A $1,500 handheld powered by AMD’s Strix Halo silicon just showed what SteamOS gaming can really look like, pushing modern blockbusters at 1080p with console-like smoothness while sipping power when you want battery life.
In hands-on testing, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 was the opening act. At 1080p with Medium settings, FSR Balanced, and a 25 W TDP, it averaged about 71 FPS with frame generation disabled. Bumping the preset to High yielded similar performance by increasing power to roughly 35 W, a clear sign that this chip trades wattage for visuals gracefully without sacrificing framerate.
Cyberpunk 2077 followed with equally impressive results. Using the Steam Deck preset at 1080p and a 25 W TDP, the game averaged around 74 FPS. Cranking things up to 1080p Ultra with FSR Quality at 45 W returned an average near 71 FPS—solid “Ultra” performance on a handheld. The pattern was clear: the Ryzen-based platform scales well up to about 45 W, comfortably sustaining 1080p Ultra, but gains begin to taper beyond that point.
Borderlands 4 at 1080p, Medium settings, FSR Balanced, and a 45 W TDP occasionally dipped under 60 FPS on SteamOS. Interestingly, the same settings in Windows 11 were roughly 13 FPS faster, suggesting this title isn’t fully tuned for SteamOS yet. If you’re chasing the highest possible framerate in certain games, the OS choice can matter.
For battery-friendly play, Hollow Knight: Silksong was tested at just a 6 W TDP with the frame rate capped at 60 FPS. Total system draw hovered around 10.5 W, pointing to nearly eight hours of runtime—great news for long flights or commutes.
Key takeaways for handheld gamers:
– 25–35 W is a sweet spot for 1080p Medium–High in demanding games, often landing around 70 FPS with FSR.
– 45 W unlocks 1080p Ultra in titles like Cyberpunk 2077, but expect diminishing returns above that.
– SteamOS performance is strong, though some games may still run faster on Windows 11 until further optimization.
– Low-power indie sessions can stretch battery life dramatically, especially with sensible frame caps.
If you want a portable that can push modern AAA games at 1080p with smart power scaling—and still settle into all-day indie runs—this Strix Halo handheld makes a compelling case for SteamOS in your pocket.
