Steam On Linux Usage Climbs Higher Thanks To The Steam Deck

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Steam On Linux Usage Climbs Higher Thanks To The Steam Deck

Written by Michael Larabel

Valve just posted their November 2022 Steam Survey results and it shows the Linux gaming marketshare continue to climb, driven by the success of their Arch Linux powered Steam Deck handheld gaming console.

October saw the Linux gaming marketshare at 1.28%, following months of ticking around the 1.2% range. Now for November... A rather big increase up to 1.44%.

Steam on Linux had a 1.44% marketshare to macOS at 2.45% and Windows at 96.11%. Besides a 0.16% increase month-over-month, this time last year Steam on Linux was at 1.16%, or a 0.28% increase year-over-year.
 
You know, I keep reading that Steam on Linux is getting better, but ever single time I try it, I wind up disappointed, and thinking it was a waste of my time.

From talking to people online who are die hard Linux gaming enthusiasts, I was led to believe that my experience was historical only, and that these days it is really quite good, but man was I ever wrong. I installed it under linux just a few weeks ago and experimented with a few titles, and it was just one failure after another, experimenting hit or miss with various Proton versions, hoping for things to work well, but they never did.

Even native Linux games run poorly compared to their Windows versions, and if you run something through Proton/Wine/DXVK be prepared for constant problems, bugs crashes and poor performance compared to native.

It's really just not worth it.

I remain hopeful that some day gaming under Linux will be at least OK, as I would like nothing more than to get rid of Windows once and for all, but as it stands today it is nowhere near OK. It is more like it is in constant alpha. Buggy, requiring constant trial and error work arounds and if you are lucky enough to get it to work, performance and quality is typically shit compared to Windows.
 
You know, I keep reading that Steam on Linux is getting better, but ever single time I try it, I wind up disappointed, and thinking it was a waste of my time.

From talking to people online who are die hard Linux gaming enthusiasts, I was led to believe that my experience was historical only, and that these days it is really quite good, but man was I ever wrong. I installed it under linux just a few weeks ago and experimented with a few titles, and it was just one failure after another, experimenting hit or miss with various Proton versions, hoping for things to work well, but they never did.

Even native Linux games run poorly compared to their Windows versions, and if you run something through Proton/Wine/DXVK be prepared for constant problems, bugs crashes and poor performance compared to native.

It's really just not worth it.

I remain hopeful that some day gaming under Linux will be at least OK, as I would like nothing more than to get rid of Windows once and for all, but as it stands today it is nowhere near OK. It is more like it is in constant alpha. Buggy, requiring constant trial and error work arounds and if you are lucky enough to get it to work, performance and quality is typically shit compared to Windows.
That's really the first time I've heard of this type of experience with Steam (it's head and shoulders better than regular wine) . Linux is my main box and I use it pretty heavily. Never had a problem running games on it. You do have to turn on testing within Steam if you're going to play the latest games. But other than that I've had no problem.
 
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You know, I keep reading that Steam on Linux is getting better, but ever single time I try it, I wind up disappointed, and thinking it was a waste of my time.

I really hope Valve has plans to pack up the Deck's gaming experience and plop it on the general Linux ecosystem. Especially with the way Windows is headed. It would make it viable for a whole swathe of the current market.
 
Even native Linux games run poorly compared to their Windows versions, and if you run something through Proton/Wine/DXVK be prepared for constant problems, bugs crashes and poor performance compared to native.
I have seen this a few times, and it is normally because of a 3rd party developer making a garbage port of the game to Linux.
The majority of the time when the original developers make a game multi-platform and/or multi-OS the games run well across all platforms with Linux as the performance highlight.

Alien: Isolation is a prime example of a well optimized game under every platform, and then a 3rd party developer made a garbage port to Linux much later on that runs at a fraction of the speed as on Windows and MacOS on the same exact hardware.
If a game runs like garbage in Linux, it isn't because of Linux.

Heck, Doom 3 and Quake 4 both ran natively on Linux back in the mid-2000s and performed WAY better than they ever did on Windows, with the hardware in both instances being 1:1.
 
I really hope Valve has plans to pack up the Deck's gaming experience and plop it on the general Linux ecosystem. Especially with the way Windows is headed. It would make it viable for a whole swathe of the current market.
It'll be ironic if we are able to look back in 3-5 years and it ends up having been a mobile device that was finally the catalyst and savior- or at least democratizer - of PC gaming.

Nothing would fill the heart more than ghosting Microsoft, their platform lock-in that emboldens them to shamelessly and progressively tilt each new version, each new semiannual update of Windows a bit further toward Microsoft's interests, and further away from those of the captive userbase they take for granted. Fuckem.
 
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I really hope Valve has plans to pack up the Deck's gaming experience and plop it on the general Linux ecosystem. Especially with the way Windows is headed. It would make it viable for a whole swathe of the current market.
Testing games for the Steamdeck's set hardware, and testing for more diverse hardware are two different things. But it is definitely walking the right direction for Nix users. Flatpack installs, Steam, and much of what we do these days on a PC happens in a browser. Nix is great for that most of the time.
 
It seems odd to me to lump Steam Deck users in with users running Linux on a Desktop PC. I think that both of those types of gaming are relevant, but I'm not sure that combining those two separate categories is really producing useful statistics given the massive functional differences. There are still a LOT of games that simply can't be played, or are very awkward to play, using Gameboy-style controls as found on the Steam Deck. Anything RTS or MMO related is an automatic no-go. FPS games only work when you have built-in auto-aim / aimbot functionality - the kind of thing we used to call "cheating" when using a Desktop PC. If you can lump these two categories together, despite the massive differences, then you might as well throw Android gaming into the mix also, since Android is based on Linux...
 
It seems odd to me to lump Steam Deck users in with users running Linux on a Desktop PC. I think that both of those types of gaming are relevant, but I'm not sure that combining those two separate categories is really producing useful statistics given the massive functional differences. There are still a LOT of games that simply can't be played, or are very awkward to play, using Gameboy-style controls as found on the Steam Deck. Anything RTS or MMO related is an automatic no-go. FPS games only work when you have built-in auto-aim / aimbot functionality - the kind of thing we used to call "cheating" when using a Desktop PC. If you can lump these two categories together, despite the massive differences, then you might as well throw Android gaming into the mix also, since Android is based on Linux...

Well, not if you're trying to sway developers.
 
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It'll be ironic if we are able to look back in 3-5 years and it ends up having been a mobile device that was finally the catalyst and savior- or at least democratizer - of PC gaming.

Nothing would fill the heart more than ghosting Microsoft, their platform lock-in that emboldens them to shamelessly and progressively tilt each new version, each new semiannual update of Windows even further toward Microsoft's interests, and further away from those of the captive userbase they take for granted. Fuckem.
I used to disagree with linux apologists.

But now I'm starting to feel them.


Don't get me wrong, The experience on every Linux distro I've tried has been so bad I SLIGHTLY prefer having candy-crush ads, useless money-making search engines shoehorned in and overbearing browsers.

All linux devs have to do is make the experience just a BIT better than that...
 
I wonder if my installs in Ubuntu and MacOS are being counted. I have Steam installed, but, no games. I just have it there to chat with folks when I'm on those boxes, and don't feel like getting on my gaming rig.
Overall, I'm pretty much locked into Windows for some amount of gaming, forever. There's too many old titles that will never get a port or work well under emulation. So instead of bashing my head against the wall trying to get what I play to work, I just keep using Windows for gaming.
 
It seems odd to me to lump Steam Deck users in with users running Linux on a Desktop PC. I think that both of those types of gaming are relevant, but I'm not sure that combining those two separate categories is really producing useful statistics given the massive functional differences. There are still a LOT of games that simply can't be played, or are very awkward to play, using Gameboy-style controls as found on the Steam Deck. Anything RTS or MMO related is an automatic no-go. FPS games only work when you have built-in auto-aim / aimbot functionality - the kind of thing we used to call "cheating" when using a Desktop PC. If you can lump these two categories together, despite the massive differences, then you might as well throw Android gaming into the mix also, since Android is based on Linux...
The Steamdeck is a PC running Nix that defaults to booting into a custom UI. Reboot into desktop mode and it acts as any PC running Nix, or Windows should you choose to install it, would. I don't view it as problematic to lump it in with other PCs running Nix.
I use the track pad under the stick and have no need of autoaim in Darktide or Cyberpunk or other FPS games when doing so. The trackpads are fine for RTS and MMO games as well. The only real issue with the Steamdeck when used mobile is text input. An issue that goes away if you use it docked with a KB/M and monitor. Game compatibility is not perfect, but it is way better than it has ever been. Most of my recent game purchases work fine on it. Certainly not enough to ditch Windows yet, but MS should prolly take note of what is going on.
 
And do what, exactly? And why?
Beats me. I love windows still, honestly. It just does everything I want from an os and stays out of my way. Desktop Linux is a nonstarter to me for many applications and games that don't work or work worse in it, and lack of client anti-virus. Even if it got those fixed up, why would I want to switch, anyway? I'm a dev type and windows just works for everything.
 
It'll be ironic if we are able to look back in 3-5 years and it ends up having been a mobile device that was finally the catalyst and savior- or at least democratizer - of PC gaming.

Nothing would fill the heart more than ghosting Microsoft, their platform lock-in that emboldens them to shamelessly and progressively tilt each new version, each new semiannual update of Windows a bit further toward Microsoft's interests, and further away from those of the captive userbase they take for granted. Fuckem.
This will be the most unpopular position on the [H]ard|forum: but the only way it's going to happen is through Steam making specialized hardware and software integrated together much like Apple.
In fact I think that's the direction they'll ultimately go. Arch will just be their flavor. They'll use really specific hardware (possibly mostly integrated IC's like the deck, but in desktop form, or otherwise continue to iterate on Steam Deck). Actually invest the resources to make it run well, and then at some point lock it all down (maintain Windows installations and open Linux for the time being until they don't have to anymore). They just had too many problems with an open platform. This is why SteamPC's failed, because even Falcon Northwest couldn't hit reasonable stability and performance targets under SteamOS.

The only way Linux becomes the bastion of PC gaming, is if the average person can use it. Linux requires too much configuration for the average consumer. You can't hit a next button 10 times during installation and be "okay". Driver management is a nightmare comparatively. And it likely won't ever improve without immense resources and direction (which are two things it lacks). Valve with their interest in removing Microsoft's monopoly and their investments in PC gaming are likely one of the few companies actually capable of making Linux the new "center" of PC gaming.
 
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This will be the most unpopular position on the [H]ard|forum: but the only way it's going to happen is through Steam making specialized hardware and software integrated together much like Apple.
In fact I think that's the direction they'll ultimately go. Arch will just be their flavor. They'll use really specific hardware (possibly mostly integrated IC's like the deck, but in desktop form, or otherwise continue to iterate on Steam Deck). Actually invest the resources to make it run well, and then at some point lock it all down (maintain Windows installations and open Linux for the time being until they don't have to anymore). They just had too many problems with an open platform. This is why SteamPC's failed, because even Falcon Northwest couldn't hit reasonable stability and performance targets under SteamOS.

The only way Linux becomes the bastion of PC gaming, is if the average person can use it. Linux requires too much configuration for the average consumer. You can't hit a next button 10 times during installation and be "okay". Driver management is a nightmare comparatively. And it likely won't ever improve without immense resources and direction (which are two things it lacks). Valve with their interest in removing Microsoft's monopoly and their investments in PC gaming are likely one of the few companies actually capable of making Linux the new "center" of PC gaming.
Well said, agreed 100%. Something vertically integrated would really be the only way. Look no further than Steamdeck itself. Imagine they'd offered Steamdeck OS only as a download for generic devices and said "roll your own, Raspberry Pi, wireless NES controller, unlimited possibilities!" It would've been deader on arrival than SteamOS.

And the point about how Valve should approach it also seems congruent with none other than Linus Torvalds. Intel's CEO interviewed him and asked about open source, and the idea of "giving back to the community", which Linus was quick to shoot down- that altruism is a myth, and you only really get innovation when participants are acting in their own interests, but then those efforts may happen to benefit the "community" as a byproduct.


So Valve being the champion of Linux gaming, or any significant migration from Windows, is going to remain too heavy a lift. And Valve's not interested in that anyway. But an armor piercing, vertically integrated SteamGaming system could have enormous corollary benefits for wider Linux.

Btw I dont think Valve actually cares about Windows' lock on PC gaming, they do not see it as zero sum. There was that Gaben quote back when Windows 8 Metro UI was first shown and he was concerned a locked down Windows store might lock out Steam, but Win8 failed and Valve moved on.
 
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I currently own one game and that game is Project Zomboid, via Steam.

The game itself runs just as well on Mint 21 as it does on Win10, no ifs, no buts. I play windowed on a dual monitor setup, and things like sliding the cursor from the game over to the other screen work perfectly.

The Steam client, on the other hand, sometimes feels wonky when it updates. Often times it will just go do something in the background with no feedback to the UI (such as a busy cursor or message). The 'updating' popup is implemented and sometimes shows up, but not always.

"But sometimes" is still the Achilles heel.
 
Btw I dont think Valve actually cares about Windows' lock on PC gaming, they do not see it as zero sum. There was that Gaben quote back when Windows 8 Metro UI was first shown and he was concerned MS store might lock out Steam, but Win8 failed and Valve moved on.
I don't think that they do either. But I do think they see Windows at least somewhat as a threat, as in it's a platform that they're married to for better or worse that dictates a lot of their future. That's why Steam Deck isn't running some mobile form of Windows. It would've been "cheaper" to make such a device if it did, then they wouldn't have invested undoubtedly 1000's of man hours building a skin, working on proton, and streamlining the software drivers for Steam Deck.

Honestly if zero people gamed (and this is unpopular [H]ard|forum opinion number 2), basically everyone (as in the common person, not Linux/alternative OS junkies) would've jumped ship to macOS. Windows is just doing a bunch of shitty stuff that the community puts up with because they literally have no choice, and there is no alternative OS that they can game on. If Valve can remove the headache of Windows and the headaches of using an alternative OS, then at that point people will move over.

The other threat is Microsoft trying to corner digital distribution through the Windows Store and/or their monthly subscription service (especially if the massive game dev/publisher buyout happens). Until then, Windows is making Valve money. Even if SteamOS "finally" eats 50%+ of the PC gaming market, they'd keep running Windows just to keep that marketshare. Why would they not?
 
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This will be the most unpopular position on the [H]ard|forum: but the only way it's going to happen is through Steam making specialized hardware and software integrated together much like Apple.
In fact I think that's the direction they'll ultimately go. Arch will just be their flavor. They'll use really specific hardware (possibly mostly integrated IC's like the deck, but in desktop form, or otherwise continue to iterate on Steam Deck). Actually invest the resources to make it run well, and then at some point lock it all down (maintain Windows installations and open Linux for the time being until they don't have to anymore). They just had too many problems with an open platform. This is why SteamPC's failed, because even Falcon Northwest couldn't hit reasonable stability and performance targets under SteamOS.

The only way Linux becomes the bastion of PC gaming, is if the average person can use it. Linux requires too much configuration for the average consumer. You can't hit a next button 10 times during installation and be "okay". Driver management is a nightmare comparatively. And it likely won't ever improve without immense resources and direction (which are two things it lacks). Valve with their interest in removing Microsoft's monopoly and their investments in PC gaming are likely one of the few companies actually capable of making Linux the new "center" of PC gaming.
Isn't this pretty much what they did with Steam Deck though? They have sold a million units and still it's on back order. This wasn't the case with Steam PCs. Also if they weren't on an open system they wouldn't have been able to make so many commits to AMD's open source driver / Proton. Driver Management especially in terms of graphics is light years ahead of where it is on Windows when it comes to management. All of it is automatic. Literally from point of install the graphics driver is already there. Now the one place where Windows has the advantage is in terms of features. The most advanced features do show up on Windows first, which isn't surprising. It has the larger user base so that just is what it is going to be.

But the Steam Deck proves that no only can people game on Linux, but like it as well.
 
Isn't this pretty much what they did with Steam Deck though? They have sold a million units and still it's on back order. This wasn't the case with Steam PCs. Also if they weren't on an open system they wouldn't have been able to make so many commits to AMD's open source driver / Proton. Driver Management especially in terms of graphics is light years ahead of where it is on Windows when it comes to management. All of it is automatic. Literally from point of install the graphics driver is already there. Now the one place where Windows has the advantage is in terms of features. The most advanced features do show up on Windows first, which isn't surprising. It has the larger user base so that just is what it is going to be.

But the Steam Deck proves that no only can people game on Linux, but like it as well.
The issue, I'd say, is that the most successful Linux consumer experiences are the ones that are as least stereotypically Linux as you can get. The Steam Deck is mostly doing well because it's a tightly integrated, easy to use platform that strips out most of Linux's customizability and complexity for the typical user. Ditto Android — you can tinker with it, of course, but even the AOSP-based phones you can buy (the ones that don't depend on Google apps/services) are relatively streamlined and frequently full of proprietary customizations.

Conversely, Linux tends to flounder with consumers when it's guided by the ideology of Linux purists. They're relegated to a niche audience (when they actually ship, that is) in no small part due to creators who insist on openness and theoretical capability at the expense of real-world usability. Sure, the PinePhone can work with any Linux phone project... but the software features and hardware specs are both well behind the mainstream. Someone with an iPhone SE has more practical freedom than a PinePhone user.

I hope the Steam Deck does well, and that Valve has a sequel lined up (even if it's not due for a few years). I just don't think it's the sign that PC gamers are close to ditching Windows in favor of Debian or Ubuntu.
 
You know, I keep reading that Steam on Linux is getting better, but ever single time I try it, I wind up disappointed, and thinking it was a waste of my time.

From talking to people online who are die hard Linux gaming enthusiasts, I was led to believe that my experience was historical only, and that these days it is really quite good, but man was I ever wrong. I installed it under linux just a few weeks ago and experimented with a few titles, and it was just one failure after another, experimenting hit or miss with various Proton versions, hoping for things to work well, but they never did.

Even native Linux games run poorly compared to their Windows versions, and if you run something through Proton/Wine/DXVK be prepared for constant problems, bugs crashes and poor performance compared to native.

It's really just not worth it.

I remain hopeful that some day gaming under Linux will be at least OK, as I would like nothing more than to get rid of Windows once and for all, but as it stands today it is nowhere near OK. It is more like it is in constant alpha. Buggy, requiring constant trial and error work arounds and if you are lucky enough to get it to work, performance and quality is typically shit compared to Windows.
Linux isn't at the point where someone could just jump in from Windows and use it without issues. If you were to install Ubuntu you'll find yourself hating your experience. If you install Arch then you'll really hate yourself. But that's not to say that it can't be done better than Windows. Linux is infinitely more tweakable compared to Windows, and you can do it to the point where you'll get better results than Windows. I'm one of the top World of Warcraft players in the world and this is done on Linux Mint. That's because latency was a focus for me and there's a lot of ways to reduce input lag in Linux than compared to Windows.

Nvidia while a very good GPU on Windows is not very good on Linux. AMD though is extremely good on Linux compared to it running on Windows, and this is what I use to game on Linux. So far all native Linux ports work flawlessly for me, but Windows games on Linux is a bit of a mess. Battle.net launcher for example has been breaking for me every so often because Activision/Blizzard has been making changes that Wine doesn't like. There are work arounds but not as easy as it used to be. I also had a moment in Elden Ring where some textures just vanished. Rebooting the PC fixed the issue but I still don't know why this happened.
no floor or elevator WineGE.png
 
Linux isn't at the point where someone could just jump in from Windows and use it without issues. If you were to install Ubuntu you'll find yourself hating your experience. If you install Arch then you'll really hate yourself. But that's not to say that it can't be done better than Windows. Linux is infinitely more tweakable compared to Windows, and you can do it to the point where you'll get better results than Windows. I'm one of the top World of Warcraft players in the world and this is done on Linux Mint. That's because latency was a focus for me and there's a lot of ways to reduce input lag in Linux than compared to Windows.

Nvidia while a very good GPU on Windows is not very good on Linux. AMD though is extremely good on Linux compared to it running on Windows, and this is what I use to game on Linux. So far all native Linux ports work flawlessly for me, but Windows games on Linux is a bit of a mess. Battle.net launcher for example has been breaking for me every so often because Activision/Blizzard has been making changes that Wine doesn't like. There are work arounds but not as easy as it used to be. I also had a moment in Elden Ring where some textures just vanished. Rebooting the PC fixed the issue but I still don't know why this happened.
View attachment 531196
Still playing Wow @ 1080p? Don't see that every day.
 
It seems odd to me to lump Steam Deck users in with users running Linux on a Desktop PC. I think that both of those types of gaming are relevant, but I'm not sure that combining those two separate categories is really producing useful statistics given the massive functional differences. There are still a LOT of games that simply can't be played, or are very awkward to play, using Gameboy-style controls as found on the Steam Deck. Anything RTS or MMO related is an automatic no-go. FPS games only work when you have built-in auto-aim / aimbot functionality - the kind of thing we used to call "cheating" when using a Desktop PC. If you can lump these two categories together, despite the massive differences, then you might as well throw Android gaming into the mix also, since Android is based on Linux...
The difference is installing steam under a Linux desktop is (or should) be the same experience. I haven't used a deck but... yes gaming is much improved under Linux. For what its worth the deck is running KDE desktop, all the games your saying won't play will play just fine with a keyboard and mouse. You can also use a monitor. Don't get me wrong, the deck is still a mobile device. I don't expect graphic heavy games are going to run great on a higher res external monitor. Some of the popular old MMOs and RTS for sure could.

At this point all Valve is looking for from developers is profile support. That they will spend a bit of time helping tweak some proton profiles. Valve is doing a good job of doing it mostly without them. At some point though it would be great if developers got a bit more on board with Linux.

IMO if Valve sticks with the deck, in a year or two Linux may start getting some direct developer support. This will be the first holiday season where they seem to be stocked. Valve also has plans for a second generation... doubt they ship anything second gen till late 23 or even 24. By the time they get to 2.0 though, game support will be looking much better just based on the pace Valve themselves have been tweaking game profiles. I don't put much stock in rumors, but its also possible they have some other form of steam machine type device. IMO the deck is good enough... that if they made a Steam console/PC, powered by a 2023 AMD APU they could really push Linux usage. I mean unless something really changes on the GPU and PC part pricing in general... people looking for PC gaming may be more then happy to drop $600-700 on a steam console, that is just a more powerful non mobile version of the deck. The first steam machines where a flop because they let other people make them. This made it hard to control software side for hardware differences. (we say it shouldn't matter but it does) It made it hard to control for quality... to many steam machines where just crap PCs. A steam console makes a lot more sense today... as long as Valve is making them themselves.
 
I'm debating on getting one or a like device after I get a One-Netbook T1 and an S8 Ultra, tho I'll have a SD 870 based phone from console emulation already, but need to carry a separate controller for it.
Might dual boot Deck with Windows.
 
Still playing Wow @ 1080p? Don't see that every day.
The screenshot was of Elden Ring being played at 1080p, not WOW, just FYI.
I've seen people play modern games from 320x240 up to 8K, so who cares what resolution a game is run at as long as the individual is enjoying themselves.

Something wrong with 1080p according to you?
 
The screenshot was of Elden Ring being played at 1080p, not WOW, just FYI.
I've seen people play modern games from 320x240 up to 8K, so who cares what resolution a game is run at as long as the individual is enjoying themselves.

Something wrong with 1080p according to you?
1080p is by far the most common resolution still in use.
currently, the bulk of my gaming is being done on a 27" 480p so...
 
The screenshot was of Elden Ring being played at 1080p, not WOW, just FYI.
I've seen people play modern games from 320x240 up to 8K, so who cares what resolution a game is run at as long as the individual is enjoying themselves.

Something wrong with 1080p according to you?
No, nothing wrong with it at all. Just didn't think anyone would play WoW at that res these days. Also excuse me for not knowing that was elden ring, I have never played it.
 
1080p is by far the most common resolution still in use.
currently, the bulk of my gaming is being done on a 27" 480p so...
I know, right, 1080p is the standard for enterprise workstations and gamers alike.
I'm surrounded by 4K and ultrawide screens and still prefer 1280x1024 5:4 TFT for just about everything, including native and remote Linux gaming.

No, nothing wrong with it at all. Just didn't think anyone would play WoW at that res these days. Also excuse me for not knowing that was elden ring, I have never played it.
I just wasn't sure if it was an actual surprise, or an edgelord response of, "8K elite or 1080p pleb".
Also, you are excused. ;)

EDIT: The real travesty is that you have not played Elden Ring.
Once you do, you are going to have a Squidward moment:

Dvra3wuVYAAl0mf.jpg
 
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No, nothing wrong with it at all. Just didn't think anyone would play WoW at that res these days. Also excuse me for not knowing that was elden ring, I have never played it.
WoW is terrible optimized. Graphically it isnt that nice but it is very laggy and turning down rez and shadows is some of the easiest things. Im running it on a 1080 and during a big group 25ish players at 1440p will drop to 20fps.
 
I know, right, 1080p is the standard for enterprise workstations and gamers alike.
I'm surrounded by 4K and ultrawide screens and still prefer 1280x1024 5:4 TFT for just about everything, including native and remote Linux gaming.


I just wasn't sure if it was an actual surprise, or an edgelord response of, "8K elite or 1080p pleb".
Also, you are excused. ;)
I got a curved 1440p for my work screen and I have to say I like it, it's very easy on the eyes and I don't have to look around it all fits nicely in the single field of vision it's comfortable to use.
 
It seems odd to me to lump Steam Deck users in with users running Linux on a Desktop PC. I think that both of those types of gaming are relevant, but I'm not sure that combining those two separate categories is really producing useful statistics given the massive functional differences. There are still a LOT of games that simply can't be played, or are very awkward to play, using Gameboy-style controls as found on the Steam Deck. Anything RTS or MMO related is an automatic no-go. FPS games only work when you have built-in auto-aim / aimbot functionality - the kind of thing we used to call "cheating" when using a Desktop PC. If you can lump these two categories together, despite the massive differences, then you might as well throw Android gaming into the mix also, since Android is based on Linux...
isn't That the truth! unless you want to deal with the bundled deck and all of its integrated steam controllers and (for the 64gb version) one of the worst portable screens ever produced?

otherwise, you instead get a mess of software variations spanning hundreds of different distros, two dozen different screen managers, and thousands of abandoned applications to wade through
 
So far all native Linux ports work flawlessly for me, but Windows games on Linux is a bit of a mess. Battle.net launcher for example has been breaking for me every so often because Activision/Blizzard has been making changes that Wine doesn't like.
Just opened Battle.net launcher for the first time in months and it started just fine. As seen in the screen shot there's an update available, I just performed the update and everything still runs fine.

fs7KNx2.jpg


Nvidia while a very good GPU on Windows is not very good on Linux.
I run Nvidia under Linux using proprietary Nvidia drivers, my experience is flawless and my performance is just as good if not better than native Windows at times. The FOSS evangelists complain about Nvidia under Linux all the time as they want the world to be FOSS only (while playing proprietary games under Linux), I ignore them and carry on with life. Nvidia's Wayland experience isn't as good as Wayland using the FOSS AMD drivers, but it is improving and Wayland is currently in a state of perpetual beta anyway - Personally I prefer X11.
 
Just opened Battle.net launcher for the first time in months and it started just fine. As seen in the screen shot there's an update available, I just performed the update and everything still runs fine.

View attachment 531299


I run Nvidia under Linux using proprietary Nvidia drivers, my experience is flawless and my performance is just as good if not better than native Windows at times. The FOSS evangelists complain about Nvidia under Linux all the time as they want the world to be FOSS only (while playing proprietary games under Linux), I ignore them and carry on with life. Nvidia's Wayland experience isn't as good as Wayland using the FOSS AMD drivers, but it is improving and Wayland is currently in a state of perpetual beta anyway - Personally I prefer X11.
Nvidia has a crapload of resources poured into their Linux drivers, yeah they are proprietary, but so is 90% of the cards functionality, so I don't really care. They work until they don't, and when they don't I have generally found that Nvidia wasn't the cause, and the few times they are the cause the feedback I get from Nvidia can be summarized as such:
"We are aware of the issue and it should be resolved in the upcoming patch, here's a weblink to others having the problem and how they achieved a workaround for the time being".
I don't do AAA gaming on Linux, because Windows is easier and my game time is very limited, but Linux does run all my legacy/emulated/MAME content and it just works.
But console emulation is pretty much the only reason I keep side-eying the Steam Deck.
 
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It'll be ironic if we are able to look back in 3-5 years and it ends up having been a mobile device that was finally the catalyst and savior- or at least democratizer - of PC gaming.

Nothing would fill the heart more than ghosting Microsoft, their platform lock-in that emboldens them to shamelessly and progressively tilt each new version, each new semiannual update of Windows a bit further toward Microsoft's interests, and further away from those of the captive userbase they take for granted. Fuckem.

Couldn't agree more.

Nothing would please me more than to be able to ditch Windows permanently.

At least for me, that time isn't here yet.

Linux has been my main desktop OS at home for just about 20 years now.

I only keep Windows around for games these days, and nothing would please me more than to ditch it once and for all.

I don't understand those who think Linux isnt user friendly. I'm the exact opposite. Every time I ahve to boot up in Windows I hate it. It is needlessly complicated to use for no apparent reason, compared to Linux which just makes sense from start to finish. If Steam/Proton and native Linux ports were any good, I'd never use Windows again.
 
Couldn't agree more.

Nothing would please me more than to be able to ditch Windows permanently.

At least for me, that time isn't here yet.

Linux has been my main desktop OS at home for just about 20 years now.

I only keep Windows around for games these days, and nothing would please me more than to ditch it once and for all.

I don't understand those who think Linux isnt user friendly. I'm the exact opposite. Every time I ahve to boot up in Windows I hate it. It is needlessly complicated to use for no apparent reason, compared to Linux which just makes sense from start to finish. If Steam/Proton and native Linux ports were any good, I'd never use Windows again.
I don't see a difference much in them anymore, they each do their things, and some things work better in one than the other but I don't really see the barrier to entry terribly different from one to the other unless you are trying to do something that squarely falls outside their toolset.
 
Maybe if they stopped the 99% of Team Fortress 2 players being bots ruining the game, then that number could get up to 1.5%! Cause i would happily reinstall the game...
 
Nvidia has a crapload of resources poured into their Linux drivers, yeah they are proprietary, but so is 90% of the cards functionality, so I don't really care. They work until they don't, and when they don't I have generally found that Nvidia wasn't the cause, and the few times they are the cause the feedback I get from Nvidia can be summarized as such:
"We are aware of the issue and it should be resolved in the upcoming patch, here's a weblink to others having the problem and how they achieved a workaround for the time being".
I don't do AAA gaming on Linux, because Windows is easier and my game time is very limited, but Linux does run all my legacy/emulated/MAME content and it just works.
But console emulation is pretty much the only reason I keep side-eying the Steam Deck.
What people are talking about when people complain about Nvidia's drivers in Linux isn't about if they work. It's about what happens when you have propriety anything in Linux. The experience is hokey. Things can't be bundled with the distro because it's proprietary and doesn't fall under the same license. So if you want to install Nvidia's drivers in Linux you have to go get them and build the packages using something like akmod. This requires that the Nvidia drivers contain the necessary headers as the kernel. If it doesn't, the build will fail and you'll be staring at a text prompt and no desktop. This can happen at any time too. You go to update thinking everything is OK then BAM! No desktop.

With open source drivers they are packed with the distro. They always just work. They are always close to the latest release possible. It's a beautiful site to see.

Now nVidia finally got the memo this year. But it's gonna take some time for them to be where AMD is and it didn't need to be that way.
 
What people are talking about when people complain about Nvidia's drivers in Linux isn't about if they work. It's about what happens when you have propriety anything in Linux. The experience is hokey. Things can't be bundled with the distro because it's proprietary and doesn't fall under the same license. So if you want to install Nvidia's drivers in Linux you have to go get them and build the packages using something like akmod. This requires that the Nvidia drivers contain the necessary headers as the kernel. If it doesn't, the build will fail and you'll be staring at a text prompt and no desktop. This can happen at any time too. You go to update thinking everything is OK then BAM! No desktop.

With open source drivers they are packed with the distro. They always just work. They are always close to the latest release possible. It's a beautiful site to see.

Now nVidia finally got the memo this year. But it's gonna take some time for them to be where AMD is and it didn't need to be that way.

This can be the case, but in distribvutions that have properly implemented DKMS, it shouldn't.

(and there is no reason for any distribution to not have done this by now)

DKMS "just works" in the Debian tree of distributions.

The drivers are less featured than under Windows, and perform slower, but they do indeed "just work" as modules are automatically and successfully built every time the kernel changes.

It might break with some weirdo kernel from outside the official distribution repository, but in general it is a bad idea yo use any software from outside the official repos.
 
Nvidia has a crapload of resources poured into their Linux drivers, yeah they are proprietary, but so is 90% of the cards functionality, so I don't really care. They work until they don't, and when they don't I have generally found that Nvidia wasn't the cause, and the few times they are the cause the feedback I get from Nvidia can be summarized as such:
"We are aware of the issue and it should be resolved in the upcoming patch, here's a weblink to others having the problem and how they achieved a workaround for the time being".
I don't do AAA gaming on Linux, because Windows is easier and my game time is very limited, but Linux does run all my legacy/emulated/MAME content and it just works.
But console emulation is pretty much the only reason I keep side-eying the Steam Deck.
I agree that the issues are not always because of Nvidia... its just that no matter what you still have to jump through some hopes to hook your Nvidia stuff into the kernel while fixing just about anything. Even doing simple kernel updates for most distros is annoying with Nvidia hardware. (I say most cause yes a handful of distro push kernels with Nvidia prebaked). For rolling distros... having to constantly register Nvidias DKMS modules is just a PITA. Its notable when you use a AMD GPU system instead and for the most part just ignore such things, and you can just install ANY distro ever made and have your GPU up and running without doing anything special.

I do agree though that Linux gaming with Nvidia works very well... nothing wrong with the Nvidia driver, its just a lot more work with many distros. If your a fan of something like Suse tumbleweed... using Nvidia is going to be super annoying.
 
The screenshot was of Elden Ring being played at 1080p, not WOW, just FYI.
I've seen people play modern games from 320x240 up to 8K, so who cares what resolution a game is run at as long as the individual is enjoying themselves.

Something wrong with 1080p according to you?
1080p is also the monitor I have. I've been thinking of buying a 1440p 120Hz+ monitor for the higher refresh rate upgrade, but I do not care for resolutions.

WoW is terrible optimized. Graphically it isnt that nice but it is very laggy and turning down rez and shadows is some of the easiest things. Im running it on a 1080 and during a big group 25ish players at 1440p will drop to 20fps.
One of the benefits of running Linux is that WoW runs so much better through DXVK or VKD3D-Proton. Recently there was a patch and some of my fellow raiders are complaining about low frame rates, and they use RTX 3070's or higher, while I'm comfortable with my 1080p in Linux. One guy found a regedit that claims to fix lag, and I'm doing fine with 37ms.

Just opened Battle.net launcher for the first time in months and it started just fine. As seen in the screen shot there's an update available, I just performed the update and everything still runs fine.
Maybe it was fixed? It's an on again off again problem. I'm currently using Battle.net 13859. FYI, Battle.net only likes Wine-Staging as I've tried a number of Proton builds with it.
I run Nvidia under Linux using proprietary Nvidia drivers, my experience is flawless and my performance is just as good if not better than native Windows at times. The FOSS evangelists complain about Nvidia under Linux all the time as they want the world to be FOSS only (while playing proprietary games under Linux), I ignore them and carry on with life. Nvidia's Wayland experience isn't as good as Wayland using the FOSS AMD drivers, but it is improving and Wayland is currently in a state of perpetual beta anyway - Personally I prefer X11.
My complaint with Nvidia on Linux is more pragmatic. For example, Nvidia's proprietary drivers only like certain kernels, but I like to install Liquorix or Xanmod for better performance. Been using Liquorix because the input lag is noticeably better. I know there's a way to modify the drivers to work with certain kernels but it's a lot of work for something that should just work. The other problem is that a lot of fixes to games through Proton usually don't effect Nvidia immediately since Nvidia has to implement it into their drivers, and Nvidia is slower at this than MESA. Eventually Nvidia does get the fix, but I like to play my games now.

By the way, do this tweak and Wine games double in frame rate. Doubles the frame rate in Elden Ring.
https://zezic.github.io/yabridge-benchmark/

I like using Kron4ek's Proton builds for games like Elden Ring. Not all games prefer Proton Wine builds, so Wine-Staging for everything else. For example Fusion 360 and Roblox only like Wine-Staging. You can use grapejuice to get Roblox working. For Fusion 360 I use this github to get it working otherwise it just hangs. This is the problem with Linux in that getting Windows applications working can be a pain. Surprisingly Elden Ring just works, and works better than on Windows. I actually got Elden Ring working on my old Radeon HD 7850 with 2GB of VRAM. It gets around 30 fps, but I've been able to do this with a number of tweaks. Besides all the stuff I mentioned, I also had to get this patch to allow Elden Ring to work on older variants of DX12. On top of that, I also used AMD FSR by putting this into the .profile.

Code:
export WINE_FULLSCREEN_FSR=1
export WINE_FULLSCREEN_FSR_STRENGTH=3

I also have to switch the drivers to AMDGPU for Vulkan support because by default it uses the Radeon driver. I doubt there's many Window users who can say they can run Elden Ring on a Radeon HD 7850 at 30 fps. The CPU the system uses is a FX 8350, so it isn't using some modern CPU to compensate for the GPU.
 
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