Even gamers nexus’ Steve today said that they’re about to start doing Linux games performance testing soon. It’s happening, y’all, the year of the Linux desktop is upon us. ᕕ(ᐛ)ᕗ

  • Patariki
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    114 hours ago

    I just build a new gaming/creative pc, decided to make the jump to linux mint while i was setting up something new. And I honestly expected more hickups than i got, nothing which a quick search didn’t fix except for one. My xbox controller won’t connect over Bluetooth, it works when connected through a cable though. But I also noticed some stick drift, so I’m tossing it and order an 8bitdo which has those magentic sticks (forgot the name) and linux compatibility.

    • @[email protected]OP
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      120 minutes ago

      To fix your Xbox controller issue, you’ll need to do a firmware update on the controller itself. And that can only be done on windows unfortunately (unless you can figure out how to do it in a VM). Then when the firmware is updated, you install Xpadneo and you should be golden. How do I know? This is exactly what I had to do thanks to a random redditor who chimed in to help when I had this same issue. My controller now works on Bluetooth with zero issues.

    • @[email protected]
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      14 hours ago

      The Steam controller 2 will be releasing soon if you want trackpads and extra buttons. I also think Valve is licencing to third parties. IIRC 8bitdo will make a Steam Controller

    • @[email protected]
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      4 hours ago

      I have an 8bitdo controller. It’s ace:

      • no issues with connection because it’s dongle (but does support BT)
      • turns itself off with PC (always flakey on Xbox controller)
      • hall effect joysticks so stick drift shouldn’t be an issue
      • it’s detected as an Xbox controller so it works with most games
  • @[email protected]
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    5 hours ago

    This is the fifth person I see misinterpreting what Steve said about doing Linux performance testing, they aren’t going to start doing this soon, they will only start doing it WHEN SteamOS is released for desktops! It was very clear on the video FFS

    I’m also really fucking excited for that tho, I recently switched to mint and helldivers 2 actually feels smoother than on windows, it has been such a good experience!! I cannot imagine how much better things will get with more people jumping to Linux and thus game makers actually pay attention to us

    • @[email protected]
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      153 minutes ago

      I’ve been daily driving Linux since 2017, I started with Ubuntu and it’s been great. I recently got a Lenovo T14 Gen 1 and put Linux Mint 22 on it, and I’ve been playing some games on it and it’s been pretty nice for such a portable laptop.

    • @[email protected]
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      14 hours ago

      I’m excited, but I wish gpu manufacturers would jump on board with physically compatible cards with ffs or smaller form factor business machines. HP, Dell, et al like to limit space for traditional GPUs in those machines. If there was a half height mid/low grade gpu with components on the reverse side that would be a great couch gaming machine.

  • مهما طال الليل
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    44 hours ago

    I never really gamed on PC except for Command and Conquer Red Alert and Age of Empires 2. I still got a Steam Deck and it replaced my PC and not just for gaming.

  • @[email protected]
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    173 hours ago

    I jumped into Linux, via Mint, about a year ago when I refreshed my hardware. The transition was pretty easy, and I haven’t looked back. Steam runs fine and I haven’t had a modern game that didn’t work under default proton settings except for things I’ve run outside Steam and mods. Most of my personal PC’s workload is gaming and handful of web-based apps that are effectively OS-agnostic; Everything else has an easy equivalent in the apt repos.

    I would say that my decision to embrace Linux as my OS was primarily influenced by my Steam Deck. Gaming on it has been simple and the desktop UI was easy to adapt to. I replaced my laptop with the Steam Deck, bluetooth keyboard and mouse, and a USB-C dock with HDMI out (all things I already had for the laptop). I now just hook into whatever TV is handy as a monitor when I need a computer on the go.

    I was a tech enthusiast when I was younger, and am thus familiar with fucking around on the command line, but now I’m an old man who just wants his stuff to work and it just has… The barrier of entry for the Linux Desktop is effectively gone. We just need PR now.

    Also, I think I’d replace Mint on my primary PC with SteamOS, given a simple way to do so. About a year ago, the desktop/beta SteamOS was not fully baked.

  • @[email protected]
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    92 hours ago

    I thought this had already happened?

    I remember seeing ads on Steam for SteamOS years ago—wasn’t there a point at which you could download and run it on your own computer? What happened?

    • @[email protected]
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      114 minutes ago

      I think modern steamos is based on a different distro then it was then. Also proton is good enough now to justify switching for a lot of people

    • @[email protected]
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      61 hour ago

      From what I recall, it wasn’t something you could easily use like a normal distro, and that version was based on Debian (so stable but outdated software). It only worked on some hardware, and you had to do a full system wipe.

      More likely, this is them officially partnering with handheld or gaming laptop makers, using their latest Arch-based distro and allowing them to use Valve/Steam branding as a selling point.

    • @[email protected]OP
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      330 minutes ago

      If I recall correctly, this has never happened the way it’s happening now. It was a matter of “hey, you can fork it on GitHub and make your own iso thing”, hence why there was a “holoiso” or something like that that (I keep forgetting the name) where people used if they wanted to install steamOS on a device. This one is straight supported by valve. Like “hey, here is our official steam OS that we use on our steam deck. Use it and we will support you”.

  • @[email protected]
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    12 minutes ago

    New to the Linux community here; why is a valve owned Linux OS better than any other massive company OS. Like if Microsoft released their own Linux OS, would it be good suddenly?

    At the end of the day, we don’t want our OS’s big company owned right?

  • @[email protected]
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    24 hours ago

    Really nice. Been waiting for this. I’ve used linux for two decades but kept gaming pc separate last years as I’ve became lazy. Now I’ll likely decommision that one and just rdp into my work windows machine if needed.

    Thanks gaben

    • @[email protected]OP
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      124 minutes ago

      People might not realize this, but your comment is a huge deal. People like you who keep a separate PC are normally very hard to convince that gaming on Linux is a viable alternative. So the fact that you’re saying that, is a big deal. Right on.

  • NutWrench
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    145 hours ago

    Every game I bought on Steam under Windows runs great on Steam in Linux Mint. The few games I didn’t buy on Steam (Deus Ex, Giants: Citizen Kabuto) run great on Wine, using the default settings.

    Adopting Proton was the smartest thing Valve ever did. They’re going to get about 90% of gamers migrating from Windows to Linux, who don’t want to fiddle with configuration settings.

  • @[email protected]
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    447 minutes ago

    This is so great to see, and the timing is perfect.

    My son already calls the PC Steam, as in “we played game A on Xbox and game B on Steam,” so maybe by the time he has a PC in his room Steam really will run the whole platform.

  • thisisbutaname
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    127 hours ago

    I just did that. I have a dual boot laptop where Windows was used exclusively for games, and instead of upgrading that I built myself a PC with an AMD GPU (Nvidia, fuck you!).

    So far I haven’t run into any problem that I couldn’t easily solve, and the only games that won’t run are those demanding I install an anti cheat system, but I’m fine not playing those.

  • @[email protected]
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    339 hours ago

    I saw a post on bluesky saying Steamdeck can’t be widely adopted because of linux. I asked why is that the case? He says "Linux doesn’t run as many games as windows ". I said “only a few and the anti cheat ones”. He kept arguing. I asked him about nintendo and he goes “It has the games to back it up” and I blocked him lol.

    Millions of games are not enough because its FOMO.

    • مهما طال الليل
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      44 hours ago

      I have both. As a pure console I still prefer the Switch, and there is a huge overlap in the games. But the Deck is much more than just a gaming handheld, it is now my only PC as well.

      • @[email protected]
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        53 hours ago

        I understand why there are so many Nintendo gamers. I’m just pointing out the hypocrisy of people. Whenever it comes to linux, they demand everything be perfect. They never show the same attitude towards others. Captialism shills.

        • مهما طال الليل
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          33 hours ago

          Nintendo has fans and is an established brand. But I think what most people dislike is the uncertainty. With the Switch you can know for certain all games you buy will work, but with the Steam Deck it’s not guaranteed though it will scan your library and give you a rating. Though in my case I had many “unsupported” games actually work flawlessly.

          • @[email protected]
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            359 minutes ago

            I think is more of like the fear of the unknown than the uncertainty, for example is uncertain if a new switch game will run well(looking at you pokémon)

    • GHiLA
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      237 hours ago

      Linux doesn’t run as many games as Windows

      I’d argue it runs more due to compatibility breaks. Wine just-werks with a lot of old installers.

      • @[email protected]
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        56 hours ago

        Indeed. I couldn’t get a couple of old 3DO games working on windows 10/11 even though I bought them on Steam.

        Work great on Linux w/ Photon (aka wine).

      • bruhSoulz
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        36 hours ago

        Hit or miss sadly, but still damn close to magic. I can play skyrim and it runs… As expected, but can’t install dark souls rn.

        • @[email protected]
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          3 hours ago

          I’ve got Dark Souls: Prepare to Die Edition (with DSFix) working just fine.

          I don’t remember having to do anything weird… Have you tried ProtonGE? Maybe it was DSFix that makes it work? I don’t remember if I tried playing without DSFix first.

          • bruhSoulz
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            23 hours ago

            My copy’s pirated thats prolly Why u don’t have issues, I’m launching the installer wine installer.exe

              • bruhSoulz
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                237 minutes ago

                Rip. At least my gta5 dodi repack plays… OK. Either play a pirated copy of gta5 or simply don’t play it at all cus my legitimate copy can’t play cus its epic games and the cockstar launcher won’t connect to the internet thus locking me out of the game, even offline🤡. It has issues with light, when it hits at certain angles the whole map becomes white AF and things from a distant draw poorly, like mountains and such. Other than that thank god triple a games are at least playable on gnux. Ty crackers and ty wine+proton :3

                • @[email protected]
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                  115 minutes ago

                  It has issues with light, when it hits at certain angles the whole map becomes white AF and things from a distant draw poorly, like mountains and such

                  WTF

    • TheLastHero [he/him]
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      189 hours ago

      any game that needs to install a rootkit on my computer to play it was never going on my computer anyway. Proton can more or less handle every else on linux at this point. Hardware driver support is getting quite mature too. 2025 is legitimately the year of the linux gaming desktop imo.

  • @[email protected]
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    3410 hours ago

    I’ve been using Linux exclusively for ~14 years now. Heavily gaming on Linux only for the last ~8 years.

    It was possible (though sometimes headache inducing) to play most games back then (Wine and soon Proton to thank) the biggest change IMHO came with SteamPlay since it turned the headache into one click on most games (thanks to the amazing work of wine/proton developers and the tinkering of the community).

    When the SteamDeck released people seemed surprised at the breadth of games that were running on day one. To me it was not really a surprise since I had been Linux gaming with SteamPlay all the time and was almost expecting games to “just work” (though I still would and still am checking ProtonDB before purchase).

    What the SteamDeck changed in my view was

    1. Showing “everyone” that Linux Gaming is a thing that’s happening and been happening for a while. So maybe check it out?
    2. That a Handheld that doesn’t have to work around Windows but uses a purpose built OS just makes a lot more sense

    I feel that the SteamDeck with SteamOS has really put Linux, especially Linux gaming on the map. Even though I want to be like “Linux Gaming has been a thing forever, I was doing it before it was cool” ;) I have to recognize that fact. In the past years I’ve seen so many people setting up Linux especially by the way of SteamOS (using HoloISO, Chimera …) just to play/mess with it which is also why I think an Official SteamOS release will make a huge difference.

    Tl;dr: Gaming on Linux was a thing before. But the SteamDeck/SteamOS 3 made a huge impact nonetheless.

    • @[email protected]
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      38 hours ago

      I haven’t run across a game that hasn’t run on The Deck yet. I know it’s capable of running quite a lot, but I got it to play indie games. It’s been great and does what I want it to do phenomenally. Additionallh if I ever wanted to do something more demanding on it, I could.

      • @[email protected]
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        25 hours ago

        Most demanding thing I’ve tried on it was beam ng drive, it ran but struggled a bit. I’ve never yet been unable to play something I wanted to on it.

    • @[email protected]
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      69 hours ago

      It still feels like magic at times. The SteamDeck is my backlog steamrolling machine (pun intended). Almost every game in my library that I either forgot about or feels wasteful to play on my high-end desktop, runs amazing. I’m replaying Brutal Legend just because it runs so smoothly on my deck.

      When they came out with SteamOS the first time, it felt so good to have a games run on Linux without fiddling with Wine. Those were dark times. The few people making an effort to run their games with the tools they had available where really putting in work to make it happen.

      God, I remember searching the ends of the internet to get Starcraft running at some point. I managed to kinda get it going but it might have taken a few days of troubleshooting silly things.

      If you’ve been at it for 8 years, I appreciate your efforts.

    • مهما طال الليل
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      13 hours ago

      The issue for me that had me buy a Windows 11 laptop was it was the cheapest I could find. Though I have since then given it away and replaced it with a Steam Deck as my only computer.