Microsoft’s Windows 11 is a detriment to handheld gaming PCs – and a recent SteamOS comparison highlights that

• SteamOS outperforms Windows 11 on the Lenovo Legion Go S in several games, according to new benchmarks
• Both models use the same hardware, with the only difference being the operating systems
• It’s a highlight of why handheld PC gamers are contemplating a switch to SteamOS

Microsoft‘s Windows 11 has arguably been less favorable for handheld gaming PC users than alternatives, considering its non-portable user experience across the board. While Valve’s SteamOS has triumphed in that department, a new comparison highlights a potential wider gap between the operating systems.

According to Dave2D‘s (on YouTube) Lenovo Legion Go S benchmarks, the Windows 11 version has worse performance in several games, compared to the recently launched SteamOS model, which has a performance uplift of up to 25% (specifically in Cyberpunk 2077).

Both devices utilize the same hardware, with AMD‘s Ryzen Z2 Go (or Z1 Extreme, depending on the configuration), and the operating system being the only difference. Pictured below, The Witcher 3 performs at 76fps on SteamOS, while it only manages 66fps on Windows 11 on the Legion Go S.

While Windows 11’s Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 wins in the comparison, it’s only by 1fps compared to the SteamOS version that maintains 63fps. Other titles show a clear and major performance uplift using Valve’s beloved operating system; it further corroborates previous benchmarks I’ve made using Bazzite (essentially a SteamOS clone).