Performance of Games on SteamOS vs Windows 11: Ars Tests Show Improvement on SteamOS
Nearly ten years after Ars testing revealed that Valve's SteamOS underperformed compared to Windows during the Steam Machines era, recent tests indicate a different story. Ars has found that modern games run at higher frame rates on SteamOS 3.7 than on Windows 11 when tested on the Lenovo Legion Go S. This shift highlights Valve's advancements in optimizing SteamOS for gaming, offering a performance edge over Windows in many scenarios.
The tests involved benchmarking five recent high-end 3D games across different graphics settings. Installing Windows 11 on the device and updating drivers, Ars observed that SteamOS frequently provided higher frame rates, with improvements ranging from minor to significant in most cases. Notably, some drivers used in Windows, even when updated, yielded lower performance compared to SteamOS, despite Windows' broader hardware compatibility.
These results underscore Valve's efforts to enhance Linux-based gaming performance, making SteamOS a compelling alternative for handheld gaming devices. However, compatibility remains a concern, as SteamOS does not support every game or hardware configuration. Still, the performance gains and a smoother user experience position SteamOS as a noteworthy contender in the portable gaming landscape.
