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However, a lot has changed in two years (wait, it’s already been two years?!
), and Valve, Microsoft, and AMD have released some crumbs of support forWindows 11on theSteam Deck.
Installing Windows on Steam Deck in portrait mode.
However, is itgood enoughfor average users to pick up and use?
If you’re curious, read on.
Why would I want to disrupt all of that?
Installing Windows on Steam Deck in portrait mode.
Well, what spurned me initially was trying to getXbox Cloud Gaming running on the Steam Deck.
It’s not difficult.
Once it’s set up, it works just fine.
Playing Persona 5 on Steam Deck with Windows
Planes, trains, general travel, your father-in-law’s house in the countryside, etcetera.
To my delight, getting Windows 11 running via an SD card was easy as can be.
Should YOU run Windows on the Steam Deck?
Monster Hunter Rise via Windows
Windows 11 on Steam Deck also makes it easier for me to see when my Xbox buds are online.
I realize my unique gameplay habits perhaps aren’t prevalent across the gamings-o-sphere.
For the vast majority, leaving Steam OS as the primary user experience makes total and complete sense.
The Windows desktop still works great with touch
I haven’t noticed any serious hit to the battery life or performance either.
But it should be entirely viable if you fancy it.
ASUS isn’t the first, of course.
We’ve seen GPD put out Windows-based handheld gaming devices in the past.
The difference maker here has always been price.
That means import fees potentially in some cases, and also customer support issues.
Outside of a hackathon side project, Microsoft hasn’t really offered much support to these types of devices.
For the most part, Windows is powerful enough to adapt to different types of hardware scenarios.
If Microsoft wakes up, that is.
