Windows is the Problem With Windows Handhelds (theverge.com)
- Reference: 0179907160
- News link: https://games.slashdot.org/story/25/10/29/1739232/windows-is-the-problem-with-windows-handhelds
- Source link: https://www.theverge.com/games/807711/xbox-ally-sleep-fail-bazzite-fix-performance
Installing Bazzite, a Linux-based operating system, solves the problems, the publication reports. The same hardware runs games up to 30% faster than Windows and beats the Steam Deck in all but one benchmark. Steam runs more responsively without Windows bloat. The device can be used like a Nintendo Switch, pausing games with the power button and resuming hours or days later. Bazzite initially had sleep issues but fixed them two days after programmer Antheas Kapenekakis obtained the hardware and consulted with two AMD contacts. The black Xbox Ally X, which doesn't have as many sleep issues, gets a similar speed boost with Bazzite.
Two Xbox Ally units tested on Windows repeatedly woke themselves at random intervals. One lost 10% battery after 12 hours of supposed sleep, the other 23%. After another 12 hours, both had only 30% battery remaining. One tried to apply a Windows Update while asleep. Both units refused to wake from sleep at times and required hard resets. Many users have reported similar issues on Reddit with both Xbox Ally versions.
Further reading : [2]Microsoft's Next Xbox Will Run Full Windows and Eliminate Multiplayer Paywall, Report Says .
[1] https://www.theverge.com/games/807711/xbox-ally-sleep-fail-bazzite-fix-performance
[2] https://games.slashdot.org/story/25/10/27/1824246/microsofts-next-xbox-will-run-full-windows-and-eliminate-multiplayer-paywall-report-says
Well that's not a fair comparison (Score:2)
I mean back when Windows came out, there was virtually no "power save" on PCs. If you wanted to suspend to disk, your BIOS would do that for you. ACPI came out in 1996, well past the prime of Windows.
We knew this (Score:5, Interesting)
This is why the Steam Deck felt like such a revelation when it hit the market. Every review for a pc handheld has used it as a comparison and mentioned the experience of the Steam Deck couldn't be beat for a handheld PC. People wanted ways to install the OS on other devices and that's why Bazzite and other similar solutions were being worked on by the community.
Sure there are games you can't play on Steam OS but that goes for almost any gaming device. Even Windows needs help with community based compatibility projects for older games, as well as solving issues with newer games that prevent them from running. Dual booting is always possible, and with this type of experience it seems preferable to spend as much time in Steam OS or a variant like Bazzite rather than Windows.
For the price of an Xbox Ally X you could get both a Steam Deck and a Switch 2 and be able to play a good variety of games including Fortnite and other games that might require anti cheat, and get the Nintendo games too. You could even afford a Steam Deck and digital PS5 for the same price and have access to a wide variety of games and be able to play in 4k.
Shorter title (Score:5, Informative)
You could stopped at 'Windows is the Problem'. Everyone would understand. No need to say anything more.
Re: (Score:3)
No, windows actually does this. Modern Standby aka S0ix sleep state (RIP S3) will periodically wake, check for updates, and apply them. Personally i appreciate this as i haven't had to manually update or reboot my HTPC in like a year but it's on current updates. I just let it autosleep when im done with it and don't think about it.
My linux laptop sleeps via S0ix but has no periodic wake or any connected standby features, but that's only because S3 sleep doesn't exist on anything modern.
It's 2025 (Score:5, Interesting)
It's 2025. We've known for a couple of decades that Win32/Win64 and Windows and its main ecosystem only work because various hacks into the kernel to make it all run more smoothly. Even the video driver architecture basically has built in restarts when buffers blow up.
It's a shitty proprietary operating system which somehow, every time they try to clean it up, it gets worse under and on top of the hood. I stopped using Windows for my own personal devices four years ago, and will not go back. Ubuntu, Debian and MacOS offer cleaner UIs, and even if the software libraries are a bit smaller, at least I'm not a prisoner to endless ads.
Christ I had to set up a Win11 laptop yesterday, and between setting up the OS and Edge I had to turn down "offers" and additional tracking functionality around seven or eight times. Actually more, because then I set up a non-privileged user profile, and had to do it all again. And that was Win11 Pro. I can only imagine how much worse the Home editions are.
FFS! (Score:2)
It's time for Microsoft to ditch Windows and adopt Linux as the core operating system. Too much legacy garbage code and house-of-cards architecture. If Google can make profit off Android/Linux, then so can Redmond.
Re: (Score:2)
> It's time for Microsoft to ditch Windows and adopt Linux as the core operating system. Too much legacy garbage code and house-of-cards architecture. If Google can make profit off Android/Linux, then so can Redmond.
I'd be surprised if Microsoft couldn't fuck up a Linux based OS with their own cruft. While all the groundwork has been laid, and they could likely take one of the various Windows compatibility layers available and polish it for current compatibility across the board, they'd insist on shoveling it full of nonsense and cruft until even the Linux kernel would be screaming for mercy and asking digital what ever few minutes. It's a cultural issue for them, and I don't think changing the underlying kernel and ba
I"m going to assume (Score:2)
it's because of all the telemetry baked-in to Windows, that is the cause of poor performance and battery life loss while asleep.
It would be interesting to run a be-bloated version of Windows on these systems, and see if it improves anything, or if the whole concept of Windows on a hand-held is a disastrous mess.
Re: I"m going to assume (Score:2)
Forget handhelds, the whole concept of Windows is a bad joke. You start with a kernel created by the same people who did VMS, but then shit directly into it for years, and expect a good result?
My work just dumped Windows 11 on me (Score:4, Informative)
And my fucking god it's terrible.
The clipboard is slow. The mother fucking clipboard is slow.
I suspect what's going on is that Microsoft is monitoring my clipboard for some stupid AI bullshit. Whatever the case it's 2025 I have a 6-core CPU with 32 gigs of RAM and my clipboard is slow to respond. Periodically I get an error message in Excel because it was unable to complete a copy option into the clipboard.
Windows 11 is the most user hostile piece of software I have ever used in my entire life. As near as I can tell it exists so that Microsoft can monetize me further and so that it can train their AI to replace me at work. Also maybe some surveillance.
It's like a villain from a Franz Kafka novel decided to write an operating system
ASUS is atrocious (Score:2)
"Neither Microsoft nor Asus would admit there's a problem or offer a timeline to fix it after repeated requests by The Verge. Asus said it needs more time to test."
Microsoft is Microsoft of course, whatever. ASUS used to be my first choice. Today they infamously have the worst support around, whether you're talking about tech support or warranty support. They are literally the last vendor you should consider when shopping for computer equipment, whether it's for gaming or not. This is the least surprising s
Did these retards even use Full Screen Mode? (Score:1)
The whole point of these handhelds is the Xbox full screen mode.
No where in there do they mention using the full screen mode and news flash: sleep does in fact work reliably. I know because I'm using it in full screen mode and sleep works reliably.
Look, windows has its issues but this journo clearly never used the software package it released with and instead wrote a love letter about Bazzite (a great baby's first distro on its own right).
But this is clearly a hit piece at Microsoft and the Xbox ally x and
Windows sleep problems are very old (Score:2)
Microsoft has known about the issues with power draw during sleep for many years. Linus TechTips on YouTube even did a name and shame episode on this issue a number of years ago. It got Microsoft's attention. They said they would work on the problem. But the rot must have been very deep. Issues persist to this day. Microsoft has created a monster that they do not know how to control. And they appear to be making things worse as of late with their forced AI tools.
Where will they install the rootkits? (Score:4, Informative)
If people switch to Linux these games won't have anywhere to store their rootkits for anti-cheats.
The only downside i can see is that some games want windows for anti-cheat
Re: (Score:2)
There is no downside to ditching Windows. Game companies will eventually get wise to people wanting Linux instead of Windows. They already know this but need time to remove the Microsoft tendrils that currently choke their creativity. Windows is on its way out. Maybe not today, but soon. Nadella has screwed the pooch.
Re: (Score:2)
There really isn't. I was skeptical and expected a 2-week long oddysey, but I put arch on my PC this past weekend and all my games work. It's definitely not suitable for mom, but my son could handle this.
Linux is still ... not great in terms of overall experience, but it's not worse than Windows, it's just different things that break. The difference is that it's often easy to identify exactly what is broken and work around it (ex. plasmashell crashesh when the screen is blanked, because my HTC vive was conn
Re: (Score:2)
They'll just make a kernel stub and an installer like Nvidia did (probably still does?).
Of Linux becomes popular for games due to the performance bump there's no reason to think gamer will be any more resistant to rootkits on it.