Bazzite Linux has introduced preliminary support for the ASUS ROG Xbox Ally X20 through its testing branch, bringing several essential gaming handheld features to the alternative operating system. The early implementation supports HDR, variable refresh rate (VRR), power management and configurable rear buttons, although fan controls and RGB lighting remain unfinished.
Bazzite developer Andy10115 confirmed the update in an October 22, 2026, announcement on the Universal Blue community forum. The developer said the team had resolved most major compatibility problems and was inviting X20 owners to test the implementation and report remaining issues.
The ROG Xbox Ally X20’s OLED display is already supported, including HDR and VRR functionality. These features allow the handheld to retain important display capabilities when running Bazzite instead of its original Windows environment.
Basic thermal design power (TDP) controls are also functional, allowing users to manage the handheld’s power consumption. However, the developer acknowledged that custom TDP settings still require investigation before they can be considered fully operational.
The handheld’s rear buttons can be individually mapped, while sleep and wake functionality has performed well in the development team’s testing. Bazzite is nevertheless requesting additional feedback on suspend and resume behavior, particularly in situations the developers have not yet reproduced.
Several hardware features remain incomplete. RGB lighting requires additional drivers expected from the Open Gaming Collective (OGC), while integrated fan management is awaiting support through OpenGamepadUI (OGUI) plugins.
Until that functionality becomes available, the development team suggests that Decky Loader plugins such as Panel de Control may provide an alternative for managing fan behavior. This remains a potential workaround rather than a fully integrated solution.
The new compatibility work expands the operating-system choices available to handheld PC gamers. The ROG Xbox Ally family is also receiving software improvements on the Windows side, including AMD FSR 4.1 support for ROG Xbox Ally handhelds, making gaming software compatibility and hardware integration increasingly relevant across both platforms.
Bazzite has not moved X20 support into its stable branch. Users interested in trying the implementation can switch to the testing channel through the Bazzite Portal application or by running the `brh rebase testing` command.
The developers recommend preserving the current working system deployment before switching branches. Users can do this with `sudo ostree admin pin 0`, which retains a fallback deployment if the experimental software introduces problems. Pinning a deployment does not automatically restore it, so users must still select or restore the preserved version when necessary.
The same announcement also confirmed that preliminary support for the Acer Predator Atlas 8 handheld is underway.
Initial button mapping has been implemented, allowing the Acer device’s controls to be used in games. The Guide button can access the left-side menu, while the Predator button is being integrated with the right-side quick-access interface.
However, the Atlas 8 implementation is at an earlier stage. Its M1 and M2 rear buttons are not yet functional, and gyroscope support remains unavailable under Linux. Additional upstream driver work is also required for complete button functionality.
The Bazzite team has not announced when either handheld will receive complete support or when the ROG Xbox Ally X20 improvements will reach the stable branch. For now, the testing release provides X20 owners with access to core display, power and controller functionality while remaining hardware compatibility issues are addressed.
