5 Reasons to Replace SteamOS With Bazzite (& 3 Reasons Not To)

Own a Steam Deck and would similar to effort retired an alternate operating strategy that's not Windows? Have you thought astir installing Bazzite? While SteamOS is arguably the champion prime for Steam Deck, Bazzite does fell a mates of tricks up its sleeve that marque it a worthy SteamOS alternative.

Reasons You Would Install Bazzite

While it's not for everyone, let's archetypal spell implicit the benefits of installing Bazzite successful SteamOS' place.

1. To Experiment With Different Desktop Environments

If you cannot regular drive the aforesaid operating strategy for agelong and are disappointed you can't instal immoderate ol' Linux distro onto your Steam Deck due to the fact that of the implication (the deficiency of Game Mode), Bazzite is wherever it's at.

The level comes with a fully-fledged, controller-friendly Game Mode that works large connected the Deck. But, similar SteamOS, Bazzite besides comes with a due Desktop mode that turns the Deck from a handheld console to a due PC.

The bully quality is that you tin prime betwixt GNOME and KDE Plasma desktop environments, meaning you aren't constricted to the aforesaid desktop environment (Plasma) your Steam Deck's Desktop mode is based on. While KDE Plasma is optimized for the rodent and keyboard combo, GNOME works amended with touch-screen devices, which could beryllium a positive successful lawsuit you're often navigating astir your Deck's Desktop mode without a rodent and a keyboard.

If you extremity up not liking GNOME but loving the backend based connected Fedora Linux implicit SteamOS' Arch Linux foundation, you tin power backmost to KDE Plasma. This way, you'll get a akin GUI to SteamOS but with Bazzite-specific features specified arsenic faster bundle updates, enactment for afloat disk encryption, and an overlay record strategy allowing you to marque changes to files extracurricular the Home folder without them getting nuked aft each update.

The wide performance, artillery life, and crippled enactment are virtually the aforesaid betwixt SteamOS and Bazzite. If you extremity up liking the second much than Valve's authoritative Steam Deck OS, you tin proceed regular driving it without worrying you're missing retired connected something.

2. For Troubleshooting Your Steam Deck

I privation Bazzite had been disposable backmost erstwhile I troubleshooted download speed-related issues connected my Deck. I wouldn't person to install Windows to find whether the contented was stemming from SteamOS oregon the Wi-Fi spot wrong the Deck.

Bazzite comes with Game Mode and a GNOME desktop situation that's touch-screen-friendly, allowing you to easy troubleshoot issues without a rodent and keyboard (you'll request a keyboard to instal Bazzite, though), dissimilar with Windows, wherever a rodent and a keyboard are highly recommended if you privation to bash thing different than installing and playing games.

3. For Better Security and Privacy

While it's a large operating strategy for a gaming-focused device, SteamOS does travel with immoderate limitations. One of them is the deficiency of enactment for afloat disk encryption. You tin Macgyver limited encryption of the location partition, but this process requires clip and patience and isn't arsenic effectual arsenic afloat disk encryption.

Bazzite, connected the different hand, afloat supports the Linux Unified Key Setup (LUKS), arsenic good arsenic afloat disk encryption. All you've got to bash is click the "Encrypt Data" fastener during installation, and that's beauteous overmuch it.

4. To Have More Control Over the OS

Now, some SteamOS and Bazzite person read-only filesystems, preventing you from inadvertently breaking the OS; understandable considering some platforms are made chiefly for gaming. But Bazzite has the vantage of utilizing an overlay filesystem. In a nutshell, this allows you to marque changes to the strategy without them being nuked with each strategy update.

This is large for niche usage cases, similar if you privation to bash immoderate improvement enactment connected your Deck, tally different Linux distros via Distrobox, oregon usage rpm-ostree to instal Fedora packages that won't reset with the adjacent strategy update.

However, having an overlay filesystem is besides large for immoderate gamer-centric usage cases. For instance, connected Bazzite, you tin acceptable up Waydroid—an fantabulous instrumentality to tally Android apps connected Linux—once and hide astir it. On SteamOS, you person to spell done the setup process aft each strategy update.

It's besides worthy mentioning that immoderate useful apps, specified arsenic Waydroid and Lutris, travel pre-installed connected Bazzite.

Bazzite besides gets bundle updates faster than SteamOS. For example, Bazzite was connected KDE Plasma 6 for months earlier the update landed connected SteamOS.

Another crushed to power to Bazzite is that it provides a amended acquisition erstwhile docked. SteamOS works good with docks, but multi-monitor enactment is lacking. Heck, from my experience, adjacent making my Deck's show and the outer show play bully with 1 different tin beryllium a symptom sometimes.

On Bazzite, you tin usage multiple monitors without issues. You tin adjacent set UI scaling connected your outer show and your Deck's built-in show independently of each other.

The multi-monitor quirks stem from Valve utilizing the X11 protocol alternatively of Wayland erstwhile the Desktop mode is active. In contrast, Bazzite uses Wayland for desktop sessions, which mostly works amended with multi-monitor setups than X11.

Last but not least, and I'm superior here, Bazzite supports printers portion SteamOS doesn't. As of this writing, the lone mode to get CUPS/printer enactment connected SteamOS is by switching to the SteamOS Beta channel.

5. In Case You Can't Stand KDE Plasma

Some radical conscionable don't similar definite things, and that's wholly fine. Personally, I similar Plasma. It's similar to Windows, comes with an awesome default record manager (but you're escaped to effort alternatives), works good without a rodent and keyboard, performs ace snappy connected my Steam Deck, and doesn't deficiency immoderate features I mightiness need.

You, connected the different hand, mightiness similar GNOME. Or simply cannot basal KDE Plasma contempt being contented with the SteamOS diagnostic combo; here's erstwhile Bazzite enters the conversation. If you similar your Deck but hatred its desktop GUI, instal Bazzite with GNOME and interruption the Plasma shackles each Steam Deck is confined with.

The Wrong Reasons to Switch to Bazzite

While Bazzite is the champion SteamOS alternative, you shouldn't regenerate SteamOS with Bazzite if immoderate of the pursuing is true.

1. You Want to Play More Multiplayer Games connected Your Steam Deck

Bazzite, similar SteamOS, is based connected Linux. In different words, the multiplayer games not moving connected SteamOS won't enactment connected Bazzite either.

If you privation entree to multiplayer games that aren't moving connected SteamOS, you'll person to wantonness Linux wholly and board the Windows train.

That said, I don't similar Windows connected Steam Deck precise much. I urge that fans of multiplayer gaming who'd similar to get themselves a handheld PC opt for a Windows-based instrumentality alternatively of Steam Deck.

2. You'd Like to Play PC Game Pass Games

Being Linux-based, Bazzite, similar SteamOS, doesn't enactment PC Game Pass. If you privation entree to PC Game Pass and tally games locally, you request to power to Windows oregon get yourself a Windows-based handheld PC.

On the different hand, if precocious latency and mostly subpar representation prime don't fuss you and you're subscribed to the Game Pass Ultimate tier, you tin stream games to your Steam Deck with Xbox Cloud Gaming.

Personally, I wouldn't urge going the Xbox Cloud Gaming way unless you person nary different choice. If you ain a gaming PC and a Steam Deck, you tin stream PC Game Pass games locally from your PC to the Deck, which works astir flawlessly with the Sunshine + Moonlight combo. You could besides instal Windows connected your Deck, but the wide Windows connected Deck acquisition is not up to snuff erstwhile it comes to regular driving Windows connected your Deck.

3. You Want Better Battery Life oregon More Performance

Technically, you tin prolong your Deck's artillery life with Bazzite, but the summation is negligible. You're looking astatine astir 10 minutes of other foodstuff erstwhile playing games, which isn't worthy installing Bazzite for.

Performance, connected the different hand, should enactment the aforesaid betwixt SteamOS and Bazzite arsenic agelong arsenic you don't messiness thing up during installation.

That said, Bazzite uses a faster 1000Hz tick-rate for its Linux kernel compared to the 300Hz tick-rate connected SteamOS. According to immoderate Deck owners who've tried Bazzite, this makes the wide strategy consciousness snappier and much responsive.

From my (very) constricted acquisition of playing astir with Bazzite connected a friend's ASUS ROG Ally, the responsiveness feels the aforesaid arsenic connected a Deck moving SteamOS, but your mileage whitethorn vary. You'll ne'er cognize until you instal Bazzite yourself.

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Bazzite is precise akin to SteamOS but is much flexible and comes with immoderate bully extras that marque the wide acquisition little constricted than connected SteamOS. You tin acceptable up afloat disk encryption and don't person to interest astir strategy updates nuking changes you've made to the system. You tin easy instal worldly that isn't flatpacks oregon games and volition person bundle updates sooner than connected SteamOS.

Whereas SteamOS is optimized for the Deck, Bazzite presents an excellent, unchangeable and flexible alternate for radical who'd similar to power from SteamOS and privation the same, controller-friendly, idiosyncratic interface built connected apical of a Linux foundation.