They're not trying to iterate improvements, I would put money on them presenting an overhauled dedicated gamepad interface in the next 18 months. That's still glacial speed, but that's what happens when you're a nearly 50 year old company of that size.

It's not even like Linux is that much better in terms of UI/UX but being able to control the user experience with fine grain controls the way it's done on SteamOS/other distros is a massive advantage. All other Windows handhelds are stuck with some poor imitation of a gamepad-compatible shell.

They have in fact gone backwards. Using windows 10 on my work surface in tablet mode is much preferred to the windows 11 BS involved in my ROG Ally X or the Lenovo Legion Go (which I'm gifting to my sister for Christmas). The Legion Go has a better screen but it's still not great because windows 11 really isn't made for tablets and they have regressed on tablet support despite selling a whole line of them.