Linux is the future of gaming if Microsoft do not do something

Linux will never be the future of gaming, because Linux will never be mainstream.

gaming will go where the mainstream is, and as long as Linux isn't officially supported by the likes of CoD and the entirety of EA, it will also be a suboptimal alternative.
 
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Linux and SteamOS make sense for hardware manufacturers that don't want to pay the "Windows Tax" on their OEM devices and are already making dedicated gaming machines. The beauty of Proton is that it enables developers to make a game for the most popular gaming platform (Windows) and let people using the least popular platform (Linux) still play the games.

But let's face it, it's going to be a long, long while before Linux becomes "the future" and overtakes Windows. And probably even longer still before game developers will give up on a huge segment of the market to favor Linux over Windows. This is especially true when the path of least resistance is to support both.
 
Is this the same Linux that's currently installed by less than 2% of Steam users?

Don't get me wrong, I'll go where the performance/ease of use is but Linux is a looooong way off.

Isn't there also several issues with anti-cheat methods not running on Linux, rendering those games unplayable?
 
tylrdiablos said:
Is this the same Linux that's currently installed by less than 2% of Steam users?

Don't get me wrong, I'll go where the performance/ease of use is but Linux is a looooong way off.

Isn't there also several issues with anti-cheat methods not running on Linux, rendering those games unplayable?
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This, Microsoft has the monopoly in the PC world…
 
jshackles said:
Linux and SteamOS make sense for hardware manufacturers that don't want to pay the "Windows Tax" on their OEM devices and are already making dedicated gaming machines.
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No, they will be compelled to do so because it's Valve's entering the prefabricated PC market. Even so, it may be more advantageous to reduce the specifications instead the Windows tax, since Windows is necessary for a personal computer imo.
 
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Geometric-Crusher said:
No, they will be compelled to do so because it's Valve's entering the prefabricated PC market. Even so, it may be more advantageous to reduce the specifications insteadthe Windows tax, since Windows is necessary for a personal computer imo.
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I don't think anyone cares about the "personal computer" aspect of these dedicated gaming handhelds, but I could be wrong.

You are kind of right though - if games have better performance while running on Linux, hardware manufacturers can lower their hardware requirements to make the games run similarly to more high-powered devices running Windows. That's a double-win for them, not having to put in more expensive components, and not having to buy a license from Microsoft.
 
Us old millenial farts that grew up on Windows are gradually replaced by gen z and alpha who aren't Windows but Android natives. Guess what Android is based on. They couldn't care less about your dear excel spreadsheets or minesweeper. It's crazy to think how far Linux has come the past 20 years. I used to think the gap will never close between Windows and Linux because for quite some time, Windows was constantly brining something substantially new to the OS. That has long stagnated, though. Which opens up opportunities for others to catch up.
 
jshackles said:
You are kind of right though - if games have better performance while running on Linux, hardware manufacturers can lower their hardware requirements to make the games run similarly to more high-powered devices running Windows. That's a double-win for them, not having to put in more expensive components, and not having to buy a license from Microsoft.
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That's not what I meant. I meant the following: the Steam Machine has its own gpu and Linux, and that will come at a price. How can Asus or Lenovo compete with that in terms of price versus performance? It's impossible. So the best solution is to make a product with a weaker gpu and keep Windows. This will be better for these companies than removing Windows and installing Linux because then I would be forced to install Windows myself, and that doesn't appeal to me.
 
HerjansEagleFeeder said:
Us old millenial farts that grew up on Windows are gradually replaced by gen z and alpha who aren't Windows but Android natives. Guess what Android is based on. They couldn't care less about your dear excel spreadsheets or minesweeper. It's crazy to think how far Linux has come the past 20 years. I used to think the gap will never close between Windows and Linux because for quite some time, Windows was constantly brining something substantially new to the OS. That has long stagnated, though. Which opens up opportunities for others to catch up.
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You honestly believe those children didn't grow up in a home that had a device running Windows or Mac OS? How many of you guys with children on this site can say your child has no experience navigating Windows?
 
I use Windows 11 at work, Mac for media encoding/Plex, and use SteamOS for PC gaming.

I got rid of my Windows PC a couple of years ago when advertising became really intrusive. Unless they turn it around, I just don't see myself going back.
 
Geometric-Crusher said:
That's not what I meant. I meant the following: the Steam Machine has its own gpu and Linux, and that will come at a price. How can Asus or Lenovo compete with that in terms of price versus performance? It's impossible. So the best solution is to make a product with a weaker gpu and keep Windows. This will be better for these companies than removing Windows and installing Linux because then I would be forced to install Windows myself, and that doesn't appeal to me.
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Many laptop manufacturers already sell Linux versions of certain gaming laptops at lower price points. So the answer is they do both.
 
OverHeat said:
Guys….gaming is not only PC
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The PS5 runs an OS that's based on FreeBSD (Unix). Linux is based on Unix. Maybe it's fair to say that Unix is the future of gaming.
 
I've always been a Windows using all the way back in XP but I'm fine if Linux grows and becomes a rival. Don't really like how Windows is shoving A.I and requiring your info etc so would move to Linus if it ever becomes bigger and better.
 
Could not care less about MS getting their shit together. For me, everything I do works with Linux, including my sort of gaming.

My guess is that I am just happy to have a Choice. And anything that is not available/not working with my OS of choice simply does not exist for me. I even do not care if things perform better or not, that is not the Point anymore.

They already decided to continue doing dumb and mostly unwanted things. Repeatedly. Question is, Why should I rely or trust them any further than this if there are other options?
 
I think most of the Linux growth will be through devices like Steam Deck and Steam Machine. I'm technically part of the 3% because of the Steam Deck but my main PC will always be Windows.
 
jshackles said:
The PS5 runs an OS that's based on FreeBSD (Unix). Linux is based on Unix. Maybe it's fair to say that Unix is the future of gaming.
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If you think about it from a broader gaming standpoint, Unix/Linux is already the most popular gaming platform when you take into account all the smartphones in the world.
 
Guilty_AI said:
That would technically make Unix the present of gaming
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Google tells me that Steam has 220 million active users - and assuming 3% of those are running Linux that makes 6.6m Linux users. Google also says there are 119 million active PlayStation (4 and 5) users. So, that's 125.6m of 339m Unix enjoyers between the two platforms, or 37%.

Throw in Xbox users (35m console only users, hard to find data not linked to Windows PCs here) and 128m Nintendo users, and that percentage grows smaller.
 
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