SteamOS puts the pressure on Microsoft’s Xbox-branded handheld
Microsoft’s combination of Xbox and Windows for handheld gaming PCs can’t come soon enough. Windows on handhelds is in desperate need of some love, and Lenovo’s Legion Go S is the best evidence yet that Microsoft has a big Windows-shaped problem it has to solve on any upcoming Xbox-branded handhelds.
YouTuber Dave2D managed to test the Legion Go S with the new SteamOS version alongside the existing Windows model. The hardware is exactly the same, but the operating systems are totally different, and the results are eye-opening. Games running on the SteamOS model perform better than the Windows version at low or medium settings, by around 5 to 10 percent. These are games that are made for Windows, but Valve’s excellent Proton compatibility layer means they run better with the help of Linux and SteamOS.
The Legion Go S with SteamOS even beats Valve’s Steam Deck performance, and you can get even better performance if you’re willing to sacrifice the battery. Battery life on a handheld gaming PC is a massive part of the experience, and the SteamOS version of the Legion Go S just totally embarrasses the Windows model in Dave2D’s tests.
In Dead Cells, at 60fps, the Legion Go S with Ste …