Summary
Valve opened SteamOS to non-Deck handhelds, improving performance by keeping the OS lean.
Microsoft’s 25H2 update adds Xbox mode to focus Windows on gaming, freeing resources and launching titles in a single window.
Preview testers report small FPS gains but big RAM drops (Celeste went from 10.6GB to 9.4GB); 25H2 is still in testing.
Right now, we’re witnessing an arms race between Microsoft and Valve. For a while, the two had been content in their own camps; Valve had its Steam Deck, and Microsoft had delivered Windows 11 to other handheld PCs. However, things began to escalate when Valve released the Steam Deck’s operating system, SteamOS, for general use on any handheld device. Not only that, but Valve began actively fixing bugs and creating patches for specific non-Deck models, including some that were previously Windows-only.
People then began to notice improved performance when using SteamOS over Windows 11, and it’s not difficult to see why. While Windows comes with all the baggage that a general installation has, SteamOS keeps things lean, freeing up more hardware for gaming. Well, Microsoft is seemingly striking back with
Windows handheld gamers can unlock the new
