Asus ROG Xbox Ally X is being held back by Windows – running Linux boosts game performance
Get even higher frame rates on the ROG Xbox Ally X by switching to Linux
🤷♂️ The Asus ROG Ally X performs better with Linux, despite Microsoft’s optimization efforts for Windows 11 on handhelds
📈 YouTubers ETA Prime and Cyber Dopamine demonstrated significant frame rate gains in some games when using Bazzite (a Linux OS)
😴 Linux also offered more reliable sleep/resume functionality and similar battery life with increased efficiency
✋ However, Linux limits game accessibility due to anti-cheat software incompatibility and restriction primarily to Steam games
It turns out you can get better performance on the Asus ROG Xbox Ally X if you install Linux – even though Microsoft has worked hard to optimize Windows 11 for handhelds with its new Xbox Full Screen Experience mode.
SteamOS and Bazzite, a Linux operating system, have consistently outperformed Windows for gaming on handheld devices, but we now have proof the Asus ROG Xbox Ally X also benefits from the same performance boost.
YouTubers ETA Prime and Cyber Dopamine installed Bazzite on the new Xbox handheld (thanks, Windows Central), and the results were clear to see. Sometimes the gains were small, but in Kingdom Come Deliverance 2, Bazzite produced an average frame rate of 62fps compared to just 47fps on Windows.
Bazzite also delivered more consistent sleep and resume – a functionality that is widely praised on the Steam Deck and Nintendo Switch. The Asus ROG Xbox Ally X running Windows would take longer to wake, and also drained more battery when in sleep mode.
Thankfully, battery life was similar when using both operating systems, though ETA Prime’s testing showed that Linux is still more efficient because it’s delivering more frames at the same TDP.
Of course, one weakness of Linux is that not every game is accessible, especially those that rely on anti-cheat software. One of the most appealing aspects of the Asus ROG Xbox Ally X is that you can play games from any launcher, while with Linux you’re essentially restricted to Steam. Even then, not every game is compatible.
However, you can dual boot between Windows and Linux, which gives you the best of both worlds.
Despite the huge strides Microsoft has made to make the Xbox Full Screen Experience feel more like a console and less like a handheld with Windows 11 shoved on it, SteamOS and Bazzite offer a far more user-friendly experience.
Microsoft clearly can improve things on the software side for the Asus ROG Xbox Ally X, and we should see things evolve slowly over time. As we said in our Asus ROG Xbox Ally X review, it “delivers on almost all fronts as both the first Xbox handheld and a more powerful AMD Z2 Extreme gaming device. $999 is a hard pill to swallow, but if you’re dead set on playing more games on a handheld and at higher settings, the Asus ROG Xbox Ally X is the best gaming handheld.”
Up next: Asus ROG Xbox Ally X price had nothing to do with Microsoft, apparently
Adam Vjestica is The Shortcut’s Senior Editor. Formerly TechRadar’s Gaming Hardware Editor, Adam has also worked at Nintendo of Europe as a Content Marketing Editor, where he helped launch the Nintendo Switch. He also runs a retro gaming YouTube channel called Game on, boy! Follow him on X @ItsMrProducts.