A few months ago, tired of the problems I'd encountered with Android TV, the Raspberry Pi, and an old Apple TV, I decided to buy a cheap mini PC to try to watch all the video content available without restrictions. That PC came with Windows, and I've been delighted with it ever since. I got it about three months ago. But… Windows is Windows, and while you can do everything with it, I still sometimes come across Android apps that are only available on Google's mobile system. So the last step I took was to try it out. Bazzite.
Why Bazzite? For several reasons, but the main one is that makes using Waydroid much easierThe first time I tried it, I was very uneasy about it, as it seemed to be running slowly. I remember thinking, "Why is it running so badly if it's just an immutable Linux distro?" and I let it go. The fact is that a few days later I realized the same thing was happening to me on Windows, and what was wrong was... my keyboard batteries. So I tried again.
Bazzite is available in a "Deck" version
Now that I was almost completely sure that Bazzite would work for me, I downloaded it again, but this time in its "Deck" version. The standard version is a Fedora with everything you need to improve your gaming experience, but the "Deck" version attempts to simulate the experience of Valve's console. Among other things, it starts in game mode.
And no, I don't want to use that mini PC for gaming, which is the funniest thing. What I was looking for was a system with TV-type interface/console or something similar, preferably Linux, and the ability to use Android apps, and all of that is offered to me by Bazzite.
Everything about Linux and also Android with Google Play
What almost made me forget about Bazzite again was my rush to get Waydroid working. The first time I tried it, I did it without reading almost anything. the documentationSure, I managed to get it to boot into vanilla Android, but then I tried installing Android apps, and it was frustrating. The documentation explains that support for ARM64 apps needs to be added, and I jumped in without reading.
The second time I did it right:
- First you install Waydroid.
- You launch it once (everything is explained in the documentation).
- Then Waydroid is configured, and in this section it allows you to install the GApps and ARM Translation, a translation that makes libhoudini. It can also be done with libndk, but the first one works better. Otherwise, you can always change it from Waydroid's settings.
- Once everything is configured, it starts and yes, Google Play works and the applications no longer give errors when installing.
What needs improvement, based on my experience
What I like least is that it doesn't launch in full screen, and to change the window size, you have to resize it first and then force restart Waydroid. On the other hand, the Smart Dock works perfectly, so we can use a kind of Android virtual machine that works without requiring many resources. Also, It is possible to activate the option to open applications without launching the entire Android..
Where I do think there's room for improvement is in game mode, one of the reasons I opted for the "Deck" version. Kodi runs worse in game mode than in desktop mode, which is a shame. If the development team improves this, I'd be more than satisfied: everything I could possibly need from Linux, which covers most of it, Android for special applications, and Windows for the rest, which would be insufficient.
Because yes, I was delighted with Windows, but if I can have it all, why choose?