ROG Xbox Ally runs up to 32% better on Linux compared to Windows

But Microsoft built and released a version of windows 11 specifically for handheld gaming. If the os is capable of better performance then why aren't Microsoft tuning the handheld gaming version for better performance?
They have stuff coming in November. A batch of new Play Anywhere games that are Handheld Optimized, including Mortal Kombat 1, Baldurs Gate 3.

Handheld Optimized tag for the store, Advanced Shader Delivery, and AutoSR.
 
Too bad Linux as a desktop operating system is still janky as fuck and unreliable.
confused jim carey GIF

We are talking about the best os for pc gaming handhelds. The only time people venture in the desktop mode on steam deck or other compatible devices is to change a setting or something.
 
That's a very old debate, technically, you could show all the variables that tells what's really going on on both these different OSs, and I'm telling you when they get even, you can't tell the difference, but it'll eventually happen.
 
confused jim carey GIF

We are talking about the best os for pc gaming handhelds. The only time people venture in the desktop mode on steam deck or other compatible devices is to change a setting or something.

the best OS there is also still Windows.
you can tweak windows to get rid of all the background tasks that make it slower out of the box, at which point you'll see no real performance difference, but you'll have the superior compatibility of Windows.
 
That shows two things. Lenovo drivers suck, and Returnal game is doing something weird on windows.

Also keep in mind, none of these tests are comparing GDK, or GDKX games or the Xbox OS. But do proper comparisons of various games with Advanced Shader Delivery.

Shows more than that but there is always room for excuses I guess
 
Clearly we need better testing, but Linux outperforming Windows isn't new


Gamers nexus are going to be doing Linux benchmarking going forwards:



This is undoubtedly going to upset certain people but this is the kind of exposure that is needed.

That shows two things. Lenovo drivers suck, and Returnal game is doing something weird on windows.

Also keep in mind, none of these tests are comparing GDK, or GDKX games or the Xbox OS. But do proper comparisons of various games with Advanced Shader Delivery.

Riky/darkmage clone or reincarnation.

Wonderful.
 
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Shows more than that but there is always room for excuses I guess
Yes, it also shows 2-4% better performance on SteamOS if all other variables are somewhat same. But those variables are NOT completely same. Proton includes shader compilation unlike Steam games on windows. SteamOS as a purely stripped down gaming OS, it's counterpart is Xbox OS, not full Windows.

A proper test would be the following:

Xbox Console with Magnus running whatever converged OS with GDKX optimized games.

VS

Xbox PC with Magnus running Full Windows and testing both the GDK/GDKX games and Steam/Epic Windows SDK games, with and without Advanced Shader Delivery.

VS

Xbox PC with Magnus running SteamOS (if bootloader isn't locked), running Proton games with pre compiled shaders.

Now since that test may never happen or atleast for 2 years, all we have to test is various handhelds with AMD and Intel. But those tests need to be done by someone qualified, not random youtubers. And they should test all game environments. There's a reason why MSIXVC packaged games don't require Denuvo or Anticheats. How about testing Epic games on SteamOS? Not just Steam games that have advantage on SteamOS?

SteamOS will still likely win by few FPS but the testing should be proper.
 
Gamers nexus are going to be doing Linux benchmarking going forwards:

This is undoubtedly going to upset certain people but this is the kind of exposure that is needed.



Riky/darkmage clone or reincarnation.

Wonderful.
I'll take GamerNexus or Phawx test results. They're professionals. I told you, SteamOS will still win most likely on AMD hardware.
 
I'll take GamerNexus or Phawx test results. They're professionals. I told you, SteamOS will still win most likely on AMD hardware.

Well good thing you've got that long list of excuses ready to go then huh?

I see you're already screaming "that's not fair".
 
Well good thing you've got that long list of excuses ready to go then huh?

I see you're already screaming "that's not fair".
Lemme know when you figure out how to run Gamepass natively on SteamOS.

I'm not screaming anything, whatever the results, it still won't matter to Xbox or gamepass or xcloud users.

I just wanted to point out that this testing and articles written on it are clickbait using flawed data.
 
But those tests need to be done by someone qualified, not random youtubers.

Don't make me laugh

Who gets to decide who is "qualified" vs who isn't? You? Microsoft?

Lemme know when you figure out how to run Gamepass natively on SteamOS.

Canadian Lol GIF


Why are you assuming I care about gamepass in the slightest?

I'm not screaming anything, whatever the results, it still won't matter to Xbox or gamepass or xcloud users.

I just wanted to point out that this testing and articles written on it are clickbait using flawed data.

Nah, you're just crying and then throwing out a bunch of Microsoft's marketing buzzwords in the hope that it will bamboozle some poor fools in to thinking there's more than meets the eye here, despite the reality being that it's very much a WYSIWYG situation.

The names might change but the methods stay the same. Funny that.
 
Don't make me laugh

Who gets to decide who is "qualified" vs who isn't? You? Microsoft?



Canadian Lol GIF


Why are you assuming I care about gamepass in the slightest?



Nah, you're just crying and then throwing out a bunch of Microsoft's marketing buzzwords in the hope that it will bamboozle some poor fools in to thinking there's more than meets the eye here, despite the reality being that it's very much a WYSIWYG situation.

The names might change but the methods stay the same. Funny that.
Find some1 with more scientific testing. GamerNexus, Digital Foundry, Phoronix, hell even Linus Tech Tips.

You haven't realized it yet, this device is made for Xbox and Gamepass users first and foremost, followed by windows PC users who play multiplayer and games from various storefronts. It's not made for SteamOS users to feel proud of themselves by pretending they get 30% better performance. There's no need for lies. They probably do get 5% better performance but that's irrelevant in the grand scheme of things.

Everything is a buzzword and everyone is a shill to Console warriors who can't handle differences of opinion and get frustrated when some1 may not prefer their platform of choice. I don't care for your console warring and/or Steam fanaticism. My interest in Magnus has to do with its implications for xCloud. I would support PS+ Premium too if they ever chose to expand PS6 Orion streams to windows/android/iOS. Just like alternating between Netflix, or HBO MAX and various streaming services with the content you might want to watch.

I thought everyone knew that (about typical Linux pushers) by now... Their obvious lack of self-awareness is legendary.


Disclaimer: I used to be a Linux "pro" for years in a dev team.
Linux users are more chill now, but Steamdeck and SteamOS users are like if Linux users and Vegans had a baby.
 
So is this true or not?

Or, is it the typical internet users jump on any fake news possible to create fake narrative?
I watch lots of linux vids recently and all benchmarks I see are usually on the same level between windows and linux. There are a few games who run way better on linux and there are a few games which run way worse on linux. Just cherry picking the games who are running better isnt really fair imho.
 
I love Cyber Dopamine absolute legend in this space already.

But ill just say that this false apart instantly for me cos bazzite and steam os cant play BF6.

Could always stream from PC but then I wouldn't use this device and its tiny screen for that.
 
I watch lots of linux vids recently and all benchmarks I see are usually on the same level between windows and linux. There are a few games who run way better on linux and there are a few games which run way worse on linux. Just cherry picking the games who are running better isnt really fair imho.

Interesting. I just want straight up honesty. Not clickbait headlines and trolling.

If it is genuinely 32% faster then call it out and lets point at MS and laugh. If it isn't don't say it is. I haven't looked into Linux since I was like 18 years old, it could be great but none of my tech friends have ever tried to push me to it. I find it hard to believe that it is actually that much better than windows, especially in the field I work in. Which is high end PC gaming.
 
But, but, but the PCMR guys keep saying that the Windows overhead is minimal compared to consoles and that everything that relates to coding "closer to the metal" is a myth, that abstraction layers don't matter etc? 🤡
 
But, but, but the PCMR guys keep saying that the Windows overhead is minimal compared to consoles and that everything that relates to coding "closer to the metal" is a myth, that abstraction layers don't matter etc? 🤡
The overhead and closer to the metal advantages still exist, but nowhere near to the level it used to be. Besides, the advantage Linux has over Windows in gaming disappears when you are not using a TDP constrained system.
 
Interesting. I just want straight up honesty. Not clickbait headlines and trolling.
The headline isnt wrong. Some games are running better....but some games also running worse....and some games are not running at all because of invasive anticheats. This should be mentioned to not create a complete wrong picture. You dont switch to linux because of "performance" reasons.....you want to dodge MS's overreach. ( at least I do)
 
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Anyone surprisied? Windows was always the last OS to call a good choice for portable devices, and I write this as an owner of Windows laptop (that can wake up randomly in my backpack).

Honestly, cannot wait for Bazzite to overcome the Nvidia on Linux problem.
 
The headline isnt wrong. Some games are running better....but some games also running worse....and some games are not running at all because of invasive anticheats. This should be mentioned to not create a complete wrong picture. You dont switch to linux because of "performance" reasons.....you want to dodge MS's overreach. ( at least I do)

I just bought Sonic Frontiers and its Steam Forum is full of complaints about it not working properly on Linux
 
But Microsoft built and released a version of windows 11 specifically for handheld gaming.
Spoiler:

Liars They Lie GIF by Judge Judy


There is absolutely nothing in Win11 for ROG Xbox Ally that makes it more optimised than a regular OS. Why would Microsoft carve a separate OS version for an incredibly niche hardware?
 
Windows is a better experience if your machine can run it. Linux has always been shit. The tradeoffs have never been worth it. On this device some cherry picked use cases run 30% better, but other use cases don't run at all.

Gotta wonder what tweaks could be made on Windows to narrow the gap. Also curios if the delta is similar on the X version.
 
Spoiler:

Liars They Lie GIF by Judge Judy


There is absolutely nothing in Win11 for ROG Xbox Ally that makes it more optimised than a regular OS. Why would Microsoft carve a separate OS version for an incredibly niche hardware?
There are a few reasons, but mainly perception. I thought they had a team dedicated to optimizing windows for handhelds. I am thinking more along the lines of their home vs pro versions. Do you consider that a regular OS? If so I agree, there isn't much reason to have something that is more than a feature tailored version of Windows. But they should tailor it to the use case for this device and they should (eventually) have custom/optimized drivers.
 
There are a few reasons, but mainly perception. I thought they had a team dedicated to optimizing windows for handhelds. I am thinking more along the lines of their home vs pro versions. Do you consider that a regular OS? If so I agree, there isn't much reason to have something that is more than a feature tailored version of Windows. But they should tailor it to the use case for this device and they should (eventually) have custom/optimized drivers.
TBH, I am doubtful if you can even carve anything out of Windows to make it any lighter or more efficient system. Isn't the regular Win11 on a handheld running exactly the same processes as on the desktop?
Valve made Steam OS with one simple goal in mind - gaming, with little overhead and process bloat. I just don't see how Microsoft can do the same with a software that has probably 30 years of tech debt.
 
Ms just needs to release a " games only " version of windows. A lot of pc gamers just want to play games and full windows just makes it harder than it needs to be a lot of the time. That's the big draw to steam os and Linux you can get a truly console like experience.

But right now if you are a big online gamer Linux isn't really an option for most popular online games with kernel level anti cheats .
 
Ms just needs to release a " games only " version of windows. A lot of pc gamers just want to play games and full windows just makes it harder than it needs to be a lot of the time. That's the big draw to steam os and Linux you can get a truly console like experience.

But right now if you are a big online gamer Linux isn't really an option for most popular online games with kernel level anti cheats .

a9ylvf.jpg
 
Was wondering how long it would take for the "but battlefield 6" copium to come along.

It's not just one game, and this is something that has been a known issue for a while now, which even extends to their own games:

6Ei6pUN.jpg


But you keep making excuses for them, I'm sure it will result in them actually taking a serious look at improving performace (and general smoothness when it comes to shader comp stutter) in windows environments when it comes to gaming.


It's not just one game better on Windows too. Plus all games that don't work at all on Linux or need more workarounds.

I thought everyone knew that (about typical Linux pushers) by now... Their obvious lack of self-awareness is legendary.


Disclaimer: I used to be a Linux "pro" for years in a dev team.
The year of Linux only happened here on GAF. Just like the year of Xbox.
 
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It's not just one game better on Windows too. Plus all games that don't work at all on Linux or need more workarounds.


The year of Linux only happened here on GAF. Just like the year of Xbox.

The performance difference in those benchmarks isn't enough for me to want to use an OS riddled with baked-in AI slop and spyware.
 


It's not just one game better on Windows too. Plus all games that don't work at all on Linux or need more workarounds.


The year of Linux only happened here on GAF. Just like the year of Xbox.



Big oooof! Ill stick with Windows. People complaining about the difficulty of PC and then want to add extra hoops to jump through to use Linux. it confuses me.
 
The performance difference in those benchmarks isn't enough for me to want to use an OS riddled with baked-in AI slop and spyware.
This! I mean 130 or 140 fps on average.....who gives a shit! If it would be 30 to 120fps...that would be a complete different story.
 
How many years did Valve have to develop SteamOS? I remember the Steam Box. It was messy.
I mean, I'm probably preaching to the choir here, but between MS and Valve, only one of these two companies has been in the OS business for it's entire existence. I think it's a little more incumbent on MS to get it right since they're the 1000 lb gorilla in the space. The fact that a game maker has gotten this right in a span of only a couple years and MS is floundering is honestly kind of embarrassing for them.
 
Big oooof! Ill stick with Windows. People complaining about the difficulty of PC and then want to add extra hoops to jump through to use Linux. it confuses me.
what are the extra hoops you guys like to make up? its literally 1000 x less if a headache to just load bazzite and never even have to go to the desk top. I can't say the same for windows.
 
what are the extra hoops you guys like to make up? its literally 1000 x less if a headache to just load bazzite and never even have to go to the desk top. I can't say the same for windows.
Lutris and FoG for instance if you want to use other stores.

Not playing nicely for me at the moment with the rockstar launcher as I want to test rdr2 on the Xbox ally x.

Will have to sort it when I get home later this evening as travelling to appointments at the moment.
 
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The performance difference in those benchmarks isn't enough for me to want to use an OS riddled with baked-in AI slop and spyware.
But can be enough for those who debloat the AI slops and spywares and prefer that "everything" just works.

what are the extra hoops you guys like to make up? its literally 1000 x less if a headache to just load bazzite and never even have to go to the desk top. I can't say the same for windows.
Lutris, Heroic, terminal, Proton, Wine, command lines...
 
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