Steam Deck Game Performance Is Worse on Windows
Valve’s Steam Deck has finally started shipping to those who pre-ordered the machine early. It will take a long time for everyone to get their handheld game machine, and maybe Windows will work well by the time they do. It doesn’t work particularly well right now, but Valve did just release the drivers last week. Testing with the early Windows implementation shows the Linux-based SteamOS performing better, which is not what you’d usually expect from a Windows vs. Linux matchup.
The Steam Deck looks like a larger, modern take on the Sega Game Gear — it’s a chunky black slab that runs more advanced games than its handheld competition, but it doesn’t last very long on a charge. Sure, there are compromises, but the Steam Deck can play new high-end PC games like Elden Ring and God of War, which other devices this size cannot. It’s even powerful enough to run Windows, but now we know just how much performance will suffer thanks to some early testing.
According to the LinusTechTips YouTube channel, Windows frame rates are noticeably lower than SteamOS. LTT ran the Steam Deck through its paces with Hitman 3, Doom Eternal, and Elden Ring. With Hitman 3, the Deck hit 34 fps with SteamOS and just 19 with Windows, which is not really playable in my experience. It does better with Doom Eternal at 60fps on SteamOS and 47 on Windows. Elden Ring was closer at 37 fps on Linux vs. 30 fps on Windows.
We’re used to Linux gaming disappointments, some of which have come courtesy of Valve. The Steam Deck doesn’t seem to be one of them. It’s been optimized for gaming on Linux, and the Proton compatibility layer is doing its job. So, there’s really no reason to go out of your way to install Windows on the Steam Deck right now.
We do expect that Windows improvements will come to the Steam Deck. Currently, the Steam Deck only supports Windows 10 because there’s no fTPM, a requirement for Windows 11. Valve will add fTPM support in a future update, but there’s no telling if Windows 11 will run any better than Windows 10. It might even run worse, for all we know. Valve is not exactly incentivised to optimize for Windows when its default OS is already running games surprisingly well.
If you want to get your hands on the Steam Deck, hopefully you’ve already ordered one. New pre-orders are expected to ship late in 2022.
Continue reading
Microsoft: Pluton Chip Will Bring Xbox-Like Security to Windows PCs
Intel, AMD, and Qualcomm are working to make Pluton part of their upcoming designs, which should make PCs more difficult to hack, but it also bakes Microsoft technology into your hardware.
Apple: ‘It’s Up to Microsoft’ to Get Windows Running on New ARM Macs
According to Apple, the question of supporting Windows on the M1 is entirely in Microsoft's court.
How Does Windows Use Multiple CPU Cores?
We take multi-core awareness for granted these days, but how do the CPU and operating system communicate with each other in the first place?
Minecraft With Ray Tracing Now Available for All Windows 10 Players
You don't usually think of Minecraft as a realistic game, but the developers have been hard at work adding RTX ray tracing to the game for the last eight months. It's finally out of beta today, and it really works with the blocky look of Minecraft.