Of course Linux is better for custom, purpose-built hardware. That's like, its main advantage for the commercial sector.
this post was submitted on 11 Jan 2024
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Because Microsoft ain't gonna make Windows any better for this form factor until it is way late to the game, as usual.
Windows is basically a product for corporations now. Consumer Windows is an afterthought most of the time.
However, I could be wrong with Xbox's theorized pivot away from hardware.
Consumer Windows is an afterthought most of the time.
Always has been
Windows is an enterprise OS with consumer features and macOS is a consumer OS with enterprise features.
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I don't know that Microsoft has any business trying to make Windows support these devices better....
Windows is entirely built around two pillars:
- Enterprise support for corporations, and team machine management
- Entirely open compatibility so they can run almost any hardware you put into it, plug into it, and backwards compatibility for all that for as long as possible.
Portable game machines are not an enterprise product. Nor do you care about broad hardware support or upgradability. Nor do you care about plugging in your parallel port printer from 1985. Nor do you care about running your ancient vb6 code to run your production machines over some random firewire card.
Windows' goal is entirely oppositional to portable gaming devices. It makes almost no sense for them to try to support it, as it'd go against their entire model. For things like these, you want a thin, optimized-over-flexible, purpose built OS that does one thing: play games. Linux is already built to solve this problem way better than Windows.
But, Microsoft will probably be stupid enough to try anyway.
Nor do you care about plugging in your parallel port printer from 1985
You haven't seen what I've been using my Steam Deck for. Gaming was not my primary motivation for buying it.
It's basically replaced my laptop. I carry a docking station, mouse, and full size keyboard with me. Eventually I'm gonna be using it for some robotics and remote control projects and other experiments. It's a full blown PC in a handheld, I mean, why not?
That's great and I'm glad that works for you.
But most people buying portable gaming handhelds are not doing that. And the people looking for things like that are likely landing closer to a surface or standard laptop, which Windows already supports well.
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windows optimized for handhelds is already a work in progress, its just not remotely done
Microsoft has never, since inception, been able to ship an embedded Windows that wasn't a festering pile of dog shit.
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Windows optimized for anything seems to be pretty much impossible.
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Year of the linux handheld then?
Thank you for making your comment licensed under creative common. I'll now steal it, repackage it and sell for 9.99$ without even acknowledging your existence
But... it's a Non-commercial Attribution license. /s/ns
I'm joking, but on a more serious note for those that don't know, not all Creative Commons licenses allow you to monetize, and be sure to actually read which version of license is used if you plan to use a CC work for anything other than personal use.
But at least you know you're a bad boy and Santa will know too.
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My bet is that there's an Xbox handheld in the work and Microsoft is working on a Windows version just for it.
They already have a Windows version for a handheld. The Xbox runs a modified version of Windows 11. All they’d need to do to bring it in line with PC handhelds is allow the install of third party launchers (they probably wouldn’t do this though).
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Cause windows sucks and licenses?
Yes, the extremely popular handheld PC gaming market.
It's small, but growing very fast. While actual PC has stagnated, no?
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Are there more than just Steam Deck?
The next Ayaneo handheld is going to use SteamOS.
To clarify, not an official Valve version, just in case somebody is wondering.
It's HoloISO or a modified version based on it, which is a Linux distro that bring most of SteamOS to other devices (except ones with Nvidia).
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A bunch of them saw Valve say "We're coming out with a gaming PC that vaguely resembles an adult Nintendo Switch" and went "uh yeah us too!" I know Asus and Lenovo have one.
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Ideally it would be better to see eventually a variety of OSs based on linux, maybe forks of steamOS.
But for the time being, definitely adopting steamOS would be better.
As much as I love my steam deck and the os, I do wish it was slightly easier to install third party games.
I know it's not hard and I've installed plenty, but like it's so incredibly easy with steam that it's made me lazy to even install games I already have on gog
It's not Linux or SteamOS, but both Epic and CD Projekt don't support their store client apps and launchers on Linux sadly, such we have to use unofficial ones such as Heroic Game Launcher
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The problem that could occur is: Right now Microsoft doesn't care about Linux or competitors, every OEM has to buy a Windows key anyways regardless. If SteamOS actually becomes a shippable option, Microsoft's cavalier attitude is going to change quickly, and a lot sooner than it will take them to get an Xbox Handheld out the door.
Why would an OEM need to buy a Windows license if the customer has no interest in using Windows?
It's in their licensing, and how MS-DOS became the de facto operating system of early PCs. If you want to license Windows, you have to pay for every unit you sell - not just units with Windows pre-installed, but every unit.
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The deal Microsoft does with OEMs gives them a discount only if they pay Microsoft for every PC they sell, whether or not it actually comes with Windows.
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How many actual PC handhelds are there?
The link in the article that promises "plenty" of handheld examples talks about Steam deck, Asus, and... the switch. And that's it. And obviously the switch is not a PC handheld, so... ?
There’s quite a few. Steam deck and Asus, as you mentioned, but there’s also AyaNeo, GPD, OneXPlayer, Aokzoe, Lenovo, etc. And many of these brands have several different models, if you’re counting individual products.
MSI just announced their handheld PC too, it has an Intel (Meteor Lake) CPU with Arc graphics.
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