6 ms·

Newest Linux Gaming Predictions for 2023

54 points by ekianjo 4y ago

sylware 4y ago
Prediction: Valve will cleanup the technical abomination which is the current steam client: clean 64bits (yeah, the core is still 32bits...), libdl-ing all its system deps (yeah, it is still statically loading libgl...), static libstdc++ and static libgcc to avoid those horrible ABIs, shell scripts with program helpers and conservative usage of command options and not bash scripts using command niche options (often gnu only, or alternative breaking, for instance alternatives of the "official xz"). Ofc, beyond compile-time OS abstraction tables of functions, proper runtime fallback tables of functions (wayland->x11, vulkan->GL->CPU), but since libcef (the steam client is moving to libcef) is blink, they don't do anything, google seems to do everything here (hope I am wrong). Ofc, all game engines will be coded properly the same way. It seems unity3D is doing exactly that (but their vulkan3D backend seems far to be on par with their glcore backend). Elephant is the room: c++ is not mean for binary-only games on elf/linux since the static libstdc++ does not libdl (dlopen/dlsym/dlclose) its system dependency (unless it was fixed by c++ gcc devs and I missed it). absolute truth: c++ syntax has a toxic complexity, not to mention its absurd and grotesque _very few_ required compilers in size and complexity. And of course: Silksong, Half-life 3, dota2 out of beta and more native AAA (irony). I don't talk about proton, which does just displace the QA which should be done by the game devs on native elf/linux to the "proton devs" (probably a money sink hole for valve) which have to deal with the massive bloat and kludge, msft grade (yeah...), of its code and SDK. It would be more reasonable with a lean build of wine(win64 core)+only vkd3d(dx12->vulkan), but I guess few to no games would run on that. Heard proton has straight copies of windows components... which would make things even worse.
- recursive_loops 4y ago
  I for one would be very happy if they clean up the 32bit parts. On Fedora I haven't been able to get rid of a start-up warning saying 32 bit libs are missing (installing them doesn't seem to fix it). Fortunately I can launch games and do Steam Link just fine, so it's more an annoying dialog to click "Ok" on. But it does break anytime they push updates as Steam can't restart itself. I also occasionally have to `pkill -9 steam` as it doesn't properly handle signals so will ignore anything it can. Minor complaints to be sure, but would be great to get cleaned up.
- smoldesu 4y ago
  > the "proton devs" (probably a money sink hole for valve) It's probably a ridiculous figure. However, compared to the amount Sony/Nintendo/Microsoft spends engineering their console runtimes, I bet it makes a lot more sense. It also helps that Valve doesn't have to maintain Wine by themselves, with various cross-platform stakeholders funding and making contributions. It's obvious that Proton/DXVK/Wine is a passion project for Valve, but much harder to tell if they're seriously threatening the idea of a "Windows runtime". > Elephant is the room: c++ is not mean for binary-only games I think I agree with you. Steam's runtime provides a lot of stuff (probably standardized libstdc++), so it's hard to truly evaluate how true this is. That being said... both Steam and Wine do a really good job juggling it. Steam works roughly the same on NixOS, Arch, Flatpak and Snap - that's a better starting point than most software clients get.
  - fbdab103 4y ago
    >if they're seriously threatening the idea of a "Windows runtime". From my vantage point, it certainly seems successful. I finally ditched my Windows gaming-only PC last year. Granted, people like me are likely less than a single digit percentage of gamers, but we exist, and as Proton compatibility improves, the percentage could rise.
    - smoldesu 4y ago
      Yep, I'm in the same boat. I reserve my judgement though, since a lot of people are still Windows-first and Microsoft has yet to make a Hail-Mary powergrab for DirectX.
    - pjmlp 4y ago
      I advise a visit to OS/2 museum.
  - 7speter 4y ago
    I guess it's a sinkhole, but its more of an investment for Valve's future. If Microsoft comes down hard with pushing the Microsoft Store, especially since they now own how many different game studios, Valve (and the other Launcher/Gaming storefronts) will be pushed out of existence. Now, while Valve continues to hold influence in how games are distributed online, they are finding a way to exist without Windows and Microsoft. Steam is the easiest way to get games to play on Linux, and people can (and will) jump the Windows ship and still be able to buy games from Steam, allowing Steam to weather any attempts by Microsoft to put it out of business.
- PaulDavisThe1st 4y ago
  > c++ syntax has a toxic complexity irrelevant. any language that allows polymorphism (i.e same name for a procedure call with different versions used for different argument types) has to do some sort of naming trick to make this possible (since the idea is unknown at assembler or linker level). what makes c++ tricky for linkage is almost entirely just this, which has nothing to do with c++ syntax at all.
freedomben 4y ago
The prediction about Linux breaking 2% is interesting. As a Linux gamer is does often feel like we're such a tiny minority that rapid multiple growth wouldn't even make a difference, but something has really changed over the last year. A lot of people who are Linux-friendly but choose Windows for their PC and macOS for their work machine are buying Steam Decks and loving it. The Deck is getting covered like crazy in mainsteam gaming media (possibly this is a google-created echo chamber around me as they know how to get me to click, but I don't think that's all it is). I don't see the waves converting en masse, but things are really happening in a way I've never seen before, and have hoped for years. Related, I have a lot of love for what Steam is doing for Linux.
- waboremo 4y ago
  Turns out, as ChromeOS and Android has proven, and now the Deck the best way to increase linux usage is to not immediately drop someone into the hot mess that are mainstream DEs for linux.
  - Dalewyn 4y ago
    The fact most Linux neckbeards fervently deny Android as a Linux distro points to the reasons why Linux has thus far never achieved mainstream acceptance outside of the aforementioned.
    - Teever 4y ago
      I wonder how much disdain the community has for Android is based around the locked down hardware that it is almost exclusively found on,
      - cma 4y ago
        For a good while you couldn't even use the steamdeck touchpads in desktop mode without Google Play Servi... I mean the Steam client running.
        4y ago
fbdab103 4y ago
>Finally, GOG announces official Linux support for GOG Galaxy That would really be a dream come true. Especially if it could tie into Proton's WINE layer automatically. Right now, I have to jump through a few hoops to get some GOG games playable. Sometimes I fail.
- tmtvl 4y ago
  Well GOG had announced GNU/Linux support for Galaxy and after many years of hard work they finally managed to unannounce it. Not saying they won't announce it, but it happening seems as likely as NASA delivering evidence that the Moon is made of cheese.
zamadatix 4y ago
As much as I like Codeweavers the predictions seem the most off. 0.89% in Jun 2021 -> 1.27% in Feb 2023 is given as reasoning to expect it to be 3% or greater in 10 months but 2 additional cloud gaming services by the end of the year is a "very longshot" despite that being met the last couple of years in a row already. AAA exclusives seem to be on the decline but the Steam Deck should get one? Maybe if Valve makes one themselves but even then it doesn't feel likely they'd just not sell it to other Steam users to say the Steam Deck has an exclusive. A newer Steam Machine like console device seems plausible though. The other predictions seem more reasonable. It seems 2% market share is a common guess. Personally I think that's still optimistic but at least plausible. Nick's predictions overall seem pretty reasonable and it might be because they resist the urge to insist an instant upset is an inevitability. Time will tell though! Like the 10 year HN threads I look forward to looking back at this comment and seeing if I was actually any more reasonable with my assumptions.
- lostmsu 4y ago
  I am working on a cloud gaming service, that should go public beta by the end of the year.
zamalek 4y ago
If the Windows 12 rumors (CorePC etc.) are really true, and Windows continues down the path of PMs and designers handing out orders from their Macs, I expect a temporary jump in the amount of gamers jumping ship.
- 7speter 4y ago
  I think the whole "moving security tools on a vm that will eat up cpu cores" will be the issue to watch this year on Windows 11. There's a lot of these new crazy Windows features (that reveal why Microsoft set a hard line on the age of hardware that can be used going forward) that have the potential to be breaking points for various segments of the Windows userbase. But maybe I'm just blindly optimistic, and Microsoft has studied windows users enough to know how much they can abuse them.
  - pjmlp 4y ago
    With my security hat on, many of those features are more than welcomed by SecDevOps, specially when many insist writing software in languages like C and C++ is still the way to go.
    - 7speter 4y ago
      Maybe this is old and outdated, but isn't Linux mostly just more secure that WIndows based on how it's designed (I'm thinking mainly about how administrative tasks require sudo level authorization, btut here's probably more)? YEs, if you have to use linux, it's probably a great thing to have security run features run in a virtual environment, nut I think people who have an old system and don't want to buy a new computer might look at other options that don't just chew up system resources. Sudo doesn't require little cores.
      - pjmlp 4y ago
        Not really, specially after Windows XP security focus. Nowadays Windows even runs critical parts of the kernel and drivers in their own little sandboxes, it uses mostly userspace drivers, and every OS handle has a security descriptor associated with it. Also if running on the network, there are AD group policies that can be really fined tuned to what each user is allowed to access on their computers. Windows NT linage of OSes isn't the same free ride for all than Windows 9x.
aquova 4y ago
Some of these predictions are reasonable, but some of these are pretty out there. I'm as diehard a Linux user as any, but some of these feel like they live in their own little bubble a bit too much. > The announcement of an updated Steam Deck I think this is way too soon, it's only been out just over a year. It reminds me of people convinced the Switch Pro will be just around the corner. They may come out with a better Steam Deck, but I don't think it will be for a while (and I personally hope they don't move into some annual upgrade pattern). > We will see some sort of VR device for the Steam Deck in 2023 I just can't picture how this would even work. They're completely different products for different demographics, and trying to mush them together makes no sense. Maybe we'll get an updated Valve Index, but not some Steam Deck specific thing. > Next, I believe that there will be a AAA game exclusive for the Steam Deck in 2023. Even if Linux had sizable enough market share to justify not making a Windows port, there's nothing about the Steam Deck hardware that would make a game Deck only. > This is my longshot… I predict a Steam-based console comparable to the Xbox or PS5 will be announced before the end of this year. A longshot indeed. I don't think there's even the slightest chance of this, especially given the fate of the Steam machines. > Epic provides official support for Linux on the EGS and puts Heroic Games Launcher out of business > Finally, GOG annouces official Linux support for GOG Galaxy I think these ships have sailed. As much as I and everyone else wanted GOG Galaxy for Linux, they seem disinclined to do so. Epic seems even less likely to support anything other than Windows. > Ubuntu has lost its top spot as the gaming Linux platform. This I believe actually. I think Arch-based distros have been higher on the Steam survey for a while, and I don't see that changing.
- fendy3002 4y ago
  > there's nothing about the Steam Deck hardware that would make a game Deck only. Yes, AAA exclusive for steam deck is too unrealistic. However AA or indies with steam deck-first platform may be emerging, that they'll focus on the screen size and controls of deck.
  - brucethemoose2 4y ago
    Yeah, but they would have to be crazy to make the games linux exclusive. Even if you set the shut out market thing aside, Proton is an excellent platform to target. Theres basically no disadvantage vs targeting linux native unless your game is java+opengl or something.
NilsIRL 4y ago
There should really be probabilities associated with the predictions otherwise it's pretty meaningless.
7speter 4y ago
>Ubuntu has lost its top spot as the gaming Linux platform. Despite Canonical’s attempt to bolster its status as a gaming platform, it will remain in second place. With the nature of Linux gaming, where tools that are either used to make games run better, or bring features tinkerers/power users use to linux (like MangoHud and Goverlay), I think, at least in the near future, the best distros to use for Linux gaming will have to be rolling. I've tried a few Ubuntu derived distros (Mint and Tuxedo OS), and there are still some holes because their repos aren't kept up to date (in the case of Tuxedo OS, the devs for that distro mirror Ubuntu's repositories and do some things their way, so as to tailor the Ubuntu experience to the hardware their company sells, is my understanding), and many of the devs working on these tools for Linux are Arch users. The Debian and Ubuntu ecosystems are overall known for their stability, but it seems that that's whats holding back that whole family of distros, for the most part, from being ideal distributions for gaming on Linux. Arch is rolling and may be great for people who want to learn everything about how Linux works, but I don't know if it's great for people who may want to try and game on Linux with a system they have that they can't install Windows 11 on. This leads me to think the OpenSuse family of distros (OpenSuse and Gecko, which is sort of a user friendly wrapper applied to Open Suse), which are known for being rolling and having the software tested by the OpenSuse team before being added to repos, could be the darkhorse distro for people who are curious about gaming on Linux. I think, at least for a while, until things cool down and settle, Ubuntu and it's offshoot distros will move a bit further down than second place.
- clvx 4y ago
  Even people disagree with snap I look forward to it for this specific use case. I want parts of my system to be stable and LTS and others to be pulling the latest features. On top of this a way to rollback to whichever version in a safe and reproducible manner. Rolling release is nice but sometimes it creates real headaches.
  - 7speter 4y ago
    This could be a good use case for snap, but preventing users from choosing native versions of applications and installing firefox as a snap by default made me exiled me from Kubuntu, at least for now.
orsenthil 4y ago
What is a steam deck? How is it related to linux?
- Inityx 4y ago
  https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2022/02/linux-on-steam-deck-what-you-need-to-know-what-currently-works/ https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2022/02/linux-on-steam-deck-w... https://www.makeuseof.com/reasons-why-people-stick-with-linux-on-steam-deck/ https://www.makeuseof.com/reasons-why-people-stick-with-linu...
- lucideer 4y ago
  The Steam Deck is the most well known gaming device sold running Linux, made by the most well known PC gaming company, who are often credited with making the most significant contributions to Linux gaming in recent years (~5+ years).
  - dogma1138 4y ago
    Yet most people who use a steam deck install Windows on it.
RegularOpossum 4y ago
> Microsoft will release a XBox portable console by the end of the Year. I could definitely see them making a portable game streaming device, stream from the cloud or your Xbox Series X. Sure there's already some products that do this but it makes a lot of sense for Microsoft so they can drive more GamePass subscriptions.
- 7speter 4y ago
  It could as simple as a Microsoft Surface tablet or laptop…
- dogma1138 4y ago
  They already have a streaming service I don’t see them going into even more hardware that would likely be sold at a loss. And not for nothing but counter intuitively streaming and portable gaming isn’t a good combination.
poink 4y ago
I know several non-techie people who have Decks now. Some are into casual PC games that don't have mobile ports but work really well on Deck, and others are hardcore console gamers whose favorite games have a PC port but don't ship on Switch or whatever. I also know a couple Linux users who are playing a lot more games recently because so much stuff just works now. Thanks Valve.

54 points by ekianjo 4y ago

Prediction: Valve will cleanup the technical abomination which is the current steam client: clean 64bits (yeah, the core is still 32bits...), libdl-ing all its system deps (yeah, it is still statically loading libgl...), static libstdc++ and static libgcc to avoid those horrible ABIs, shell scripts with program helpers and conservative usage of command options and not bash scripts using command niche options (often gnu only, or alternative breaking, for instance alternatives of the "official xz"). Ofc, beyond compile-time OS abstraction tables of functions, proper runtime fallback tables of functions (wayland->x11, vulkan->GL->CPU), but since libcef (the steam client is moving to libcef) is blink, they don't do anything, google seems to do everything here (hope I am wrong). Ofc, all game engines will be coded properly the same way. It seems unity3D is doing exactly that (but their vulkan3D backend seems far to be on par with their glcore backend). Elephant is the room: c++ is not mean for binary-only games on elf/linux since the static libstdc++ does not libdl (dlopen/dlsym/dlclose) its system dependency (unless it was fixed by c++ gcc devs and I missed it). absolute truth: c++ syntax has a toxic complexity, not to mention its absurd and grotesque _very few_ required compilers in size and complexity. And of course: Silksong, Half-life 3, dota2 out of beta and more native AAA (irony). I don't talk about proton, which does just displace the QA which should be done by the game devs on native elf/linux to the "proton devs" (probably a money sink hole for valve) which have to deal with the massive bloat and kludge, msft grade (yeah...), of its code and SDK. It would be more reasonable with a lean build of wine(win64 core)+only vkd3d(dx12->vulkan), but I guess few to no games would run on that. Heard proton has straight copies of windows components... which would make things even worse.

recursive_loops 4y ago
I for one would be very happy if they clean up the 32bit parts. On Fedora I haven't been able to get rid of a start-up warning saying 32 bit libs are missing (installing them doesn't seem to fix it). Fortunately I can launch games and do Steam Link just fine, so it's more an annoying dialog to click "Ok" on. But it does break anytime they push updates as Steam can't restart itself. I also occasionally have to `pkill -9 steam` as it doesn't properly handle signals so will ignore anything it can. Minor complaints to be sure, but would be great to get cleaned up.
smoldesu 4y ago
> the "proton devs" (probably a money sink hole for valve) It's probably a ridiculous figure. However, compared to the amount Sony/Nintendo/Microsoft spends engineering their console runtimes, I bet it makes a lot more sense. It also helps that Valve doesn't have to maintain Wine by themselves, with various cross-platform stakeholders funding and making contributions. It's obvious that Proton/DXVK/Wine is a passion project for Valve, but much harder to tell if they're seriously threatening the idea of a "Windows runtime". > Elephant is the room: c++ is not mean for binary-only games I think I agree with you. Steam's runtime provides a lot of stuff (probably standardized libstdc++), so it's hard to truly evaluate how true this is. That being said... both Steam and Wine do a really good job juggling it. Steam works roughly the same on NixOS, Arch, Flatpak and Snap - that's a better starting point than most software clients get.
- fbdab103 4y ago
  >if they're seriously threatening the idea of a "Windows runtime". From my vantage point, it certainly seems successful. I finally ditched my Windows gaming-only PC last year. Granted, people like me are likely less than a single digit percentage of gamers, but we exist, and as Proton compatibility improves, the percentage could rise.
  - smoldesu 4y ago
    Yep, I'm in the same boat. I reserve my judgement though, since a lot of people are still Windows-first and Microsoft has yet to make a Hail-Mary powergrab for DirectX.
  - pjmlp 4y ago
    I advise a visit to OS/2 museum.
- 7speter 4y ago
  I guess it's a sinkhole, but its more of an investment for Valve's future. If Microsoft comes down hard with pushing the Microsoft Store, especially since they now own how many different game studios, Valve (and the other Launcher/Gaming storefronts) will be pushed out of existence. Now, while Valve continues to hold influence in how games are distributed online, they are finding a way to exist without Windows and Microsoft. Steam is the easiest way to get games to play on Linux, and people can (and will) jump the Windows ship and still be able to buy games from Steam, allowing Steam to weather any attempts by Microsoft to put it out of business.
PaulDavisThe1st 4y ago
> c++ syntax has a toxic complexity irrelevant. any language that allows polymorphism (i.e same name for a procedure call with different versions used for different argument types) has to do some sort of naming trick to make this possible (since the idea is unknown at assembler or linker level). what makes c++ tricky for linkage is almost entirely just this, which has nothing to do with c++ syntax at all.

freedomben 4y ago

The prediction about Linux breaking 2% is interesting. As a Linux gamer is does often feel like we're such a tiny minority that rapid multiple growth wouldn't even make a difference, but something has really changed over the last year. A lot of people who are Linux-friendly but choose Windows for their PC and macOS for their work machine are buying Steam Decks and loving it. The Deck is getting covered like crazy in mainsteam gaming media (possibly this is a google-created echo chamber around me as they know how to get me to click, but I don't think that's all it is). I don't see the waves converting en masse, but things are really happening in a way I've never seen before, and have hoped for years. Related, I have a lot of love for what Steam is doing for Linux.

waboremo 4y ago
Turns out, as ChromeOS and Android has proven, and now the Deck the best way to increase linux usage is to not immediately drop someone into the hot mess that are mainstream DEs for linux.
- Dalewyn 4y ago
  The fact most Linux neckbeards fervently deny Android as a Linux distro points to the reasons why Linux has thus far never achieved mainstream acceptance outside of the aforementioned.
  - Teever 4y ago
    I wonder how much disdain the community has for Android is based around the locked down hardware that it is almost exclusively found on,
    - cma 4y ago
      For a good while you couldn't even use the steamdeck touchpads in desktop mode without Google Play Servi... I mean the Steam client running.
      - 4y ago

fbdab103 4y ago

>Finally, GOG announces official Linux support for GOG Galaxy That would really be a dream come true. Especially if it could tie into Proton's WINE layer automatically. Right now, I have to jump through a few hoops to get some GOG games playable. Sometimes I fail.

tmtvl 4y ago
Well GOG had announced GNU/Linux support for Galaxy and after many years of hard work they finally managed to unannounce it. Not saying they won't announce it, but it happening seems as likely as NASA delivering evidence that the Moon is made of cheese.

zamadatix 4y ago

As much as I like Codeweavers the predictions seem the most off. 0.89% in Jun 2021 -> 1.27% in Feb 2023 is given as reasoning to expect it to be 3% or greater in 10 months but 2 additional cloud gaming services by the end of the year is a "very longshot" despite that being met the last couple of years in a row already. AAA exclusives seem to be on the decline but the Steam Deck should get one? Maybe if Valve makes one themselves but even then it doesn't feel likely they'd just not sell it to other Steam users to say the Steam Deck has an exclusive. A newer Steam Machine like console device seems plausible though. The other predictions seem more reasonable. It seems 2% market share is a common guess. Personally I think that's still optimistic but at least plausible. Nick's predictions overall seem pretty reasonable and it might be because they resist the urge to insist an instant upset is an inevitability. Time will tell though! Like the 10 year HN threads I look forward to looking back at this comment and seeing if I was actually any more reasonable with my assumptions.

lostmsu 4y ago
I am working on a cloud gaming service, that should go public beta by the end of the year.

zamalek 4y ago

If the Windows 12 rumors (CorePC etc.) are really true, and Windows continues down the path of PMs and designers handing out orders from their Macs, I expect a temporary jump in the amount of gamers jumping ship.

7speter 4y ago
I think the whole "moving security tools on a vm that will eat up cpu cores" will be the issue to watch this year on Windows 11. There's a lot of these new crazy Windows features (that reveal why Microsoft set a hard line on the age of hardware that can be used going forward) that have the potential to be breaking points for various segments of the Windows userbase. But maybe I'm just blindly optimistic, and Microsoft has studied windows users enough to know how much they can abuse them.
- pjmlp 4y ago
  With my security hat on, many of those features are more than welcomed by SecDevOps, specially when many insist writing software in languages like C and C++ is still the way to go.
  - 7speter 4y ago
    Maybe this is old and outdated, but isn't Linux mostly just more secure that WIndows based on how it's designed (I'm thinking mainly about how administrative tasks require sudo level authorization, btut here's probably more)? YEs, if you have to use linux, it's probably a great thing to have security run features run in a virtual environment, nut I think people who have an old system and don't want to buy a new computer might look at other options that don't just chew up system resources. Sudo doesn't require little cores.
    - pjmlp 4y ago
      Not really, specially after Windows XP security focus. Nowadays Windows even runs critical parts of the kernel and drivers in their own little sandboxes, it uses mostly userspace drivers, and every OS handle has a security descriptor associated with it. Also if running on the network, there are AD group policies that can be really fined tuned to what each user is allowed to access on their computers. Windows NT linage of OSes isn't the same free ride for all than Windows 9x.

aquova 4y ago

Some of these predictions are reasonable, but some of these are pretty out there. I'm as diehard a Linux user as any, but some of these feel like they live in their own little bubble a bit too much. > The announcement of an updated Steam Deck I think this is way too soon, it's only been out just over a year. It reminds me of people convinced the Switch Pro will be just around the corner. They may come out with a better Steam Deck, but I don't think it will be for a while (and I personally hope they don't move into some annual upgrade pattern). > We will see some sort of VR device for the Steam Deck in 2023 I just can't picture how this would even work. They're completely different products for different demographics, and trying to mush them together makes no sense. Maybe we'll get an updated Valve Index, but not some Steam Deck specific thing. > Next, I believe that there will be a AAA game exclusive for the Steam Deck in 2023. Even if Linux had sizable enough market share to justify not making a Windows port, there's nothing about the Steam Deck hardware that would make a game Deck only. > This is my longshot… I predict a Steam-based console comparable to the Xbox or PS5 will be announced before the end of this year. A longshot indeed. I don't think there's even the slightest chance of this, especially given the fate of the Steam machines. > Epic provides official support for Linux on the EGS and puts Heroic Games Launcher out of business > Finally, GOG annouces official Linux support for GOG Galaxy I think these ships have sailed. As much as I and everyone else wanted GOG Galaxy for Linux, they seem disinclined to do so. Epic seems even less likely to support anything other than Windows. > Ubuntu has lost its top spot as the gaming Linux platform. This I believe actually. I think Arch-based distros have been higher on the Steam survey for a while, and I don't see that changing.

fendy3002 4y ago
> there's nothing about the Steam Deck hardware that would make a game Deck only. Yes, AAA exclusive for steam deck is too unrealistic. However AA or indies with steam deck-first platform may be emerging, that they'll focus on the screen size and controls of deck.
- brucethemoose2 4y ago
  Yeah, but they would have to be crazy to make the games linux exclusive. Even if you set the shut out market thing aside, Proton is an excellent platform to target. Theres basically no disadvantage vs targeting linux native unless your game is java+opengl or something.

NilsIRL 4y ago

There should really be probabilities associated with the predictions otherwise it's pretty meaningless.

7speter 4y ago

>Ubuntu has lost its top spot as the gaming Linux platform. Despite Canonical’s attempt to bolster its status as a gaming platform, it will remain in second place. With the nature of Linux gaming, where tools that are either used to make games run better, or bring features tinkerers/power users use to linux (like MangoHud and Goverlay), I think, at least in the near future, the best distros to use for Linux gaming will have to be rolling. I've tried a few Ubuntu derived distros (Mint and Tuxedo OS), and there are still some holes because their repos aren't kept up to date (in the case of Tuxedo OS, the devs for that distro mirror Ubuntu's repositories and do some things their way, so as to tailor the Ubuntu experience to the hardware their company sells, is my understanding), and many of the devs working on these tools for Linux are Arch users. The Debian and Ubuntu ecosystems are overall known for their stability, but it seems that that's whats holding back that whole family of distros, for the most part, from being ideal distributions for gaming on Linux. Arch is rolling and may be great for people who want to learn everything about how Linux works, but I don't know if it's great for people who may want to try and game on Linux with a system they have that they can't install Windows 11 on. This leads me to think the OpenSuse family of distros (OpenSuse and Gecko, which is sort of a user friendly wrapper applied to Open Suse), which are known for being rolling and having the software tested by the OpenSuse team before being added to repos, could be the darkhorse distro for people who are curious about gaming on Linux. I think, at least for a while, until things cool down and settle, Ubuntu and it's offshoot distros will move a bit further down than second place.

clvx 4y ago
Even people disagree with snap I look forward to it for this specific use case. I want parts of my system to be stable and LTS and others to be pulling the latest features. On top of this a way to rollback to whichever version in a safe and reproducible manner. Rolling release is nice but sometimes it creates real headaches.
- 7speter 4y ago
  This could be a good use case for snap, but preventing users from choosing native versions of applications and installing firefox as a snap by default made me exiled me from Kubuntu, at least for now.

orsenthil 4y ago

What is a steam deck? How is it related to linux?

Inityx 4y ago
https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2022/02/linux-on-steam-deck-what-you-need-to-know-what-currently-works/ https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2022/02/linux-on-steam-deck-w... https://www.makeuseof.com/reasons-why-people-stick-with-linux-on-steam-deck/ https://www.makeuseof.com/reasons-why-people-stick-with-linu...
lucideer 4y ago
The Steam Deck is the most well known gaming device sold running Linux, made by the most well known PC gaming company, who are often credited with making the most significant contributions to Linux gaming in recent years (~5+ years).
- dogma1138 4y ago
  Yet most people who use a steam deck install Windows on it.

RegularOpossum 4y ago

> Microsoft will release a XBox portable console by the end of the Year. I could definitely see them making a portable game streaming device, stream from the cloud or your Xbox Series X. Sure there's already some products that do this but it makes a lot of sense for Microsoft so they can drive more GamePass subscriptions.

7speter 4y ago
It could as simple as a Microsoft Surface tablet or laptop…
dogma1138 4y ago
They already have a streaming service I don’t see them going into even more hardware that would likely be sold at a loss. And not for nothing but counter intuitively streaming and portable gaming isn’t a good combination.

poink 4y ago

I know several non-techie people who have Decks now. Some are into casual PC games that don't have mobile ports but work really well on Deck, and others are hardcore console gamers whose favorite games have a PC port but don't ship on Switch or whatever. I also know a couple Linux users who are playing a lot more games recently because so much stuff just works now. Thanks Valve.