I have a Steam Deck and am seriously considering installing Bazzite instead of the stock SteamOS, and I plan to do the same when the Steam Machine comes out, but some things weren’t clear to me after reading through the documentation.
In general, I want Bazzite because I prefer Gnome over KDE, use multiple game launchers (GOG, Steam, and standalone applications through itch.io), want to install software from the terminal and not flatpaks, and dislike how SteamOS boots straight into Gaming mode as this prioritizes Steam over other libraries.
One thing gives me pause, though, and that’s how games run worse in SteamOS Desktop mode due to Gamescope being inaccessible without gaming mode, but am unsure if this also applies to Bazzite. I’d want to be sure I’m not gimping my Steam Deck by installing Bazzite without Steam Gaming Mode.
- I understand that Steam Gaming Mode is an optional add-on for the Bazzite-Deck variant 2 image. Can I still use Gamescope, MangoHud and FSR on Desktop mode if I do not install Steam Gaming Mode (variant 1)?
- Will I lose access to controller interface compatibility and shortcuts in Desktop mode if I go with variant 1 and not Bazzite-Deck?
- Is there a way to revert to SteamOS if Bazzite-Deck isn’t working for me?
Edit: I currently add non-Steam games to Steam and am looking for a Desktop mode alternative for that method, if it exists.
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One thing gives me pause, though, and that’s how games run worse in SteamOS Desktop mode due to Gamescope being inaccessible without gaming mode
You can add non-Steam games to Steam and then launch them from Game Mode.
- Is there a way to revert to SteamOS if Bazzite-Deck isn’t working for me?
Yes, it’s called rebasing. Can be done with a single command. They show it on the website after selecting your configuration.
