Bazzite Linux on the GPD Win 4 - Quick Overview and Setup Guide

[@pandawann]

MAN!! TNAKS A LOT!! I have a WIN 4 6800u and installed bazzite to teste and follow your guide. Know i'm literally transform it in a console. And the battery life has been improved about 20% comparing to windows.

[@aru3]

haha glad this helped ya :)

[@Szabbyhun]

20% is insane(imo), wonder how much is the improvement on the 7640U version(no wonder the SteamDeck has a really good batery life); since i really want one, and found a slightly used one for still expensive, but less than retail, with some accesories, So i guess i may not upgrade my main pc for some time. And thanks for your videos about the win 4.

[@CaptainWonderBread]

Thanks for putting this together. I'm getting a Win Mini, and I'm hoping setting up Bazzite on that should be at least pretty similar.

[@aru3]

It should be fairly similar, but I can't say for sure. I haven't received any reports about Bazzite on the win mini

[@LeftyPencil]

How'd it go?

[@CaptainWonderBread]

@@LeftyPencil beautifully about as easy as installing Linux on anything else. There were a few things to adjust to since I'm more used to Arch, but Bazzite has been great.

[@thefoxhouse]

Seconded. I like it better than ChimeraOS

[@FS-zt6tm]

any improvements to battery life compared to windows?

[@aru3]

unfortunately I'm the wrong person to ask this question, I wiped Windows off my device a long time ago, so I wouldn't be able to do a comparison.

Hi. How do you print your grips? I can't print it without supports in them... could you share cura file or a picture to watch how do you position the grips, please? Thanks for your video

[@nayel4744]

hey I have a quick question, does the quick resume feature work on Bazzite like it does on the deck? like you can put the game to sleep and resume instantly when you wake it up?

[@Zasze-hw6my]

its not as consistent as steam deck every so often it bugs out for me but works 90% of the time.

[@robthomson1581]

Every time I select L4 and R4 mapping in win control it stays for 1 seconds then clears?

[@Dominiquerobinson1]

Does GPDcontrols work with chimeraos? It does not seem to work for me…

[@aru3]

It should work on chimeraOS, I'd be surprised if it doesn't 🤔

[@TheAldo32]

Is there a fix for plugging not showing offline?

[@WalkingPrint]

Where you get the hand grips?

[@archieatkins3022]

Did you get suspend and resume to work? I have updated and used all if the win tricks files but when i resume my device it is super laggy and wont sort itself out until i completely restart the device.

[@aru3]

it works well for me, never seen lag like you're describing on resume.

[@jonathanmattson9919]

I did this last night and now my gpd will not charge or even try to turn on

[@frooglepete]

Thank you so much for this. Actually discovered your repos ages ago and was pilfering Legion Go tweaks for the GPD devices to overcome some issues. Was a great find to stumble across your channel here today. Can I ask a quick question? I've been looking at the Legion go to replace my Win Max 2. How do you like it compared to the GPD devices?

[@aru3]

The LGO is definitely more polished and less buggy from a hardware perspective. And it has better support from a much bigger company. That being said, I still prefer my WM2 for productivity work, and the GPD Win 4 for travel + portability. The LGO is a great at-home device, but a bit too awkward for everything else. I much prefer gaming on the LGO vs the WM2. I find the WM2 to ergonomically awkward to use for extended gaming sessions

[@frooglepete]

@@aru3 Thanks for taking the time to reply. Much appreciated

[@EaglyBeeks]

I'm running ChimeraOS on mine. How would you compare the two operating systems for the gpd win 4?

[@aru3]

Currently Bazzite requires less tinkering to get gyro working, and also ships with more software options such as waydroid, KDE desktop, etc. But excluding extra software on Bazzite, the game mode experience is basically the same on ChimeraOS vs Bazzite, with only minor differences. If you don't care for the extra software, ChimeraOS and Bazzite are both good choices.

[@EaglyBeeks]

Made the switch. I prefer the bazzite's UI in desktop mode. I could only scale the screen to 100% or 200% which is either too small or too big, Bazzite lets me adjust the scale in between. The only thing I haven't figured out is how to make the back buttons to work.

[@matthiaskull9385]

super video! However, I have an issue. cannot map the L4 or R4 button. i am in the bios 3.06 and the latest bazzite. installed all required plugins. choose dual sense edge but as soon as I map a button to L4 / R4 it quickly appears and disappears again. when I test the controller in steam L4 / R4 do not react (false)

[@aru3]

tbh the gpd controls plugin is kind of buggy, you can also directly set the back buttons using either GPD software on windows, or via pyWinControls on Linux github.com/pelrun/pyWinControls/

[@matthiaskull9385]

Because I was using Windows before I already assigned the back buttons in Windows. Used it for the RTSS Overlay. But does mapping buttons in Windows have an effect in Linux? I assumed that the mappings in Windows are not reflected in Linux. Am I wrong?

[@aru3]

@@matthiaskull9385 for the back buttons on GPD devices, actually yes. remapping in windows affects it in linux, since the remappings happen at a hardware level, not OS.

[@CROOKS326]

Appreciate yourvideo guide. Finally got around to installing Bazzite 3 days ago and used your vid as my guide. Working great so far. Plan on doing the same with my Rog Ally. As far as you know are the Ally's rear paddles remappable in Bazzite?

[@aru3]

I don't own an Ally, so I can't say for sure, but I think they are remappable with the dualsense edge controller emulation target. I'd say ask in the bazzite discord just to confirm.

[@CROOKS326]

@@aru3 Thanks for taking the time to respond. Will do.

[@bfums]

I have an Ally running Bazzite and the back buttons are mapable. They're labled FN L and FN R in Steam Input

[@aru3]

@@bfums thanks for the heads up, appreciate it! 😄

[@praditaghani1852]

Do you prefer Bazzite to Chimera?

[@aru3]

I personally prefer Bazzite now, yep. But ChimeraOS is also a solid option for these devices.

[@praditaghani1852]

@@aru3 Thank you !

[@yonnicuestapalacios7004]

Work in 7640 u ?

[@Jayesla]

Hi I have subscribed . Where do you get the covers for it like yours . mines heat up on sides where I hold

[@aru3]

if you mean the grips, they are 3d printed. link here: sketchfab.com/3d-models/gpd-win-4-grips-6c8c02d6dac047c6b0214a1e4384a096

[@Jayesla]

@@aru3 can you buy from the site or you can only buy model and print it out somewhere

[@aru3]

@@Jayesla note that this is not my link, it's just a link I found on the gpd discord: www.shapeways.com/product/WJ632EHE7/gpd-win-4-grips

[@cspauldingb]

GPD Win Mini 2024 (8840U), what can you tell me about the differences with the new VRR and native landscape as it pertains to Bazzite? Do we have any testing done with this new release?

[@aru3]

I unfortunately don't have access to a 8840u GPD win device, so unless someone else reports issues, I have no idea.

[@Moes_Prep_and_Tech]

is there a way to get back to that first welcome to bazzite install screen? I messed up somewhere and it's not there anymore after rebooting. Im having troubles getting decky loader and tdp control on the gpd win mini

[@aru3]

look up bazzite portal in desktop mode

[@pandawann]

Anothe question, when put the device in suspenssion its not coming back... do you think what configuration i will need to change?

[@aru3]

hrm, something might be breaking your suspend-resume then. it should be working out of the box

[@zpyang2774]

My 7840u win4 always goes black screen after a restart. Only the first boot after installation would actually get me into the desktop. Running bazzite only on the ssd. Is there something I am missing. Thanks if you could help!

[@zpyang2774]

Ok reinstalled the os a few times and somehow it works now🤷🤷🤷🤷, anyway thanks for the video now I can get to install all the plugins

[@blazikenalex]

Excellent video. I tried to install this system I recorded with Balena and changed the boot to start on the USB stick. But it does not start with the pen-drive, but goes straight to Windows. Any suggestions?

[@aru3]

maybe try pressing fn + f7 to get into the boot menu?

[@michaelmodernsonicfan5341]

why does everyone us SDPTDP instead of HHD for gpd devices?

[@aru3]

tbh in this case, it's because hhd's TDP controls features are very recent. This video is old, it was made prior to hhd

[@michaelmodernsonicfan5341]

@@aru3 ohhh thanks

[@Ifalvarado]

How long was battery life when playing powerful PC games?

[@CommanderTiaph]

I've been trying to create the /boot/efi partition in the partition manager, but it tells me "Failed to add the device. Unable to allocate requested partition scheme." If I ever retry it on the same boot, it tells me that "Selected mountpoint '/boot/efi' is already set to another device." Any ideas on what could be causing this?

[@aru3]

hrmm, so the bazzite dual boot setup creates an entirely separate EFI partition for Bazzite. That way, Windows can't accidentally wipe out the Linux EFI entries (Windows is guilty of doing this quite frequently). Perhaps you can try re-using the Windows EFI partition, but note that it means there'll be the risk of Windows arbitrarily wiping out other boot entries.

[@CommanderTiaph]

@@aru3 Is that doable when that windows EFI is only 100 MB? Half of it is being used too. The guide wanted 300MB for making the new one.

[@aru3]

@@CommanderTiaph good question, so if you want to reuse the EFI partition , I think you'll have to use automatic partitioning. The installer should auto-select the free space. I'd recommend double checking in the Bazzite discord

[@CommanderTiaph]

@@aru3I got it. For some reason it wouldn’t let me create partitions in the installer, but creating them in Windows and then formatting them in the installer worked!

[@machetezlui2176]

i did everything like you in the video but my R4/L4 doesnt work , any ideas ?

[@aru3]

Hrm, good question. there's no reported issues with the Win 4's back buttons that I know of, and mine are working great right now. Might be worth asking in the bazzite discord, the hhd dev is there.

[@machetezlui2176]

@@aru3 it works now ! how to you put r4 the dekcy menu ? what ist the combination or the hotkey ?

[@machetezlui2176]

i need the button kombination to put in win control , please

[@aru3]

@@machetezlui2176 hrm, is it's in the video already. I'm confused on what you're asking for.

[@93SupaFly]

would like to try this on my new on the way win mini 2024.

[@aru3]

it should work on the win mini, reports on discord have been positive

[@93SupaFly]

@@aru3 i've succefully install it on my mini 2024 (bazzite-deck version not the desktop). i'm wondering for emudeck, which one should i choose ? Linux or steam deck ? should be linux pc right ? there is 4 choice, the other 3 is anbernic, chimeraos and steam deck

[@aru3]

@@93SupaFly chimeraOS or LinuxPC should both work fine

[@blue97753]

hi how do you get Bluetooth headphones to connect? mine keeps disconnecting thanks

[@aru3]

Hmm, mine seem to connect without issues. Could you try turning Bluetooth on and off in desktop mode?

[@FS-zt6tm]

any hopes of eGPU's to work with this OS(oculink or thunderbolt)? Or should I just rely on a Windows dualboot for eGPU support?

[@aru3]

AMD eGPUs can work, there are users who have successfully done it with Bazzite + the LGO via USB 4. Not sure about Nvidia eGPUs

[@FS-zt6tm]

@@aru3 I guess I'll just keep a Windows dualboot for eGPU compaibility

[@dzibanart8521]

Oculink and USB4.0 should work no problem, to use a Nvidia eGPU you need to install the drivers though. Depending on your card you might want to use the official Nvidia Drivers or the community Opensource Drivers.

[@FS-zt6tm]

@@dzibanart8521 there aren't any nvidia drivers for linux as far as I know

[@JonasLe]

works on Asus Rog ally?

[@aru3]

yep

[@gleberemeev1867]

Can it handle vr shopping with an external GPU?

[@aru3]

no idea, i haven't tried an eGPU since I don't have the model with oculink. That being said, eGPU and VR are both kinda finicky on Linux. I'd recommend against it if you want to try them.

[@ccchan2649]

So the fingerprint reader doesnt work?

[@aru3]

correct, no fingerprint reader. well, technically there's a driver, but it's old and outdated

[@PuinginMain]

Hi, awesome video! If something went wrong, is there any tutorial to roll back to windows?

[@aru3]

If you follow my dual boot tutorial, you can easily remove bazzite + restore windows if it ends up not working for you.

[@didaryerzhan6969]

can u test games on it

[@Moes_Prep_and_Tech]

Would this Process be the same for the GPD Win Mini?

[@aru3]

It should be the same, yes. maybe minor differences at most.

[@ocelotdiaz]

r4 and l4 no do they work

[@jimbobcheezeburger2020]

did you fix this

[@aru3]

they work for me, yes

[@matthiaskull9385]

I have a similar issue. cannot map the L4 or R4 button. i am in the bios 3.06 and the latest bazzite. installed all required plugins. choose dual sense edge but as soon as I map a button to L4 / R4 it quickly appears and disappears again. when I test the controller in steam L4 / R4 do not react (false)

[@mrhuynhp]

@@matthiaskull9385 i'm still seeing this same issue. anyone found a solution?

[@Xzcouter]

just out of curiousity, does decky loader work while you are in game? It (the sub menu for decky loader) doesnt seem to appear in the side menu while I am in game and I have to tab out of the game into steam big picture to see it again.

[@tianyuanlin2189]

how about suspend resume, does it work flawlessly, I sometimes get stuck on black screen, and I have to force reboot?

[@RheaAyase]

I might be missing something but bazzite boots into 'gamemode' - are you not using it, or do you switch out, or did you hack it out to get kde-first, ooooor how do you deal with it?

[@aru3]

there are workarounds to get it to boot into desktop-mode first, albeit it's not recommended. In this video, it boots into game mode by default.

[@aru3]

Bazzite 3.0 introduced a gyro bug on the GPD Win 4, it's being investigated and should eventually be fixed in a future update. Meanwhile, if you need gyro, you can temporarily rollback to an older bazzite version. Rollback instructions are on the gpd-win-tricks github repo.

[@arthurstark3641]

My win 4 doesnt recognize my micro sd cards as micro sd cards so I cant mount them or use them as my emudeck directory. Any advice?

[@aru3]

@@arthurstark3641 Unfortunately I don't think much could be done about that, GPD setup the hardware such that the microSD card gets mounted that way. You'd have to have emudeck point to a custom roms directory.

[@AlexTM44]

I don't think I could ever play on that device, the Xbox layout for the thumb stick placement might work for the controller, but for a whole portable pc, that would definitely be uncomfortable on my hands. I'm not trying to look like a fanboy here, but Steam really nailed it the whole button and thumb stick layout Now the reason I'm actually watching this is for the Bazzite thing, is that better than Chimera os? Chimera os works flawlessly for games, but I really dislike (trying not to use the word hate here) but yeahI really dislike Gnome desktop. I used to use Holoiso, but it got abandoned, that's why I switched to Chimera os which is the closest I could find to the Steam os from the Deck I like the Steam os on the Deck, I wish Steam would release their operating system for regular desktop pc

[@aru3]

Bazzite has options for both Gnome and KDE, so you can choose whichever you prefer. I actually think Bazzite is better than actual SteamOS, after using it I think it's better in almost every way I can think of.

[@DjVendetta]

I just want to game, how can i get my egpu with my gpd win 4 working like it does on windows. Windows doesnt care if i have it plugged in via usb4 or oculink, tried all the versions of linux with steam gamepadui and just cant get it working right. Any advice?

[@aru3]

eGPUs are tricky with Linux. while you can get it to work, it's not quite easy or straightforward. There are users that have reported success with AMD eGPUs, NVIDIA eGPUs seem very hard to get working well.

[@DjVendetta]

@@aru3 update: i tried chimera again. With USB4 and occulink connected to my G1, its working as long as i have it connected to a monitor and it’s connected before startup. Still dont have connection over USB4 only. Nor can i use the G1 to enhance the graphics on the internal screen. But its better than nothing.

[@aru3]

@@DjVendetta if you want to try it on Bazzite, you should ask for advice in the discord. I don't run a eGPU, so I wouldn't be much help here 😅

[@abdullahabdullrahman145]

Will settle the heat issue due to no suspend mode in windows?

[@aru3]

err, not sure what you mean here, do you mean suspend not working on Windows? That's a windows problem, not a linux one.

[@slavoperator4529]

Hey guys, any way to reduce these awful deadzones on linux?

[@aru3]

Try reducing deadzones via steam's controller settings. If that's not enough, you can further reduce deadzones with GPD-WinControl, or reduce deadzones in Windows via GPD's software.

[@slavoperator4529]

@@aru3i guess i need to update my controllers firmware first with GPD soft, thanks!

[@olivr_wtf]

Link to the grip?

[@aru3]

it's a 3d print, youtube isn't letting me post links in the comments, so I added it to the description of this video instead.

[@kikeminchas]

Thanks for the guide. I have followed all steps , including the gyro resume fix, but the gyro is not working. I have a Win4 6800U. Any idea how can I troubleshoot this? since this is a fresh installation I'm just tempted to start all over again but I don't see what coudl have gone wrong with the install... I'm on the latest version of bazzite (3.0) which if I'm not mistaken just released couple of days ago

[@aru3]

known bug on bazzite 3.0, it's being investigated + a fix wshould be rolled out in due time. meanwhile, if you need gyro, you can temporarily rollback to an older bazzite version while waiting for the fix.

[@Denver_tld]

Hey aru do you have any idea why on bazzite os I cannot get any form of dlss to fsr 2 mods cyber fsr or dlss to fsr3 mods working anything that works on the steam deck and has tutorials out there doesn't work on bazzite os, it's a massive bummer for performance I'm so bummed because I'm loving bazzite but I'm use to using those mods on windows.

[@aru3]

Hrm that's a good question, maybe someone on the Bazzite discord would have some ideas on what's happening 🤔

[@Denver_tld]

​@@aru3what!? There's a bazzite discord where do I find it!? I've cought myself saying if only there was a discord for bazzite before.

[@Denver_tld]

Quick update for accuracy though this still stands for fsr3 but I have had success getting dlss 2 to fsr 2.1 working on doom eternal notably though it's running 10 to 20 frames lower than windows though sod it...

[@aru3]

@@Denver_tld nice, thanks for the followup update! and yes, there's a bazzite discord, everyone there is great and very helpful :)

[@Denver_tld]

u3 :/ all I found was a universal blue discord all that's on there is announcements nothing else.

[@3dtheking]

What GPD win 4 model you have?

[@aru3]

6800u, but some users also confirmed this also works on the 7840u

[@3dtheking]

@@aru3 is the GPD win 4 comfortable to you an what you like about it I been looking to get one an most KZbinrs don't really have alot of reviews on it

[@aru3]

@@3dthekingSo It's the closest device to a Steam Deck Mini that I've found, but it's not perfect. Since it's a small device, you can feel more heat on higher TDPs. It's still perfectly playable, but having the grips helps if you're not comfortable with the heat. Also, since it's a very niche device, there's very few accessories for it that aren't 3d-printed. Of course, there's other small things that could be better, but overall I'd say it's one of my favorite PC handhelds.

[@3dtheking]

@@aru3 I appreciate you even letting me know about the GPD win 4 I wish a lot of KZbinrs really get it more shine cause you got the steam deck OLED the Asus rog ally onexplayer etc but nothing really be on how the GPD win 4 looks like the psp but also aya neo got the DS like handheld it reminds me like we back in 06 where handhelds was more talked about

[@aru3]

@@3dtheking agreed, I think the Win 4 is an underappreciated device. That being said, it is very expensive in overseas markets. I can see why stuff like the ROG Ally and Legion Go get more coverage (much cheaper and more readily available)