CachyOS, a user-friendly and feature-rich Linux distribution based on Arch Linux, has gotten a new update for August, bringing a number of optimizations and new features. Most notably, the handheld version of CachyOS is now officially supported on the ASUS ROG Ally X. On top of that, users can now install the revamped Cosmic DE, and the newest beta NVIDIA drivers are packed in. To sweeten the deal and help set CachyOS apart from its contemporaries, a partnership with CDN77 allows for faster networking.

Official support for the ROG Ally X is a big step for both CachyOS and ROG Ally X owners; the handheld can run Windows, but more options on the Linux side are always welcome. Functionality is, at a core level, largely similar to SteamOS when it comes to compatibility and performance. The user interface has been optimized for the handheld form factor, making for easy navigation, while leaving options open for enthusiasts to modify things to fit how they play.

Cosmic DE compatibility is another key feature of this update. There is an older version of Cosmic that's built on Gnome, an old Linux standby, but this version is built from the ground up to incorporate new functionality and optimizations. While it's far from perfect at this stage, it was crafted by System76 as a successor to the desktop environment present in Pop!OS, and incorporates many of the same features. It can also be easily switched between tiling and free-floating windows, and includes a native software store that's fast and fairly easy to use.

The update's third major attraction is the inclusion of an automated CDN service, thanks to a partnership with CDN77. For the uninitiated, a CDN, or content delivery network, caches data from the web in a server closer to local users, resulting in faster networking overall, and faster delivery of content and resources. CDN77 is one of the more popular and robust solutions in this vein, and their product is baked right into CachyOS as a free perk for users. This means that it does not need to be set up, and anything involving networking, down to the system level, is going to be quicker across the board in comparison to other distributions, such as Ubuntu, that do not have a built-in CDN.

Along with these key outward-facing features, CachyOS' newest update sports updated NVIDIA drivers, namely the 560 beta drivers. This move improves compatibility and performance on systems that are able to take advantage. A large number of under-the-hood optimizations are also in place, making hardware detection quicker, easier, and more precise. The update also uses the team's own mirror of the Arch Linux databases to pull new blobs, which should help with potential network and server hangups when downloading new software and drivers.

The ROG Ally X, featuring an AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme chipset paired with 24 GB of RAM, is currently available at Best Buy for those interested in purchasing a quality gaming handheld.