I haven't run Arch Linux, but what I've heard is that you have to know what you're doing in order to run it. So I'm surprised it's the most popular Linux OS after SteamOS. Is it actually less difficult than I heard?
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Valve shows a drop in Linux gamers for march, but the numbers are questionable
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Re: Valve shows a drop in Linux gamers for march, but the numbers are questionable
#42I haven't run Arch Linux, but what I've heard is that you have to know what you're doing in order to run it. So I'm surprised it's the most popular Linux OS after SteamOS. Is it actually less difficult than I heard?
As a Linux noob I decided to try Arch Linux 4 years ago because I wanted to actually learn how the various parts work that make out a whole Linux distro (things like the bootloader, systemd, various desktop environments etc). Other distros give you everything ready out of the box, which made it hard for me to actually dig deeper under the hood, because I had no clue where to start. With Arch Linux you more or less build a whole Linux system from the bottom up.
Following the Arch guides to get a fully working system was easy enough for a complete Linux noob like me. But you still need some basic knowledge about computing, for things like networking, file systems, drive partitioning and such. If you learned this knowledge from other operating systems then Arch Linux is fairly easy to setup by just following their guide.
Re: Valve shows a drop in Linux gamers for march, but the numbers are questionable
#43I haven't run Arch Linux, but what I've heard is that you have to know what you're doing in order to run it. So I'm surprised it's the most popular Linux OS after SteamOS. Is it actually less difficult than I heard?
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Re: Valve shows a drop in Linux gamers for march, but the numbers are questionable
#44Earlier quoted context omitted.
And the average person buying a Deck is a little more technologically inclined and thinks “But the Deck does have Nintendo’s entire back catalog.” Valve even showed off Nintendo emulators in press material “accidentally”. Basically every Steam Deck owner I know uses it as an emulation powerhouse.
And that is why Linux games hardly grow their market relevance, it is either emulating Windows, emulating game consoles, or retrogaming.
Gaming as a whole is almost entirely multi platform these days, aside from a few first party published titles.
Anything playable on MacOS also works on windows. Most mid budget indie games on Windows also have switch ports. Bigger budget ones have PS5 versions. We’re at a point where you just buy what suits your budget and if there’s one exclusive that you want.
It’s not like the Genesis vs the SNES where the libraries were almost entirely different and games were designed with that hardware’s unique strengths in mind.
Linux’s main path to gaming success is being a cheaper, less annoying version of Windows.
Re: Valve shows a drop in Linux gamers for march, but the numbers are questionable
#45I haven't run Arch Linux, but what I've heard is that you have to know what you're doing in order to run it. So I'm surprised it's the most popular Linux OS after SteamOS. Is it actually less difficult than I heard?
I have been using Arch for more than 10 years and it is great.
It has great Wiki to start using it, and it is very stable considering it is a rolling release distro.
Back in the day Ubuntu upgrades were extremely painful for me because I had to use a few custom repositories to get up to date versions of common software and they broke upgrades. On Arch it is not really an issue because everything is up to date. And even if something breaks once in a few years, if you set it up yourself (not using Manjaro) you will most likely have a better understanding of Linux and you will be able to fix those issues. And if you check Arch news before updating, you will never run into those problems in the first place. :)
Re: Valve shows a drop in Linux gamers for march, but the numbers are questionable
#46Just wanted to give kudos to the community and Valve for just how great the gaming experience is on Linux right now.
Over the weekend I tried a game that had a native Linux build. Loads of bugs.
Switched to the windows one running under proton, no bugs.
Re: Valve shows a drop in Linux gamers for march, but the numbers are questionable
#47Why isn't the Steam Deck selling more? It seems like a strictly better version of Switch
Maybe for playing The Witcher 3. But I'd argue they're aimed at different audiences (hardcore vs casual gamer).
Re: Valve shows a drop in Linux gamers for march, but the numbers are questionable
#48Anecdotally, my peak Linux gaming was during the pandemic. I played Warframe and Overwatch in Proton at least a few times a week. Now I mostly play Call of Duty DMZ, which does not run on Proton thanks to anti-cheat, so I play in Windows. I don't have a Steam Deck though. I don't know how much that drove the player numbers. I'll bet Linux gaming gets a bump when CS2 comes out.
Linux gaming for CS2 will be relevant only when major desktop environments (Gnome and KDE) fully implement Wayland screen tearing control and adaptive sync. Overall input lag on Linux is too high for competitive shooters.
Re: Valve shows a drop in Linux gamers for march, but the numbers are questionable
#49Earlier quoted context omitted.
As a SD owner, it's only a "better" version of the Switch through the eyes of Gamers. It's heftier, more expensive, has worse battery life, a worse screen, doesn't have the dock included, and doesn't have Nintendo's back catalog. The average person buying the Switch isn't looking to buy a Linux PC that may or may not support PC games; they want simplicity.
Steam Deck is great device but it saddens me that it has a very poor game catalogue for kids (~5 years). Either the games are not there or it is very hard to find them on Steam. I wish they introduced some separate section, similarly as Netflix or Youtube Kids to solve this issue. Obviously Nintendo and mobile phones have that sorted.
A "couch co-op" section would be great for kids and adults (the existing "co-op" section has Eldin Ring as #1...) in a docked or traditional console setting. My kids love Overcooked, Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime, etc. This maps to how our family uses our Switch as well. It's rare for my kids to use the Switch as a portable handheld.
To me, SD's incredibly wide compatibility has a ton of appeal to my kids. Java Minecraft with mods in a portable Switch form factor? Hell yes!
Re: Valve shows a drop in Linux gamers for march, but the numbers are questionable
#50Earlier quoted context omitted.
Steam Deck is great device but it saddens me that it has a very poor game catalogue for kids (~5 years). Either the games are not there or it is very hard to find them on Steam. I wish they introduced some separate section, similarly as Netflix or Youtube Kids to solve this issue. Obviously Nintendo and mobile phones have that sorted.
A "couch co-op" section would be great for kids and adults (the existing "co-op" section has Eldin Ring as #1...) in a docked or traditional console setting. My kids love Overcooked, Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime, etc. This maps to how our family uses our Switch as well. It's rare for my kids to use the Switch as a portable handheld. To me, SD's incredibly wide compatibility has a ton of appeal to my kids. Java Min…
Under Narrow by number of players there's a Shared/Split Screen Co-op option. Just looking at it, the ones I'm familiar with are all couch co-op type games.