I replaced an aging laptop with mine, and I have to say, Windows is fine on the Steam Deck. It’s obviously not going to have all the same bells and whistles but performance for most games is the same and it is more flexible on compatability since it runs natively instead of via Proton.
I’ve been using dual boot for this and started since I got my Deck in early July last year, and a lot of the hate is really overblown. It’s good if you just want to use the Deck the same way as any other computer or with applications that cannot work in Steam OS and it’s a completely fine experience, and applications like Handheld Companion or Steam Deck Tools make it simpler.
I would just say that it’s up to preference and need since it does need setup and tweaking, so if all you care about is playing a few games that work fine in Steam OS, there is not much reason to dual boot for Windows and Steam OS is simpler to set up. But if you want more freedom on application choices and compatability or even just to use it for more everyday purposes like any other computer, Windows runs perfectly fine on it. It will be ultimately up to preference and use case.
Is performance really the same under Windows? How do the controller layouts work under Windows? I’ve been wondering if it would be worth it to try Windows for a few games that have issues with Proton.
My hate isn’t for the performance and game compatibility of windows. It’s because they gained a monopoly through illegal business practices and they use that power to snuff innovation and compatibility for anything non windows.
I wouldn’t really say they use that power to “snuff innovation,” Windows was the operating system which is why everything is built around it most of the time and they worked on making sure XCloud would work with the Steam Deck. It’s just how it works with any operating system being different in that you’ll need to jump through additional hoops to make something from other operating systems work with other ones. Not saying Windows isn’t flawed or that Microsoft doesn’t have its own corrupt practices, but I wouldn’t say that they attack compatibility for non-Windows things.
They snuff innovation by intentionally making their products use proprietary formats that don’t play nice with other software. They also snuff innovation by abusing their monopoly to force users into their software ecosystem.
I replaced an aging laptop with mine, and I have to say, Windows is fine on the Steam Deck. It’s obviously not going to have all the same bells and whistles but performance for most games is the same and it is more flexible on compatability since it runs natively instead of via Proton.
I’ve been using dual boot for this and started since I got my Deck in early July last year, and a lot of the hate is really overblown. It’s good if you just want to use the Deck the same way as any other computer or with applications that cannot work in Steam OS and it’s a completely fine experience, and applications like Handheld Companion or Steam Deck Tools make it simpler.
I would just say that it’s up to preference and need since it does need setup and tweaking, so if all you care about is playing a few games that work fine in Steam OS, there is not much reason to dual boot for Windows and Steam OS is simpler to set up. But if you want more freedom on application choices and compatability or even just to use it for more everyday purposes like any other computer, Windows runs perfectly fine on it. It will be ultimately up to preference and use case.
Is performance really the same under Windows? How do the controller layouts work under Windows? I’ve been wondering if it would be worth it to try Windows for a few games that have issues with Proton.
My hate isn’t for the performance and game compatibility of windows. It’s because they gained a monopoly through illegal business practices and they use that power to snuff innovation and compatibility for anything non windows.
I wouldn’t really say they use that power to “snuff innovation,” Windows was the operating system which is why everything is built around it most of the time and they worked on making sure XCloud would work with the Steam Deck. It’s just how it works with any operating system being different in that you’ll need to jump through additional hoops to make something from other operating systems work with other ones. Not saying Windows isn’t flawed or that Microsoft doesn’t have its own corrupt practices, but I wouldn’t say that they attack compatibility for non-Windows things.
They snuff innovation by intentionally making their products use proprietary formats that don’t play nice with other software. They also snuff innovation by abusing their monopoly to force users into their software ecosystem.