It's the most beautiful laptop I've ever used – and our testing shows serious power, too.

Slayven Never read a comic in his life Moderator Oct 25, 2017 102,422 View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5lq4Q7YAjE The Asus ROG Ally handheld gaming PC is real, not an April Fools’ joke No fooling — but no specs or price, either. www.theverge.com The ROG Ally has a seven-inch 16:9 display with 1920 x 1080 resolution, 500 nits of brightness, and a 120HZ refresh rate, compared to the Steam Deck specs, which are listed as a seven-inch 16:10 display at 1280 x 800 resolution, 400 nits of brightness, and a 60Hz refresh rate. Click to expand... Click to shrink... I want more of these, but they need to think about adding alternative control interfaces built into the system. Maybenot a whole touch pad but maybe a nipple and some back buttons. Plus it is is ROG, you know it will cost 2 souls and a leg Dave2d Handheld View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drLZxyv79Oo  Deleted member 93062 Account closed at user request Banned Mar 4, 2021 24,767 Seems like it'll be pricey as hell but I do like that it has a 16:9 display, Windows with good looking dashboard for all your launchers, and how quiet it is. I just want that eGPU connector, or something similar to it, on the next Steam Deck.   nsilvias Member Oct 25, 2017 30,169 >1080p rip battery life  Dangerman1337 Member Jul 2, 2021 3,187 United Kingdom, The Wirral, Hoylake Sullivan said: Seems like it'll be pricey as hell but I do like that it has a 16:9 display, Windows with good looking dashboard for all your launchers, and how quiet it is. I just want that eGPU connector, or something similar to it, on the next Steam Deck. Click to expand... Click to shrink... Dave2D says it's apparently very appealing price point. However my biggest question is the release date because we keep seeing these handhelds with no release dates and being kept shown at performance expos all the time. Sick and tired of that nonsense.  Deleted member 93062 Account closed at user request Banned Mar 4, 2021 24,767 nsilvias said: >1080p rip battery life Click to expand... Click to shrink... >1080p >120hz >500nits  OP OP Slayven Never read a comic in his life Moderator Oct 25, 2017 102,422 nsilvias said: >1080p rip battery life Click to expand... Click to shrink... 80s kids know   Deleted member 93062 Account closed at user request Banned Mar 4, 2021 24,767 Dangerman1337 said: Dave2D says it's apparently very appealing price point. However my biggest question is the release date because we keep seeing these handhelds with no release dates and being kept shown at performance expos all the time. Sick and tired of that nonsense. Click to expand... Click to shrink... Dave doesn't know the price point. He's just assuming because they said it would be available at Best Buy and that they don't do low volume products so ASUS expects it to sell well, which means it likely has an appealing price point. I don't know though...   jack. Member Oct 27, 2017 1,357 I'd rather have 720p and that d-pad looks like ass but otherwise, this thing seems like it could be pretty good.   OP OP Slayven Never read a comic in his life Moderator Oct 25, 2017 102,422 Dangerman1337 said: Dave2D says it's apparently very appealing price point. However my biggest question is the release date because we keep seeing these handhelds with no release dates and being kept shown at performance expos all the time. Sick and tired of that nonsense. Click to expand... Click to shrink... In the time you you typed this post 3 more models of the Aya neo has been announced   AuthenticM Son Altesse Sérénissime The Fallen Oct 25, 2017 35,186 I didn't know that ROG was an initialism. I've always pronounced it like an acronym. So I can install my GOG games on this?  Dangerman1337 Member Jul 2, 2021 3,187 United Kingdom, The Wirral, Hoylake Sullivan said: Dave doesn't know the price point. He's just assuming because they said it would be available at Best Buy and that they don't do low volume products so ASUS expects it to sell well, which means it likely has an appealing price point. I don't know though... Click to expand... Click to shrink... Asus apparently told Dave it. Slayven said: In the time you you typed this post 3 more models of the Aya neo has been announced Click to expand... Click to shrink... Heh :p.   Koukalaka Member Oct 28, 2017 10,405 Scotland 1080p and 120Hz just don't make sense on a gaming-focused handheld.   Biosnake Member Oct 25, 2017 14,335 show me more   Radogol Member Nov 9, 2017 384 So that's nine As?   OP OP Slayven Never read a comic in his life Moderator Oct 25, 2017 102,422 Koukalaka said: 1080p and 120Hz just don't make sense on a gaming-focused handheld. Click to expand... Click to shrink... Sounds like the stats for a endurance battery tester   Dinjoralo Member Oct 25, 2017 11,729 Windows, ick. I've used Armoury Crate enough on my PC to know that the software side of things, at least what's pre-installed on the device, is going to be ass. I don't get why everyone seems to hate the Deck having an 800p screen. That's turned out to be a lifesaver for me in some games with weird resolutions that can't scale to 720p or 1080p well, like Rainworld.  Busaiku Teyvat Traveler Member Oct 25, 2017 17,947 Ya, nothing matters until we know about battery and price.   neoak Member Oct 25, 2017 16,877 However, in our experience, they've relied on an AMD 6800U chipset instead of a custom design and generally lack the right combination of horsepower and efficiency that we want to see from handheld gaming machines. Click to expand... Click to shrink... I swear the Verge reporter doesn't understand how crippled is the Steam Deck CPU for having 4 cores only when CPU matters a ton more in low resolutions. AMD doesn't do custom unless you are going to buy millions, but then again, it's the iVerge.  neoak Member Oct 25, 2017 16,877 Koukalaka said: 1080p and 120Hz just don't make sense on a gaming-focused handheld. Click to expand... Click to shrink... I'd argue not in phones either but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ And you are right, it's hard to get more than 60fps in recent titles even on 6800U with 45W TDP  Haloid1177 Member Oct 25, 2017 4,847 Dinjoralo said: Windows, ick. I've used Armoury Crate enough on my PC to know that the software side of things, at least what's pre-installed on the device, is going to be ass. I don't get why everyone seems to hate the Deck having an 800p screen. That's turned out to be a lifesaver for me in some games with weird resolutions that can't scale to 720p or 1080p well, like Rainworld. Click to expand... Click to shrink... Armoury Crate is a mess of a software but I will give it credit that it causes me way less issues than iCUE or the Lian Li fan/RGB controller.  OP OP Slayven Never read a comic in his life Moderator Oct 25, 2017 102,422 Dinjoralo said: Windows, ick. I've used Armoury Crate enough on my PC to know that the software side of things, at least what's pre-installed on the device, is going to be ass. I don't get why everyone seems to hate the Deck having an 800p screen. That's turned out to be a lifesaver for me in some games with weird resolutions that can't scale to 720p or 1080p well, like Rainworld. Click to expand... Click to shrink... You also squeeze out a bit more performance by turning down bigger games   Biosnake Member Oct 25, 2017 14,335 Keyser S The Fallen Oct 26, 2017 8,480 Do I pronounce this like Broccoli   neoak Member Oct 25, 2017 16,877 Keyser S said: Do I pronounce this like Broccoli Click to expand... Click to shrink... ROG is supposed to be spelled R.O.G.   cgpartlow Member Oct 27, 2017 3,476 Seattle, WA I prefer asymmetrical sticks on my controllers, but on handhelds where the sides are vertical straight up and down, they should not be offset due to where your thumbs land. The switch cramps my hand having to contort my thumb and rotate my hand to hit the sticks. It is better with and ergonomic attachment but it is not the most convenient.   bbg_g Member Jun 21, 2020 835 Looks interesting and I might bite depending on battery life and price. I'm a bit lukewarm on the steamdeck and still waiting to see what comes next.   Neoxon Spotlighting Black Excellence - Diversity Analyst Member Oct 25, 2017 93,547 Houston, TX Does this have a gyroscope like the Deck?   Mashing Member Oct 28, 2017 3,411 Haloid1177 said: Armoury Crate is a mess of a software but I will give it credit that it causes me way less issues than iCUE or the Lian Li fan/RGB controller. Click to expand... Click to shrink... I had to disable iCUE as it kept waking up my PC from power saving. I never really used it anyway so no big loss.  neoak Member Oct 25, 2017 16,877 ROG XG Mobile eGPU? That's interesting, seeing as Oculink on the Win Max 2 allows you to have only a 10% performance penalty vs a full desktop for external using PCIe Gen4 x4. This will make it interesting. Unfortunately Destiny 2 sucks ass on anything less than 10" >.<  Atolm Member Oct 25, 2017 6,154 120hz is actually great for games like Hollow Knight or Fight N Rage   BennyWhatever Member Oct 27, 2017 5,504 US Happy to eat crow on this, but I'd be very surprised if the starter model of this is < $800. Most of these handheld Windows devices are $1k+.   Cats_Schrodinger Member Oct 29, 2017 4,050 If the 120Hz display is VRR , that's a gamechanger. Framerates lower than 60 will benefit immensely. The Deck needs this too.   neoak Member Oct 25, 2017 16,877 Atolm said: 120hz is actually great for games like Hollow Knight or Fight N Rage Click to expand... Click to shrink... Actually, hadn't considered that. Very valid point.   Qwark Member Oct 27, 2017 10,263 I'm always down for more high-performance handhelds, that d-pad looks squishy as hell though. Lmao at the actor casually pulling the handheld out of his jacket pocket, those are some big pockets.  AmFreak Member Oct 26, 2017 3,220 It's like all these companies that are big enough to somewhat compete saw the Deck success and then made hand held. Logitech launches a $350 cloud one, Razer launches a $400 ARM one a year after the Deck and now Asus seems to think they have to one up the Deck everywhere (power, resolution, screen, OS) and will result in pricing themselves out of the market.   Charpunk Member Oct 25, 2017 12,555 Performance and cost will be interesting. Lack of touchpads is a bummer as that has been a great feature for the deck for me.   SaberVS7 Member Oct 25, 2017 6,750 Everyone's minds when they're playing AAAAAAAAA games on the handheld of the future   neoak Member Oct 25, 2017 16,877 Qwark said: I'm always down for more high-performance handhelds, that d-pad looks squishy as hell though. Lmao at the actor casually pulling the handheld out of his jacket pocket, those are some big pockets. Click to expand... Click to shrink... They had to one up this View: https://twitter.com/softwincn/status/1636605890429337600   topplehat Member Oct 27, 2017 1,083 Austin, TX These feel like a bunch of specs thrown at a wall - a screen like that will chew up battery in no time, and the hardware won't be there to back it up. This is what I really appreciated about the Steam Deck - it seemed thought out and that all the hardware was designed for a certain performance level.  Jon of the Wired Member Oct 25, 2017 397 It's good to see more products in this space, but I'm just never going to buy a PC handheld that doesn't have touchpads. It's frustrating that only Valve is making a handheld that can actually play the games I want to play.   Kline AVALANCHE Member Sep 15, 2022 524 Will come down to price of course. There's countless Windows handhelds around these days - many objectively better than the Deck, but none that can match it's price point. On that note, yes the 1080p screen is appealing for a handheld. I have a Deck, but I expressly use my Ayn Odin Lite for things like Game Pass, GFN, or even watching anime, because it can push double the pixels with ease. Then again, it's Android so it has battery for days.  Remeran Member Nov 27, 2018 4,129 Oh windows based, that mean native gamepass gaming? Hmm that might be interesting.   Pocky4Th3Win Member Oct 31, 2017 5,425 Minnesota I hope they support Steam OS as an alternative to Windows 11.   Deleted member 93062 Account closed at user request Banned Mar 4, 2021 24,767 Pocky4Th3Win said: I hope they support Steam OS as an alternative to Windows 11. Click to expand... Click to shrink... You could install SteamOS on it if you wanted I imagine.   DjDeathCool Member Oct 28, 2017 2,869 Bismarck, ND Koukalaka said: 1080p and 120Hz just don't make sense on a gaming-focused handheld. Click to expand... Click to shrink... I always want 120hz on any device that is capable of streaming gameplay. Moonlight at 120hz is *chef's kiss* neoak said: I'd argue not in phones either but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Click to expand... Click to shrink... General usage (scrolling) on a 120hz display feels much much nicer. It's one of those things you get used to and don't realize how nice it is until it's gone. It's not about gameplay. Lol.   Ada Member Nov 28, 2017 4,164 bad ergonomics - shallow grip, menu buttons out of reach. Single USB port! rocker dpad - why copy the 360s terrible dpad dual fans plus higher refresh/resolution/brightness screen - huge battery drain Windows instead of SteamOS - no suspend + license fee DOA   neoak Member Oct 25, 2017 16,877 DjDeathCool said: General usage (scrolling) on a 120hz display feels much much nicer. It's one of those things you get used to and don't realize how nice it is until it's gone. It's not about gameplay. Lol. Click to expand... Click to shrink... It's about battery life man. Never said it wasn't nice.   Tsunami561 Member Mar 7, 2023 5,383 This sounds like one of those other handhelds that are on paper way more powerfull than the deck but then is twice the price and the user experience sucks   toy_brain Member Nov 1, 2017 2,598 Looks interesting, and I'm always happy to see new entrants into this space, as it gives people more options. Specifically, if they are selling this in B&M retail stores, it'll open the market to people who aren't comfortable ordering a Steam Deck (for whatever reason), or getting a Chinese/HK manufactured device of unknown quality. (I have a GPD device and think its awesome) The resolution and refresh rates sound "ambitious", but if it's anything like the GPD I have, you'll be able to knock the refresh rate down to 40hz, and do the usual FSR resolution scaling to save on performance. I'd be surprised if a demanding game lasted more than 2 hours on a single charge though - that just seems to be the norm with the current tech, but its enough for a commute, or a long train journey if you are happy playing 2D stuff. As for it using windows, ehhh, It's the easiest way forward right now. Yes it takes a while to boot or come out of standby compared to SteamOS, and the UI kinda sucks on a small screen, but it has zero compatibility issues and allows every current launcher straight out of the box, so you get every advantage of a full PC with only a couple minor downsides. My only negative with what I've seen so far, is the size. It's only a shave smaller than the Steam Deck, which is already a chunky bugger. I'd have liked it to be more like the GPD Win 4. Oh well.  DjDeathCool Member Oct 28, 2017 2,869 Bismarck, ND neoak said: It's about battery life man. Never said it wasn't nice. Click to expand... Click to shrink... Adaptive refresh rate solves that issue and you can cap it if you don't like the energy cost. At least on mobiles, and assumedly for this device as well since you can do the same on Deck.  

The biggest tech events in May and June may be software focused, but there's plenty of hardware going through the wringer here at Engadget. Over the last two weeks alone, we've put a drone, gaming display, headphones and a gaming tablet through their paces. If you missed any of that, or our latest game analysis and EV test drive, keeping scrolling to catch up on our latest reviews.  DJI Mavic 4 Pro Reporter Steve Dent reviews a lot of drones at Engadget. So when he uses descriptors like "a new standard," "the most technologically advanced drone I've seen" and "the best video quality," everyone needs to take note. After his tests, Steve argued that the Mavic 4 Pro is further proof of how DJI continues to outpace its rivals. "It’s an improvement over the Mavic 3 Pro in nearly every area, and as mentioned, it doesn’t really have any competition in the consumer space," he said. "The closest alternative in price and capability is Autel’s Evo II Pro 6K, but that drone has a single-camera system with a smaller sensor, less endurance and shorter range." Sony WH-1000XM6 Sony's latest flagship headphones were hardly a secret by the time they officially arrived last week, but thankfully, the three-year wait for the upgrade was well worth it. The company managed to improve its already great over-ear headphones yet again, with updates to sound quality, noise cancellation and overall comfort. "The only real downside is the price continues to go up: the M6 is $50 more than the M5 was at launch," I wrote. "When you combine their performance with Sony’s ever-growing list of features, the 1000XM6 are the best headphones you can buy right now." ASUS ROG Flow Z13 (2025) If you're looking for a gaming tablet to replace your laptop, there are some perks to the ROG Flow Z13. However, there are also some drawbacks, mainly the flimsy keyboard that makes typing on anything other than a table or desk quite cumbersome. "It's got a funky build and unapologetically aggressive styling," senior reviews reporter Sam Rutherford explained. "But unless you have a very particular set of requirements, it doesn't fit neatly into most people's lives as an equivalent laptop." LG 27 UltraGear OLED It may have taken writing a review to get senior reviews reporter Devindra Hardwar to understand the hype around 480Hz gaming displays, but I'd argue the sacrifice was well worth it. The LG 27 UltraGear is a powerhouse, right down to the future-proof DisplayPort 2.1 connection. It's expensive though, and besides the OLED panel, it's not much of a looker. But that performance, it'll make you forget where you are. "The real world melted away — I was fully inside Rocket League's absurd soccer arena," he described. "When the match ended, it took me a few minutes to reacclimatize to reality." Driving the Hyundai Ioniq 9 and FBC: Firebreak  Contributor Tim Stevens spent some time behind the wheel of Hyundai's three-row Ioniq 9 EV SUV. Pricing for the more premium trims ventures into Rivian territory, but Tim argues the Ioniq 9 is the more practical choice for the rigors of daily life over the R1S. "The Ioniq 9 has a stance more like a Volvo station wagon than a gigantic family hauler, but make no mistake, it's the latter," he said. "That's immediately evident as soon as you climb into the third row." Senior gaming editor Jessica Conditt took Remedy's co-op shooter FBC: Firebreak for a spin. While the game enticed her to keep playing after almost three hours with two strangers, it could still use some polish before next month's launch. "All of the issues I have with Firebreak can be fine-tuned before the game launches this summer, and I have faith in Remedy to do so," she observed. "Firebreak is poised to be a thoughtful and focused entry in the co-op shooter genre, and it’s already an inviting extension of Remedy’s darkest and silliest sensibilities.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/engadget-review-recap-dji-mavic-4-pro-sony-wh-1000xm6-asus-rog-flow-z13-and-more-130033686.html?src=rss

The Asus ROG Strix XG259QNS is available at Amazon for $299 during an early Memorial Day sale—this is one of the lowest prices we've seen for the display.

The RTX 5060 is here, finally completing the 50-series lineup that debuted five months ago with the 5090. The new "mainstream" graphics card is far from cheap at $299/£270, but ought to offer reasonable performance and efficiency while adding the multi frame generation feature that's exclusive to this generation of GPUs. However, the 5060 also ships with just 8GB of VRAM, which could be a big limitation for those looking to play the latest graphics showcases. Before we get into our results, it's worth mentioning why this review is a little later than normal, coming a few days after the cards officially went on sale on May 19th. Normally, Nvidia or their partners send a graphics card and the necessary drivers anywhere from a couple of days to a week before the embargo date, which is typically a day before the cards go on sale. That's good for us, because it allows us to do the in-depth analysis that we prefer and still publish at the same time as other outlets, and it's good for potential buyers, as they can get a sense of value and performance and therefore make an informed decision about whether to buy a card or not - from what is often a limited supply at launch. For the RTX 5060 launch, Nvidia - via Asus - delivered a card in good time ahead of its release, but the drivers weren't released to reviewers until the card went on sale on May 19th, coinciding with Nvidia's Computex presentation. Without the drivers, the card is a paperweight, so any launch day coverage is necessarily limited - and in many cases, graphics cards went out of stock before the usual tranche of reviews went live from the tech press. It's a frustrating situation all around, and I doubt that even Nvidia's PR department will be thrilled that most reviews start with the same complaint. Nvidia's GeForce RTX 5060 gets the Digital Foundry video review treatment.Watch on YouTube Following the public release of the drivers, we've been benchmarking around the clock to figure out just how performant the new RTX 5060 is, where its strengths and weaknesses lie, and where it falls compared to the rest of the 50-series line-up, prior generation RTX cards and competing AMD models. Looking at the specs, you can see that the RTX 5060 is based around a cut-down version of the same GB206 die that powered the RTX 5060 Ti. The 5060 has 83 percent of the core count and rated power of the full-fat 5060 Ti design, with an innocuous three percent drop to boost clocks and the same 448GB/s of memory bandwidth. Unlike the 5060 Ti, however, which debuted in 8GB and 16GB models, the 5060 is only available with 8GB of frame buffer memory - a limitation we'll discuss in some depth later. For your 16.6 percent reduction to core count and TGP versus the 5060 Ti, you pay around 20 percent less - so the 5060 ought to be slightly better value. Marvel's Spider-Man 2 and Monster Hunter World - 1440p resolution. We aren't at native resolution. We aren't on ultra settings, but both 8GB RTX 5060 and RTX 5060 Ti see performance collapse. The 16GB RTX 5060 Ti works fine and delivers good performance - proof positive that 8GB is too much of a limiting factor for these cards. | Image credit: Digital Foundry RTX 5070 Ti RTX 5070 RTX 5060 Ti RTX 5060 Processor GB203 GB205 GB206 GB206 Cores 8,960 6,144 4,608 3,840 Boost Clock 2.45GHz 2.51GHz 2.57GHz 2.50GHz Memory 16GB GDDR7 12GB GDDR7 16GB GDDR7 8GB GDDR78GB GDDR7 Memory Bus Width 256-bit 192-bit 128-bit 128-bit Memory Bandwidth 896GB/s 672GB/s 448GB/s 448GB/s Total Graphics Power 300W 250W 180W 150W PSU Recommendation 750W 650W 450W 450W Price $749/£729 $549/£539 $429/£399 $379/£349$299 Release Date February 20th March 5th April 16th May 19th There's no RTX 5060 Founders Edition, as you'd perhaps expect for a mainstream model, with various third-party cards available in a range of sizes. The RTX 5060 model we received is the Asus Prime model, an over-engineered 2.5-slot, tri-fan design that is nonetheless described as "SFF-ready" due to its relatively modest 268mm length. On top of the robust industrial design, the card features a dual BIOS with "quiet" and "performance" options - always useful. In this case however, the cooler is so large that even the "performance" option is very, very quiet. The card ships with this preset and we recommend it stays there. Hilariously, the manufacturer product page recommends a 750W or 850W Asus power supply, though the specs page for the same model makes a more sane 550W recommendation. Regardless, you'll be good to go with a single eight-pin power connector. In terms of ports, we're looking at the RTX 50-series standard assortment, including one HDMI 2.1b and three DisplayPort 2.1b. Like the RTX 5060 Ti - but not AMD's just-announced Radeon RX 9060 XT - the RTX 5060 uses a PCIe 8x connection. That's perfectly fine on a modern PCIe 5.0 or 4.0 slot, but potentially problematic on earlier motherboards with PCIe 3.0 slots - something we'll test out in more detail on page eight. For our testing, we'll be pairing the RTX 5060 with a bleeding-edge system based around the fastest gaming CPU - the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D. We also have 32GB of Corsair DDR5-6000 CL30 memory, a high-end Asus ROG Crosshair X870E Hero motherboard and a 1000W Corsair PSU. With all that said, let's get into the benchmarks. Nvidia GeForce RTX 5060 Analysis To see this content please enable targeting cookies.

In brief: Valve has moved forward with its long-teased plan to bring SteamOS to more devices beyond the Steam Deck. The stable build adds support for systems from Lenovo, Asus, and others, offering a more stable Windows alternative for handheld gaming PCs. It also introduces new features and bug fixes. Now available for installation, SteamOS 3.7.8 introduces official support for the Lenovo Legion Go S and improves compatibility with other handheld gaming PCs, including the Asus ROG Ally. The release could dramatically alter the user experience on these devices. SteamOS's gamepad-friendly interface is better suited to small screens than Windows 11, giving the Steam Deck a notable edge over more powerful portable PCs. Recent updates to the Linux-based system have gradually revealed Valve's broader release plans, with the latest patch opening it up for public testing. The operating system now uses a newer Arch Linux base, the Linux kernel has been upgraded to version 6.11, and desktop mode runs on Plasma 6.2.5. Early adopters should download a SteamOS recovery image and follow Valve's setup instructions. Valve optimized 3.7.8 specifically for handheld devices, but it currently supports only PCs with AMD hardware and an NVMe SSD. The system requirements likely cover devices built on similar AMD APUs, including the Ryzen 8840U, Ryzen AI HX 370, Ryzen Z1, and Ryzen Z2. Valve provides specific installation instructions for the original Lenovo Legion Go and the ROG Ally. However, the latest build should theoretically support handhelds such as the GPD Win, Ayaneo 3, and Zotac Zone. The Intel-powered MSI Claw remains the only unsupported portable PC, and whether Valve plans to add Intel support is still unclear. Adventurous testers will likely explore whether "AMD hardware" extends to desktops or other Ryzen-based form factors. It remains unclear if SteamOS supports Radeon dedicated GPUs and alternative wireless chips. The update has a useful new feature that lets users set a battery charge limit, with Valve recommending an 80 percent cap to extend battery life on frequently docked devices. It is functionally similar to the optional 90 percent cap Nintendo recently introduced for the upcoming Switch 2. SteamOS 3.7.8 also adds frame rate limits for internal and external VRR displays, while Bluetooth controllers can now wake the original LCD Steam Deck from sleep. As the first version 3.7 build to reach the stable channel, numerous features have also exited beta. Lenovo plans to launch the Legion Go S with SteamOS pre-installed in the coming weeks, offering it at a significantly lower price than the Windows 11 version. // Related Stories

Memorial Day weekend deals are here. Shop hefty laptop savings on Dell, Asus, Apple, and more while the discounts last.

RT CORSAIRWho says creator/AI PC builds have to be boring?Housing all of our components alongside the @NVIDIAGeForce RTX 5090 Founders Edition and @ASUS ProArt X870E-CREATOR WIFI, this FRAME 4000D PROTOTYPE is adorned with a newly-designed aluminum front panel, new front I/O, and a @SingularityC Powerboard, as well as a special edition of the HX1000i SHIFT 👀With @NVIDIAStudio, GeForce RTX 50 Series GPUs also provide the creative advantage in NVIDIA Studio by unlocking transformative performance in video editing, 3D rendering, and graphic design.Full Build: https://www.corsair.com/us/en/explorer/builds/computex-2025/frame-4000d-prototype-nvidia-creator-ai-pc/

steam machines are back SteamOS 3.7 brings Valve’s gaming OS to other handhelds and generic AMD PCs Focus is currently on AMD-based PCs with hardware similar to the Steam Deck. Andrew Cunningham – May 23, 2025 11:28 am | 29 Credit: Valve Credit: Valve Story text Size Small Standard Large Width * Standard Wide Links Standard Orange * Subscribers only   Learn more Valve is releasing version 3.7 of SteamOS to the general public, and among the routine updates and changes is a big one: This is the SteamOS release that finally adds official support for some kinds of PC hardware other than Valve's own Steam Deck. Valve mentions certain specific handhelds as having either "official" or "improved support," including the Asus ROG Ally, the Lenovo Legion Go, and the Lenovo Legion Go S. It also includes directions for configuring the original Legion Go and ROG Ally for SteamOS installation. But Valve says that only the Steam Deck and Legion Go S have fully baked SteamOS support. The release claims to run on "other AMD powered handhelds" more broadly, implying that most third-party handheld PCs with Ryzen Z1 or Z2-series processors ought to support at least some basic functionality. Other all-AMD desktops and laptops have a decent shot at being supported, too. It was previously possible to get a SteamOS-like experience on third-party hardware using a community-maintained distribution like Bazzite, but at least some hardware will now be able to get SteamOS right from the source. This update comes just a couple of weeks after Valve announced a new "SteamOS Compatible" label for games that would be displayed separately from Steam Deck compatibility information. AMD-only, for now If you want there to be a chance that your desktop or laptop will work with SteamOS, it will have to be all-AMD on the inside. Credit: Andrew Cunningham To try SteamOS on your hardware, Valve's two hard-and-fast requirements are "AMD hardware" and an NVMe SSD. The hardware requirement likely refers to, collectively, the CPU, GPU, and chipset, and possibly also the RZ-series Wi-Fi and Bluetooth modules that are often paired with AMD systems. You'll also need to disable Secure Boot on your PC. This is normally enabled by default since it's an installation requirement for Windows 11, so you'll want to refer to your manufacturer's documentation to figure out how to turn it off. Valve's instructions will walk you through downloading a SteamOS recovery image and copying it to a USB drive using either the Rufus tool (on Windows) or Balena Etcher (the preferred macOS and Linux utility). After turning Secure Boot off, you should be able to boot from the USB drive and install SteamOS as you would on a regular Steam Deck. Note that there's no simple, officially supported way to dual-boot SteamOS and Windows; if you decide to turn your handheld, laptop, or desktop into a new Steam Machine, the only way to make it back into a Windows PC is to re-enable Secure Boot and install a fresh copy from another USB drive. The SteamOS 3.7 update (officially, version 3.7.8) also includes a bunch of other updates to the underlying software: version 6.11 of the Linux kernel (up from version 6.5 in SteamOS 3.6), "a newer Arch Linux base," version 6.2.5 of the Plasma interface in desktop mode, new Mesa graphics drivers, and various other tweaks and bug fixes. A second act for SteamOS The original version of SteamOS was designed to be widely compatible with all kinds of PC hardware and was available both from major PC manufacturers and as a standalone OS that you could (and which we did) install on custom, self-built PCs. But these computers and that version of SteamOS mostly flopped, at least in part because they only ran a small subset of games that natively supported Linux. The current version of SteamOS launched with more modest aims as the first-party operating system for a single piece of hardware. But by focusing on the game compatibility problem first and leading the way with category-defining hardware, Valve has actually built a much stronger foundation for the current version of SteamOS than it did for the original. That doesn't make SteamOS a drop-in replacement for Windows—without strong support for Intel or Nvidia hardware, it's not a great candidate for the majority of gaming PCs, or even Intel-powered gaming handhelds like the MSI Claw A1M. And Windows is set up to be a multi-purpose general-use operating system in ways that SteamOS isn't; Valve still says that, despite the presence of desktop mode, "users should not consider SteamOS as a replacement for their desktop operating system." But for certain kinds of systems that are primarily used as gaming PCs, SteamOS is a real contender. Andrew Cunningham Senior Technology Reporter Andrew Cunningham Senior Technology Reporter Andrew is a Senior Technology Reporter at Ars Technica, with a focus on consumer tech including computer hardware and in-depth reviews of operating systems like Windows and macOS. Andrew lives in Philadelphia and co-hosts a weekly book podcast called Overdue. 29 Comments