Steam Deck OLED Windows Upgrade: Fortnite, Genshin, COD MW3—Better Than Ever!

Thanks to the Steam Deck OLED and the most recent release of certified Windows drivers, Valve has made it possible for you to play titles like Genshin Impact, Minecraft, and Fortnite on a portable gaming device. We’ll examine Windows 11’s performance on the Steam Deck OLED in this review, with an emphasis on well-known titles like Fortnite and Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3. This upgrade opens up some intriguing possibilities if you enjoy Windows’ versatility on a portable gaming device. 

Windows 11 on the Steam Deck OLED: Overview

Users can now install Windows 11 on their Steam Deck OLED thanks to new drivers that Valve has published. These drivers enable Windows to be run on the Steam Deck OLED much like it would be on a standard x86 PC, despite Windows not being officially supported as a native operating system. There are several restrictions, though, chief among them being the inability to enable speaker audio. When switching, bear in mind that the sound is currently limited to the 3.5mm headphone jack or Bluetooth. 

The appeal of Windows 11 on the Steam Deck OLED is its adaptability, even with these drawbacks. You may play games from the Xbox Game Pass and the Epic Games Store, among others, that don’t function as well on Linux. I evaluated the real-world gaming performance of Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3, Fortnite, Genshin Impact, and Minecraft for my evaluation.

Hardware Specs of the Steam Deck OLED

Let’s take a quick look at the amazing hardware that powers the Steam Deck OLED before we get into the games. It has a proprietary AMD APU with four cores and eight threads, with a maximum clock speed of 3.5 GHz. The Steam Deck OLED is an incredible handheld gadget, equipped with a bespoke AMD RDNA 2 GPU and 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM operating at 6400 MHz. With a refresh rate of 90Hz, the OLED display is exceptionally beautiful and enhances the colors and blacks of the games you play. Although the internal display peaks out at 90Hz, you can also increase the refresh rate to 120Hz when using an external monitor connected via USB-C.

But since the Steam Deck OLED has a 15W TDP limit, don’t anticipate the same level of performance as the ROG Ally or another more potent portable device.

Game Testing and Benchmarks

Genshin Impact

Genshin Impact was the first game I tested, running it at 800p on low settings. It worked quite well, averaging about 60 frames per second. Although there were sporadic frame dips, they didn’t substantially impair the gameplay. The anime-style pictures looked amazing thanks to the OLED display’s vibrant colors, which further enhanced the immersive gaming.

If we wanted more detailed graphics, we could adjust the settings higher, but doing so would reduce the frame rate to 30 frames per second. The optimal combination of looks and performance was achieved with 60 frames per second on low settings.

Minecraft (Windows Version)

I tested the Windows version of Minecraft rather than the Java version. The game ran well with 25 render chunks, a frame rate of 90Hz, and fancy visuals enabled. Though it shouldn’t come as a surprise, Minecraft is a rather easy game to play. It’s also worth noting that the Steam Deck OLED manages it with ease, especially when using more complicated graphical settings.

Fortnite

On the list after that came Fortnite. I used DirectX 12 and tested the game at 800p on low settings. Fortnite maintained a steady 60 frames per second at these settings, while there were sporadic drops during intense action sequences. Performance Mode and DirectX 11 were also tested, however it felt like the performance was capped at 30 frames per second. DirectX 12 and modest settings provided the best compromise between smooth gameplay and visual fidelity given the hardware limitations.

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3

I attempted Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 for a more challenging game. With the game running at 800p on low settings, the frame rates varied from 45 to 60 FPS. The encounter was visually remarkable due to the OLED screen’s superb portrayal of dark, gritty landscapes with rich contrast. On Windows 11, the Steam Deck OLED offers a fun gaming experience, albeit not at the top settings. 

Forza Horizon 5

Windows 11 offers 18–32 FPS more performance for Forza Horizon 5 than Linux does. This Microsoft game demonstrates how some games are better suited for Windows environments by running noticeably faster in Windows. For fans of racing who need a flawless experience, the game is a fantastic choice because it works flawlessly with the Steam Deck’s hardware.

Cyberpunk 2077

It’s interesting to note that SteamOS outperforms Windows in Cyberpunk 2077. Windows 11 averages 41 frames per second with 720p low settings and FSR in performance mode; on the same settings, SteamOS achieves about 53 frames per second. This is probably because CD Projekt Red optimized the Steam Deck specifically for SteamOS.

Synthetic Benchmarks

In addition, I used 3DMark and Geekbench 6 as synthetic benchmarks. With a multi-core score of 4,503, the Geekbench single-core score was 1,432. A good 16,917 was achieved by the Steam Deck OLED in 3DMark’s Night Raid test. These results won’t set any records, but they’re respectable for a device with a 15W TDP limit. While the ROG Ally can obtain higher scores and push more power, the Steam Deck OLED is competitive in terms of size and TDP.

Windows 11 Usability

Windows 11 on the Steam Deck OLED is a seamless experience, even outside of gaming. While external peripherals and trackpads function flawlessly, there is a significant annoyance: the integrated controller isn’t by default identified as an Xbox controller. You must add non-Steam games to Steam in order to get around this and let Steam Input handle controller mapping. But once set up, it functions exactly like any other controller. 

Conclusion: Is Windows 11 Worth It on the Steam Deck OLED?

To sum up, there are trade-offs when installing Windows 11 on the Steam Deck OLED, but there are also opportunities. You can play games and use software that doesn’t function well or at all on Linux, but the experience can be hampered by minor controller setup complications, shader stutters, and audio problems. The majority of customers still find that SteamOS is the superior, more optimal choice since it provides great battery life, frequent updates, and fluid gameplay for a large selection of games.

It’s a feasible alternative if you must run Windows in order to use certain games or apps, but bear in mind the limitations. I find that having Windows on a different drive makes switching between them easier, but SteamOS is still my preferred gaming OS on the Steam Deck OLED.

Is it now better than before? Sure, in some use circumstances. However, staying with SteamOS is the better option for most people.

Steam Deck OLED Windows Upgrade: