Currently there are several Linux distributions that aim to bring the experience of SteamOS to any computer. Chimera OS it does it with GNOME, and Bazzite with KDE, but none of these options are developed by Valve. However, they are valid options. Since the release of the Asus Rog Ally Could.
According to reports, both Sony and Microsoft sell their consoles at cost price. Their intention is not to make money with consoles, but with games. Likewise, Valve sells its Steam Deck at a low price considering everything it offers. It is different with companies that do have to make money with hardware, such as Asus, Lenovo or MSI. On paper and in most points, the Asus Rog Ally X It surpasses the Steam Deck, having as its weak point, this is subjective, that it uses Windows.
Asus Rog Ally appears in the latest SteamOS beta
La latest beta Valve's system is SteamOS 3.6.9, and in its News list We read the word "Asus" at least twice. One of them is not too important, since it is about a controller/command, the Raikiri, but the other one does. Later we read "Added support for extra Rog Ally keys."
This could mean that Valve has taken the first step towards making its SteamOS exit your Steam Deck. If you do, they should release an ISO, and this could be installed on any PC with x86_64 architecture. How it ends up working is another matter, since only the devices for which they include changes would be directly supported.
For those who don't know it, SteamOS is an operating system developed by Valve that When you start it enters game mode and has everything you need to run almost all, if not all, Steam titles. Although some work better than others. If we want, we can enter desktop mode and make some changes or updates, and also use the computer from an immutable Linux with Plasma.
Will it be worth it on the Asus Rog Ally and other Windows consoles?
This is not my case, but people who have tried a console with Windows and a Steam Deck, or simply a Linux-compatible game on a PC, assure that gaming performance on Linux is better. A lot could be written trying to explain it, but I would summarize it by talking about the lightness of the operating system, fewer background processes and, in short, Linux works closer or with fewer obstacles on its way to the hardware.
We have the answer to this question in the external units, in putting aside prejudices and knowing what each thing is for. In the same way that I I have reconciled with Windows, because it makes it easier for me to do some things that are not so simple in SteamOS, a user with an Asus Rog Ally X or another compatible console can install SteamOS on an external drive – or dualboot if they allow it – and take advantage of its positive points. When you are going to do something that doesn't matter where you run it, you want to play a title that is only for Windows or Game Pass, you already use the Windows system.
Among those benefits that we mentioned, in addition to the potential improved performance, we also have the hardware support. Every two months or so, Linus Torvalds releases a new version of his kernel with support for a lot of new hardware. This may translate into SteamOS being compatible with more controllers than Windows.
Although the only thing certain is that there is a new beta of SteamOS that has clearly mentioned the Rog Ally. When will the stable version arrive? It was expected weeks ago, but Valve is introducing many changes, it will be a huge launch and they want to leave everything well tied up.