Recent benchmark evaluations carried out by Ars Technica reveal that SteamOS 3.7 exhibits enhanced gaming performance in comparison to Windows 11 on handheld devices, specifically the Lenovo Legion Go S. In four out of five AAA games assessed, SteamOS achieved higher frame rates, with remarkable results in the game Returnal, where it recorded 33 FPS against Windows 11’s 18 FPS. This increase in performance is unexpected considering that SteamOS utilizes the Proton compatibility layer to run Windows games on Linux, which theoretically should hinder performance.
The uplift in performance is credited to Valve’s enhancements of Proton and the incorporation of contemporary Mesa graphics drivers, especially the RADV Vulkan drivers for AMD graphics cards, which have outperformed AMD’s proprietary drivers in certain benchmarks. Furthermore, SteamOS’s gaming-centric architecture decreases resource consumption relative to Windows 11, which operates a greater number of background processes that utilize CPU and memory resources. Features such as shader pre-caching also boost performance by minimizing stuttering during gameplay.
The achievements of SteamOS on handheld devices have generated buzz around a possible resurgence of SteamOS for conventional PCs, notwithstanding the earlier setback of “Steam Machines.” Users on sites like Reddit have voiced excitement for a SteamOS desktop, pointing to favorable experiences with Linux distributions geared towards gaming. Nevertheless, hurdles persist, particularly regarding hardware compatibility and anti-cheat software for popular titles such as Call of Duty and PUBG, which currently do not offer support for Linux. Nvidia users remain wary due to inadequate graphics driver support on Linux, prompting some to explore AMD or Intel options.
The gaming community is currently engaged in discussions on whether to transition to SteamOS for improved performance or remain with Windows due to compatibility and support challenges. The dialogue is ongoing as gamers evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of each operating system to meet their gaming preferences.