Crayon
Member
That's an old well worn question but this thread is more about the indirect benefits and long term consequences.
Linux might be the future of gaming on PC, yet I'm not doing anything to help
- Thread starter Arkanius
- Start date
That's an old well worn question but this thread is more about the indirect benefits and long term consequences.
VexationStation
Member
Opportunity cost - the time and developer salary they spent on it was in no way free. The likely cost for it was in the millions.
Xplatformer
Member
Dual Boot. Best of both worlds.
I'm typing this on Elementary OS right now. A much prettier OS than Windows 10, that in it's beta stage is just as stable.
But this would never be the only OS on my computer because gaming, even late in this stage of my life, is still too important and there simply aren't games available for Linux that I love.
Xcom
Shadows of Mordor
Star Citizen
Rocket League
NBA 2k16
Nope.
Hell, I can't even get Netflix/Twitch to run in Chromium, much less game on the damn thing.
I use it for Email, media consumption not on Hulu or Netflix, word processing, entry level video stuff and news. Oh, and browsing the web.
I boot into Windows 10 to game, and I don't see that changing over the next 5 years. I don't need to game on my Linux side though, so I'm happy.
I'm typing this on Elementary OS right now. A much prettier OS than Windows 10, that in it's beta stage is just as stable.
But this would never be the only OS on my computer because gaming, even late in this stage of my life, is still too important and there simply aren't games available for Linux that I love.
Xcom
Shadows of Mordor
Star Citizen
Rocket League
NBA 2k16
Nope.
Hell, I can't even get Netflix/Twitch to run in Chromium, much less game on the damn thing.
I use it for Email, media consumption not on Hulu or Netflix, word processing, entry level video stuff and news. Oh, and browsing the web.
I boot into Windows 10 to game, and I don't see that changing over the next 5 years. I don't need to game on my Linux side though, so I'm happy.
MrCunningham
Member
I think SteamOS has made huge strides to push Linux forward. It's actually quite amazing how much game support there is on Linux compared to five years ago. Bot just games, but game engines and development tools that are getting ported over to Linux.
Right now the Linux desktop is going through some pretty big changes with Mir/ Wayland replacing X11. And Vulkan establishing itself. AMD finally released their first Vulkan enabled drivers for Linux just a few days ago.
But the big problem is that Valve tried to push SteamOS too prematurely into the mainstream. It just wasn't ready yet when they launched it officially. Not in how much software was available for it or driver support.
Xcom 1 and 2 are available on Linux. So is Shadows of Mordor. Rocket League should be available within the next few weeks. The developers of Star Citizen are talking about releasing a Linux build too. The only game that is not going to be available on that list is NBA2K16.
deadscreensky
Member
I remember the first big push for Linux gaming on PCs, as a stand against Windows and its inevitable dark future, back in 1997 or whatever.
I have nothing against Linux -- I think it's a great accomplishment! -- but I can't muster up enough realistic fear to make me switch my PC gaming OS.
I have nothing against Linux -- I think it's a great accomplishment! -- but I can't muster up enough realistic fear to make me switch my PC gaming OS.
FriedConsole
Banned
I remember hearing Linux will be the future in 1998. I actually think it is farther away now.
VexationStation
Member
Early 2000's had the whole: "Intel Palladium everyone move to Linux because Windows will DRM your files" scare as well.
Literally the same cycle repeats:
1) MS does something vaguely threatening to gaming/computing
2) Linux users ask if this is the time of Linux
3) MS acts incompetently
4) Developers of software everywhere act with their best interests in mind and not Microsoft's
5) Everyone agrees back to circle back in 5 years
QuantumSquid
Member
How about you just keep gaming on Windows so you can fully get the experience you paid for by investing in a 980Ti and G-sync monitor?
You are not the single person deciding the fate of the PC gaming universe. If Linux catches on, it will do so regardless of your involvement.
You're placing too much responsibility on yourself for something that no one person can truly impact, short of an insanely popular YouTuber or something.
You bought high end gear to get the best performance - use the OS that gives you the best performance. Don't worry about anything else.
You are not the single person deciding the fate of the PC gaming universe. If Linux catches on, it will do so regardless of your involvement.
You're placing too much responsibility on yourself for something that no one person can truly impact, short of an insanely popular YouTuber or something.
You bought high end gear to get the best performance - use the OS that gives you the best performance. Don't worry about anything else.
It kind of already is the future. Just not of desktop computing.
Crayon
Member
FriedConsole
Banned
This attitude, extended to society at large, will be our downfall.
Wow. A Richard Stallman quote. Now I definitely feel like I have gone back Slashdot in 2003. Are we going to have a discussion where somebody says "free as in beer"?
Nostremitus
Member
I'm with you OP.
I have Linux dual booted, just waiting for the API and drivers to catch up. AMD switching to Open source drivers is a step in the right direction.
I have Linux dual booted, just waiting for the API and drivers to catch up. AMD switching to Open source drivers is a step in the right direction.
Automatisch
Member
I've been an on/off Linux user since the mid-90s, and it's been interesting to see SteamOS/Linux games on Steam grow in the last 2 years. Using SteamDB, I think around 1/4 of my library is already compatible, and many titles I didn't expect to be on that list are showing up. As an OS X user, this has also probably indirectly helped some other games that were possibly in a limbo status/frozen development get a push because of prioritizing SteamOS support, as there are very few (maybe none?) SteamPlay games that don't include Mac if they don't include SteamOS.
I think as long as SteamOS keeps getting worked on/improving, there's always a chance that it could catch on once the hardware prices get cheap enough and the availability is more widespread, but more likely than not it will just continue to exist as a niche until the next big thing in computing comes along.
I think as long as SteamOS keeps getting worked on/improving, there's always a chance that it could catch on once the hardware prices get cheap enough and the availability is more widespread, but more likely than not it will just continue to exist as a niche until the next big thing in computing comes along.
Crayon
Member
He's been the butt of many better jokes than that. Dude knows what he's talking about.
Elfforkusu
Member
Nvidia and Intel drivers have been pretty solid for a while. AMD was still a dumpster fire last I checked, but you bought an AMD, so...
Software library still sucks.
Software library still sucks.
QuantumSquid
Member
You're not wrong. It's selfish, but if I spend hundreds of my hard earned dollars on a top tier graphics card, I want the best performance possible, and right now Windows is what provides that.
Valve's distro had nothing to do with it "flopping." Linux has been "YEAR OF THE DESKTOP"ing for decades now and it never happens. There's too many factors for Linux not being on the uptake. Business being one, games being another (which Valve is attempting to fix), but user friendliness being a major one.
Crayon said:
Is he wrong, though? Linux will not give folks the ability to use that G-sync monitor for a while, if ever.
Linux is the internet in a way. If you're looking to run networking/servers, you're gonna probably be on *NIX/BSD. But as for consumer-level/business stuff that isn't the internet? That's where Microsoft/Windows and Apple/OS X beat it.
Linux distros (mainstream ones) these days are great in terms of usability, safety, and performance. And having most of the drivers bundled into the kernel is just a bonus.
But user adoption is just not where it needs to be if we want the tides to shift for games. And this means not much incentive for game developers to support it. It's a vicious cycle :/
But user adoption is just not where it needs to be if we want the tides to shift for games. And this means not much incentive for game developers to support it. It's a vicious cycle :/
Games are a red herring when it comes to desktop PC OS adoption. The true driver of Windows's ubiquity is Microsoft's complete and total lockdown of the Enterprise/Productivity software environment. Their Office initiatives of late have only been strengthening that stranglehold.
Frankly, it doesn't matter how video game support Linux gets.
Frankly, it doesn't matter how video game support Linux gets.
Crayon
Member
Neither of us are wrong. That's why we are probably going to lose this in the end.
Started using Mint just the other day and I have been rocking GalliumOS on Chromebook since last December.(first time I've touched the OS since 2006) Linux is a great OS, I love the many flavors of it and what each one has to offer. The only problem with it is you have to understand how to use the terminal to fully understand it. (Yes, I know it's not required, but it's a huge part of using the OS vs the CMD prompt in Windows)
I've had lots of success with using playonlinux and playing games but it can be a hassle with some titles out there, but wine has grown a lot recently and it's pretty slick, it's just not as easy as gaming on Windows yet and people are turned off by that.
I hope the next major 16.04 Ubuntu release (which GalliumOS and Mint are based on) turns out to be as great as I have been reading it is. I don't see myself ever stopping using Windows but that won't stop me from using linux on my Chromebook and in VM's.
I've had lots of success with using playonlinux and playing games but it can be a hassle with some titles out there, but wine has grown a lot recently and it's pretty slick, it's just not as easy as gaming on Windows yet and people are turned off by that.
I hope the next major 16.04 Ubuntu release (which GalliumOS and Mint are based on) turns out to be as great as I have been reading it is. I don't see myself ever stopping using Windows but that won't stop me from using linux on my Chromebook and in VM's.
Elfforkusu
Member
???
More people are paid to work on Linux than are paid to work on Windows.
Windows == Microsoft
Linux == Red Hat, Intel, IBM, Samsung, Google, [...]
It is the case that Windows has more money put into the UI. But the biggest problem is simply market share.
Netflix may have some kind of DRM that prevents it from running on Linux, but you can use a third party program called Live streamer to browse Twitch and watch streams in VLC. Pretty slick.
MrCunningham
Member
The only browser that officially supports Netflix on Linux is Google Chrome. And it does work fine. FireFox, and Chromium won't work.
From my experience it isn't there yet. There are reasons to want to use Linux but until developers support it which they won't without mass adoption which is unlikely due to the nature of general public users.
In any case. I have been dual booting for a long time now. Give that a try if you don't mind tinkering.
In any case. I have been dual booting for a long time now. Give that a try if you don't mind tinkering.
Crayon
Member
Google came to the rescue again and you can just use regular chrome to watch netflix now.
Here's a little background on the shitty story.
Lies said:
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VVVV I'D JUST LIKE TO INTERJECT VVVV
Can a mod replace all instances of Linux with GNU/Linux in this thread please? /s
I also dual boot, but disabled some tracking in Windows 10 using this tool: https://github.com/10se1ucgo/DisableWinTracking
Ideally I would play demanding AAA titles on my Win installation and indie titles on Linux, but a lot of indies (especially Unity games) are extremely buggy and have inferior performance on Linux, so I end up playing most games on Windows. :/
Usabilitiywise I prefer Linux by a huuuge margin. There are just so many choices regarding distros/software/desktop environments. Even for beginners it's great because Unity and Gnome are really well configured right out of the box.
Palculator
Unconfirmed Member
It's GNU+Linux.
Gross, keep your GPL3 out of my GPL2.
Palculator
Unconfirmed Member
This was weird to me too at first but you'll learn to love it. Especially because any Linux terminal with a proper shell is so much better than the command line prompt on Windows. Even with Microsoft's silly Powershell, it just doesn't even compare.
No need to start fighting, let's enjoy this instead.
You need widevine plugin for Chromium to watch Netflix, PM me if you need help.
Regarding twitch check out livestreamer, it's such a revelation compared to crappy Flash streaming. I even use it to stream Twitch on Windows because it's so good.
Xplatformer
Member
Oh...my...god.
I installed Steam...saw all my Windows titles available for download on Steam/Elementary OS...Xcom worked flawlessly even with the funky Nvidia drivers.
And then I fucking found the official Google Chrome Linux release...installed it...and Twitch, Neflix AND Hulu all work.
Now I'm pissed because my Linux partition isn't big enough. I take back everything I said.
This link made me a believer again.
Palculator
Unconfirmed Member
This. And if you're an mpv user you can also watch Twitch streams with it (Arch wiki but it's basically the same for other distros.)
NTFS support is still kind of meh (even with ntfs-3g) but it's good enough that it should be fine to just configure an alternative library folder on a larger partition for those games.
O.DOGG
Member
I've been thinking the same thing lately. Microsoft with its tactics is more likely to push me to Linux than make me switch to Windows 10. The main things stopping me right now are gaming (of course) and Photoshop. I recon everything else I can manage to get working in Linux somehow. I hope we see significant advances in the future to make Linux more viable as a gaming platform and hopefully Adobe finally ports Photoshop to it. Then I can dual boot into Windows 8 only to play my older, unsupported games on it. But it's not there yet.
Didn't know about youtube-dl and mpv, that's pretty cool!
To all you Photoshop users out there: Is Gimp really that terrible or are you all doing some advanced stuff that's not available in Gimp?
Haha yeah well the official Chrome Linux packages have Flash (libpepper) and Wivedine included, so that's the easier route for you.
Palculator
Unconfirmed Member
Gimp's biggest problem for me is focus management. It's a relic from its multiple window nonsense that I hate too, but even in the single window mode it sends keyboard input to the most recently used dock. Meaning, if you want to drag and pan the image in the view port by using space + mouse after selecting a new tool from the toolbox, you first have to click into the centre pane to focus it and actually have the keypress register, otherwise it just gets sent to the toolbox. Similarly, if you've just selected a layer and hit space without giving the centre focus you just hide/unhide that layer instead of dragging the viewport. Same goes for other hotkeys.
I know it sounds like a small thing but it drives me insane because it breaks usability on the most basic level. If you know about some setting that fixes this, I'd love to know about it.
The problem here is that someone has to make the first move. Players won't migrate en masse to Linux unless there's incentive for them there, and a s long as Windows (at least on the surface) provides a better or comparable experience, few will be ready to take the plunge, especially considering the added investment of switching OS (don't forget that most pre-built PCs come with some version of Windows pre-installed). At the same time, why would developers make more of an effort if there's no monetary benefit to be had from it? You'd almost certainly have to market some Linux-based system as a new gaming platform, and hope that you get enough outside support and media buzz to significantly cut into the PC market.
I'd say that unless Microsoft does a lot more to close down Windows-based gaming, or other tech companies make a stronger push to expand the market share of Linux, gradually making the move is not a very attractive prospect for developers. And, of course, that argument neglects all the glorious PC ports that seem to be given so little thought even today. I can't imagine some of the publishers out there to want to diversify unless they feel they have to.
I'd say that unless Microsoft does a lot more to close down Windows-based gaming, or other tech companies make a stronger push to expand the market share of Linux, gradually making the move is not a very attractive prospect for developers. And, of course, that argument neglects all the glorious PC ports that seem to be given so little thought even today. I can't imagine some of the publishers out there to want to diversify unless they feel they have to.
This sounds outright horrible. :/
FrozenCell
Member
Gimp has been stale for a while, use Krita & darktable instead (and digiKam for management)
In order to wrest away control from DirectX, the Kronos members need to rally behind Vulkan. Apple, I'm looking at you
It's pretty shifty from Apple to not support Vulkan. They initially rallied behind it but now they dropped it and support Metal only
Do developers know the OS you're using when playing if you're using Steam or whatever? Or your OS when you purchase something? Honest question.
Sephiroth_VII
Member
Yes, they do.