Hot Take: The first thing I’d do with a ROG Ally X is removing Windows.

dsmonteiro

Okay, before the Windows die-hards come for me in the comments… hear me out!

The ROG Ally X is a hardware masterpiece. The ergonomics, that massive 80Wh battery, the 24GB RAM… it’s begging to be pushed to its limits. Seeing it leading the current December Vote List made me think what would be the first thing I’d do when booting up the console.

But for me, the “Day 1” experience isn’t about booting up Windows and spending 3 hours on updates.

It’s about grabbing a screwdriver.

Source: ROG Support Page

The Strategy

Swap, Don’t Wipe. Instead of just formatting the drive that comes with the device, my plan for a potential Tech Tryout is slightly different:

Open it up immediately.
Remove the stock 1TB SSD (and set it aside safely in a drawer).
Install a fresh, blank 2TB NVMe drive.
Install Bazzite (SteamOS clone) from scratch.

Why do it this way?

This is the ultimate safety net. By physically swapping the drive instead of wiping it, I get two massive benefits:

The “Ctrl+Z” Factor: If Bazzite doesn’t work out, or if I need to test a specific bug in the stock environment, I don’t have to reinstall Windows. I just pop the original drive back in, and boom! I’m back to factory settings instantly, with a fresh, untouched, factory Windows 11 install.
Double the Space: The Ally X finally supports the 2280 form factor (the standard full-size SSDs used in PCs). These are cheaper and easier to find than the small 2230s used in the original Ally. Going 2TB is a no-brainer for a modern game library, and I can actually source one from one of the mini PCs I have around.

Why Bazzite over Windows?

Easy. I want to see if the Ally X can truly feel like a console, and Bazzite

behaves like SteamOS with extra superpowers
has outstanding AMD GPU support
is tailored for handhelds
is stable enough for daily use but flexible enough for tinkering

Source: Bazzite Documentation

The Experiment

If I get the chance to review the Ally X, this will be my main test: Can the Ally X hardware + Bazzite software finally dethrone the Steam Deck as the ultimate user experience?

What about you? Are you the type to keep your tech “Stock and Safe,” or is the first thing you do with a new gadget opening it up to upgrade it?

Let me know below!

P.S - It seems like there is a beta SteamOS build for the Ally X that works well, but the experience seems to not be as polished.

Menguelez

dsmonteiro thanks for sharing and curious strategy 😅

nikkierodrigues

dsmonteiro This is one interesting topic, I’d be very interested in know how the Counter Strike works on this device, if you ever get a change please do let me know. Thanks in advance 😊

dsmonteiro That is pretty cool man, I’m so happy for you. 😊

Hito-09

dsmonteiro That’s a smart way to do it I’d probably check out the stock setup first then try swapping in a new SSD with Bazzite

Marco34

dsmonteiro What you’re saying is very interesting. At first, I wondered, “But if you do that, won’t it affect the BIOS and the system in general?” But as I read on, I understood the reasons. I have two questions:

First: If you do that, the ROG Xbox uses ASUS to create its own ecosystem through Game Pass, the integrated library, and the GAMING COPYLOT BETA. Each of these syncs with other devices through your account and is then stored in the cloud. Wouldn’t this entire synchronization and storage system be lost? How do you ensure your data remains intact?

Second: If you change the system, what will happen to the ROG optimization through BIOS updates, drivers, controller configurations, general behavior options via Armoury Crate, the Xbox app, and GameVisual?

dsmonteiro

Menguelez from everything I read, it seems like you get better overall performance from Bazzite / SteamOS than you do from Windows 11 handhelds. In fact, some handhelds are sold in both flavors making the comparison easier.

The other cool thing about Bazzite is that already has support for handheld-specific features such as controlling the RGB.

I would probably be losing access to Xbox Game Pass, but that’s a paid subscription down the line and, honestly, I literally have over 1000 games on my Steam library. 😂

dsmonteiro

nikkierodrigues I guess I already know which game to first install if I’m selected. 😅

Though, according to ProtonDB, the game runs well. Steam also shows the game as playable.

EricArasi

This is very good intel,Me being an engineer I might just check it out.

Bro, Thanks for this information.

dsmonteiro

Marco34

Sorry, missed your message so my reply was a bit delayed. So, let me break things down a bit. By doing this, I would completely remove Windows 11. That means goodbye to pretty much everything you mentioned except BIOS updates (since they are not specific to the operating system).

According to most reviews I’ve seen around, BazziteOS (or SteamOS for devices that support it) runs more efficiently than Windows 11 in the same hardware. That means that I wouldn’t really “lose ROG optimization” but instead “gain SteamOS optimization”.

I would of course also lose Game Pass, but that’s a paid services once the initial trial is gone. It’s not a major loss, though, since I have an extensive game library (1,152 games on Steam as of now, and nearly 200 games on Epic Store), plus emulators and stuff. So, Game Pass truly is an afterthought (though I would still make it part of my extended review).

Marco34

dsmonteiro Don’t worry, I was just curious because everything you’ve said is incredible, brother. If you manage to become the ROG Ally X tester, you should share all the details about how the changes went, and if you were able to fully optimize the system to guarantee better performance. I’m very interested in what you’ve proposed.

Heyo

dsmonteiro Yeah now that you’ve shared this, that’s the first thing I’d do too lol. Windows is the worst thing to happen to handhelds lol. If Valve ever decided to license Steam, they’d make a killing.

dsmonteiro

Heyo there’s already a couple of third-party machines out there running Steam, but I suspect they’ll only become ubiquitous once the Linux drivers mature and support more hardware.

I also wouldn’t be surprised if Valve sets their eyes on Android through Proton emulation.

P.S. - Hey there, it’s been a while!