation was buttery smooth, and inputs felt instantaneous—a stark contrast to the occasional lag and stutter that can plague even the optimized Windows 11 on these devices.
This speed boost came at a cost, though. Core hardware features integral to the ROG experience, such as the programmable RGB lighting, performance mode toggle, and the Armoury Crate software, were completely non-functional.
Performance Testing: Smooth Sailing, But No Free FPS
To see how this translated into actual gaming performance, Dawid fired up Cyberpunk 2077 and Shadow of Mordor. The Cyberpunk test was hampered by technical issues, including a missing performance overlay until MangoHUD was installed. The game also failed to display its resolution, though it was assumed to be 1080p. Subjectively, gameplay felt smoother with slightly higher frame rates and noticeably lower input latency than on Windows.
Shadow of Mordor provided a more controlled benchmark. Here, the results were clear: raw frame rates were nearly identical between Bazzite and Windows 11. The primary benefit of Linux wasn't a massive performance uplift, but the significantly smoother and more responsive interface surrounding the game.
You can watch the full, chaotic testing process in Dawid's video
The Final Verdict: A Glimpse of a Smoother Future, But Not Today
The experiment concluded on a fittingly inconsistent note. After rebooting back into Windows and then returning to Bazzite, the controller inputs had once again failed, only to mysteriously start working perfectly—with RGB lights now active—the following day.
This unpredictability is the core of the issue. Based on this hands-on experience, installing Bazzite on the Asus ROG Xbox Ally X is not a good idea for the average user. The software clearly needs more time and dedicated optimization to properly support the unique hardware of this brand-new device.
While the potential for a smoother, more console-like experience is undeniable, the loss of key features, controller instability, and general jankiness make it a project for tinkerers, not gamers looking for a reliable daily driver.
For those fascinated by the fusion of modular hardware and gaming software, this kind of experimentation is part of a larger trend. In a similar vein of tech customization, you might be interested in our piece on how a Framework Laptop was recently transformed into a sleek Steam Machine.
For now, if you’re picking up an ROG Xbox Ally X, your best bet is to enjoy the highly-optimized Windows 11 experience it ships with. The Bazzite project shows incredible promise, and in six months or a year, it might be a fantastic alternative. But as of today, it’s a proof of concept that isn’t quite ready for the limelight.
What do you think? Is the promise of a console-like interface enough to make you try Linux on a handheld, or are hardware compatibility and stability your top priorities? Let us know in the comments.
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