Are there hardcore gamers there or is it mostly for coders?
Thanks to Valve and Proton gaming on Linux is already pretty viable and it’s getting better all the time. I am very happy with how compatible Steam Deck is and what’s funnier sometimes stuff that doesn’t work on newer Windows versions works perfectly on a Deck. Battle.net Launcher installed as a non-Steam app and set to run with Proton allowing me to install and play Diablo IV just like I would on my PC just blew my mind.
If it doesn’t run on Linux (via Proton or direct), I don’t play it. It has made some things less than fun (because I can run much lower powered hardware on Linux) but I’ve managed to keep up with the kids and their Windows-only machine including bigger games like Satisfactory and Hollow Knight.
I use Linux as my daily OS, for study and work. I primarily game on it as well!
Every game that I’ve tried on Linux runs smoother (less 1% lows) than on Wind0ws. I assume it’s because of the bloat on win11, but then again I researched as much as possible to clean up and optimize win11. Still runs much better on Linux. I mainly play Apex Legends, and though I don’t consider myself good, I was D3 in S15.
The biggest issue is dealing with the games that use Anti-cheat systems that put kernel-hooks on wind0ws, which can’t be emulated.
That’s very cool! In general, assuming a game runs well through proton, how’s the gaming performance between Linux and the same hardware on Windows? (You mentioned 1% lows are better, but what about average?)
I’m not super familiar with proton so I would think running in proton has some performance hit; is this not the case?
Linux as an OS is just so much better about getting good performance out of the hardware, and keeping itself out of the way. I’ve converted a lot of people to Linux over the year in an effort to get better performance on older systems. They couldn’t afford to buy a new computer, and usually just wanted to be able to check email and go on the web. Slap Ubuntu on and they were always shocked how much better everything ran, but was still easy to use.
You can check for yourself if the games you want to play work on Linux, just look up “(game name) ProtonDB” and look for a gold or higher for a good gaming experience. Subjectively, 90% of the games I’ve tried work well. CSGO, Overwatch 2 (through Lutris), Don’t Starve, Deep Rock Galactic and Red Dead Redemption 2 are all games I know play well on Linux since I’ve tried them myself. It’s incredible what Valve has done with Proton for game compatibility on Linux.
I used to run a PCI-passthrough/VFIO Windows virtual machine for gaming, but I haven’t started it up or used Windows on my own machines in almost a year now.
I got a Steam Deck and it proved to me that Linux gaming was ready. My main beefy desktop now just runs Linux and uses Proton to do it all, and I’m extremely happy with it. I deleted my Windows VM’s partition recently. It’s run everything I want to play just fine! I play a fair mix of stuff… Indie and AAA, new and old, single-player and multi-player.
Every problem I’ve had so far is related to my own system or choices, not Steam, Proton, or the game. (eg, had a bad stick of RAM, did an incomplete upgrade, etc.)
Valve has certainly given linux a boost with the SteamDeck and all the work they’ve funded to make it a viable gaming platform. I just hope they release SteamOS for all platforms soon, maybe we’ll see an uptick in PC pre-builds with SteamOS as an option instead of just Windows.