Bazzite, Epic, and Gamepass transformed my Mini PC: Its Amazing

Introduction

You may be wondering what it’s like to use a Mini PC for gaming. In a previous video, I added Bazzite OS to a Z1 Asus Rog Ally and loved the experience. Now, I’m going to show you how I installed Bazzite OS on a Mini PC, how it worked as a gaming device, and go over the installation of Xbox Game Pass and Epic Games.https://youtu.be/X-wsxMwN-Gs

Specifications of My Mini PC

Before we get started, I want to quickly go over the specs of my Mini PC. I purchased this Mini PC from Amazon a little over a year ago. It came with an AMD Ryzen 5800h processor, an AMD Radeon graphics GPU with eight cores, 32 GB of RAM, and 500 GB of storage. It had a Windows operating system installed, and I just kept it as a spare PC.

Upgrading the Storage

Before I installed Bazzite, I upgraded the storage to 2 TB using the Samsung 980 Pro SSD. Upgrading the SSD was easy:

• I removed the four screws on the back and the three screws holding the fan in place.
• I removed the old SSD, installed the new one, and replaced the fan and the back cover.

Downloading and Preparing Bazzite OS

I used my Lenovo Yoga laptop to download the Bazzite ISO. For my hardware, I selected “desktop” for the desktop environment and “KDE.” For the vendor of my primary GPU, I selected “AMD,” and when it asked if I wanted Steam gaming mode, I selected “yes.” Then, I started the download.

Once the download was finished, I plugged in a USB drive and used Rufus to burn the ISO onto the USB. Rufus recognized my USB. I hit “select” to navigate to the Bazzite ISO in my downloads folder. Rufus gave me a warning that all data on my USB would be destroyed, and I just hit “okay.” Once Rufus finished downloading the ISO onto my USB drive, I plugged it into my Mini PC and powered it on.

Installing Bazzite OS on the Mini PC

I was taken to the Bazzite install screen and selected “install Bazzite deck.” I got a welcome message from Bazzite and selected my language. I selected the install destination and then selected my Samsung 2 TB SSD as the location where I wanted to install Bazzite. I actually had to do it twice for it to work. On my second try, I got a message stating I didn’t have enough space, so I selected “reclaim space,” chose “delete all,” and then reclaimed space again. Under user settings, I created a user account using the same info I used when I installed Bazzite onto my Rog Ally. I then pressed “begin installation” in the bottom right corner and started the process of installing Bazzite on my Mini PC.

After several minutes, I got a message that Bazzite was successfully installed, and I just needed to reboot the system. I rebooted and eventually got a blue screen giving me a list of options, and I just hit “continue boot.” It went back to the original Bazzite install screen, so I removed my USB and selected “install Bazzite.” After several starts and stops, I eventually got into Bazzite desktop mode.

Setting Up Bazzite OS

Unlike my Rog Ally, I was able to connect to my Wi-Fi network and log into my Steam account from here. Just like with my Rog Ally, whenever I got a message to create a KDE wallet, I just hit “cancel.” Bazzite took me to a setup utility tool where I had the option to install a variety of different programs. Again, I only selected Decky Loader and ignored any attempts to create a KDE wallet. When everything was finished, I closed the Bazzite install utility and then selected “return to gaming.”

Installing and Configuring Steam

Bazzite exited desktop mode and took me to the Steam installation screen. I selected my language and the appropriate time zone. I didn’t have to connect to my Wi-Fi network since that was already done. After several reboots, I eventually got to the Steam welcome screen. Although I thought I installed a desktop version of the software, I still went through a tutorial on how to use a Steam Deck. Eventually, it got to my Steam account, and I was able to start downloading games. Just like with my Rog Ally, once I connected my PlayStation controller via Bluetooth, I was able to control the entire system with it.

I went into settings and adjusted my display resolution. The maximum resolution of my monitor was 2560 x 1440, so I set the resolution to 1920 x 1080p at 120 Hz to see if it would work. To get the audio to work, I had to set it to the Radeon High Definition Audio Controller.

Gaming Performance on Mini PC

The Mini PC handled games from Capcom Arcade easily. When I played Elden Ring, my frames per second (FPS) were in the low 20s without adjusting any of the settings. I adjusted my graphics settings for Hell Divers 2, but I was still only able to get my FPS into the teens. I had similar results when I connected my Mini PC to my 47-inch Samsung TV.

Installing Epic Games Launcher

Step-by-Step Installation

1. Proton Up QT Installation: I went back into Bazzite’s desktop mode and installed an app called Proton Up QT. I found it by going into Discover and typing in the name.
2. Compatibility Tool: I then went into the installed compatibility tool section, selected GE Proton, and installed the latest version.
3. Epic Games Launcher Download: I opened up the Firefox web browser and downloaded the Epic Games Launcher.
4. Adding Epic Launcher to Steam: I opened up Steam on my desktop, went to “add a game,” and selected “add a non-Steam game.” I found the Epic Launcher by changing the file type to “all files.” I went back into my Steam library and double-clicked on Epic Launcher.
5. Configuring Compatibility: I went into settings, navigated to properties and compatibility, checked “force the use of a specific Steam compatibility tool,” and selected the latest version of Proton.
6. Running the Installer: I went back to my Steam library and hit “play” on the Epic installer. I selected “install” and allowed it to do its thing.
7. Finding and Setting the Launcher Path: I then went into Dolphin file manager and searched for epicgameslauncher.exe using the following file path. Once I found epicgameslauncher.exe, I right-clicked on it and copied its location. I went back into my Steam library, right-clicked on the Epic installer, and went into properties. I changed the name of the shortcut to something simpler and pasted the location of epicgameslauncher.exe in the Target box. I pasted it again in the Start field but deleted epicgameslauncher.exefrom the end of it. I made sure to add the quotation after win32. I finished by closing the window and then went back into gaming mode.
8. Launching Epic Games: I navigated to Epic Games Launcher and hit “play.” Epic Games started, began downloading an update, installed Epic Games, and I logged into my account. Epic Games started, and I was able to download some free-to-play games.

Performance

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to play all the games I downloaded from the Epic Games Launcher. Rocket League worked fine, running at 36 FPS and working with my PlayStation controller connected via Bluetooth. Warner Brothers Multiverse ran between 30 and 40 FPS. Genshin Impact played at about 30 FPS, but I wasn’t able to use my PlayStation controller, only mouse and keyboard.

Installing Xbox Game Pass

1. Microsoft Edge Installation: To install Xbox Game Pass, I went back into the desktop, went into Discover, and conducted a search for Microsoft Edge. I installed Microsoft Edge and then went into applications, found Microsoft Edge again, and added it to my Steam account.
2. Terminal Command: Next, I went into Bazzite’s terminal and typed in a command to allow controller inputs while in gaming mode. I pressed enter, then typed in “exit” to close the terminal.
3. Configuring Steam Shortcut: I went back into Steam, right-clicked on Microsoft Edge, opened the properties popup, and changed the name of the shortcut from Microsoft Edge to Xbox Cloud Gaming. I went to the launch options box, and at the end of the command, I entered the necessary information.
4. Adjusting Controller Settings: I went back into Xbox Cloud Gaming in my Steam library, went into manage, and to controller settings. I changed the layout from Gamepad to Gamepad with mouse and Gyro. I exited desktop mode and went back to gaming mode. I went into my Xbox Cloud shortcut and logged into my Microsoft account.

Performance

I found that pretty much every game required a subscription to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate in order to play. Game Pass Ultimate costs about $17 a month but allows play on PC, console, and mobile devices. I was able to use it to play Battlefield 5 in multiplayer mode using my controller, with FPS in the high 50s. I played Fortnite for free, with frame rates up to 50 FPS.

Controller Issues

The biggest problem I had with both Epic and Game Pass was getting the controller to work. I usually had to use my mouse to navigate their home screens. With Game Pass, I found I could get my controller to work by powering it off and then powering it back on.

Conclusion

The people over at Bazzite have truly put together, excuse the pun, a game-changing operating system. While installing Epic Games and Xbox Game Pass can be complex, the performance and capabilities of Bazzite OS on a Mini PC are impressive. For those looking for a simpler option to install Epic Games, consider using the Heroic Launcher, which I will cover in a separate article. Check the links below for tutorials I used to install Bazzite, Epic, and Xbox Game Pass. Happy gaming!

Installing Epic Gameshttps://www.polygon.com/guides/23548311/epic-games-launcher-steam-deck-install-protonup

Installing Gamepasshttps://www.wikihow.com/Game-Pass-on-Steam-Deck

Installing Bazzitehttps://universal-blue.discourse.group/t/bazzite-inital-setup-and-installation-for-htpc-setups/1145