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I can't wait. I recently built a gaming PC and installed Windows on it, having only used macOS/Linux since about 2008. People decry the fall in quality of macOS

I can't wait. I recently built a gaming PC and installed Windows on it, having only used macOS/Linux since about 2008. People decry the fall in quality of macOS, but damn did using modern Windows make me appreciate macOS more. I'm still now, 6 months later, finding new places I need to disable Edge, new adverts I need to disable, new dark patterns, new subscription trials to dodge. I look forward to the day I can run Steam OS on it and never touch Windows again.

xnickb 1y ago
Nothing is stopping you from switching right away. It's not as hard. You can check whether the games you are interested in are supported on protondb
- danpalmer 1y ago
  I know, I have a Steam Deck and enjoy Steam OS on that, but what I want is as close to a console like experience (which is what Windows is not giving me). Right now it seems that DIY installs of Steam OS are not yet as simple as I want for that sort of experience, and I'm not looking for another Linux sysadmin hobby machine, I've got enough of those. I'm waiting until there's a big download button on a Valve page, and ideally a supported upgrade path from an existing Windows install.
  - constantcrying 1y ago
    There is nothing Steam OS will give you that isn't available right now. Use any low maintenance Linux distro and install Steam through flatpak and you got the exact experience you want. There is no difference. You are waiting for something which might never come out so that installing might be 10 minutes faster. That is totally absurd. Steam OS ist not more maintenance than any other low maintenance distro.
    - danpalmer 1y ago
      I've used low maintenance Linux distros, and they're not comparable to Steam OS in my experience. It's not about a 10 minute install, it's about the hour here and there to update, to fix, to browse the Arch wiki to figure out why my bluetooth mouse doesn't work today. Linux is a lot better than it was 10+ years ago, but to say it's as low maintenance as a game console (which is what my Steam Deck is to me), is actually absurd.
      - Matthyze 1y ago
        Exactly. Linux is great but never actually 'low maintenance'. I personally felt like my OS needed frequent attention.
  - aaomidi 1y ago
    Bazzite is what you’re asking for.
    - danpalmer 1y ago
      Thanks, I wasn't aware of Bazzite. It does look like it might be the solution. I'm skeptical given my experience with Linux distros, even very well supported ones, but I may give it a go.
- rockyj 1y ago
  Nope, do not fall into the hype, i did this and a lot of games did not work. Driver issues, random crashes not to mention games from big studios straight up do not work and are not supported due to anti-cheat software or another layer of sign-in. Yes, some games work but can also stop working with the next driver/kernel update. I also want to completely stop using Windows but it is still very hard for a gaming PC.
  - Hasnep 1y ago
    That's why they suggested checking protondb, it really depends on the type of games you play. All the games I play work fine on Linux, but if you want to play Fortnite or League of legends then you're out of luck.
    - rockyj 1y ago
      As I have learned from experience, ProtonDb means nothing. You can have slightly different hardware from SteamDeck and the game may not work for you. I am not talking theory, I am talking from real experience using latest hardware and multiple retires with CachyOS, Bazzite etc.
      - xnickb 1y ago
        Protondb includes reports from all sorts of hardware.
  - bitmasher9 1y ago
    > anti-cheat software or another layer of sign-in Kernel level anti-cheat is unethical and dangerous. The sign-ins are mostly spyware.
- spacemadness 1y ago
  I’m sick of Microsofts shameless embrace of dark patterns as well but I’m waiting for more game and mod compatibility. I’d love to jump ship though and fully support Valve in their efforts. I’m keeping an eye on it for now.
blahlabs 1y ago
I would suggest checking out Bazzite, if you haven't already. Fantastic gaming-focused linux distro, based on Fedora Kinoite.
attendant3446 1y ago
I also recently built a gaming PC. First I installed Pop!_OS and it worked really well for games. But as I do some work on it, I wanted something with fresh(er) packages, so I installed CachyOS instead. Games still work (Proton is fantastic) and I have access to AUR. Just try installing Linux, gaming on Linux is not bad at all.
Hikikomori 1y ago
EU version of windows doesn't have many of these issues.
- constantcrying 1y ago
  As some who uses EU Windows for work I can assure you that it is a terrible OS, with a terrible interface and a terrible user experience as well.
  - lcnPylGDnU4H9OF 1y ago
    What do you dislike about it?
    - constantcrying 1y ago
      Microsoft is painfully inept at design and it is barely usable for any kind of "power user". Besides that it is noticeably slower than Win 10 and even more full of garbage. All around it is the worst computing experience I have ever had. KDE easily outclasses Microsoft at interface design and basically any Linux distro has a superior user experience for a tech literate person.
  - Hikikomori 1y ago
    I find osx a bit worse, multiple windows of the same app and fullscreen is particularly atrocious. Both are usable with some 3rd party software though.
    - cosmic_cheese 1y ago
      Option-click the green traffic light to expand a window without full screening it. The app-centric model is more different than it is bad, and in fact I feel like I’ve lost something with the lack of that logical grouping under Windows and Linux.
      - Hikikomori 1y ago
CactusRocket 1y ago
May I ask why you want to wait for Steam OS? Especially if you have Linux experience already. Last year I was fed up with Windows, and switched to Linux. Since I had a lot of experience with Linux already, I went with Arch. I thought it was going to be really difficult. Sure, the initial setup was a lot of work, but now I'm extremely happy with it. Much happier than I ever was running Ubuntu, Mint, etc. But anyway, nowadays I don't even think about that I'm running Linux anymore. I have a pretty big Steam library and play a lot of games. I install a game, I run it, and play it. I haven't found any instance where it doesn't work yet. Granted, I don't play multi-player games nor games with DRM (I'm a patient gamer, most games I play are >2 years old).
- danpalmer 1y ago
  As mentioned in another comment, I use a Steam Deck which runs Linux, and I love that, but Steam OS isn't available for non-Decks yet in a fully supported manner. I have enough programming adjacent hobbies (and I'm a SWE/SRE at work). Windows is requiring too much management, and I don't want to move to a DIY gaming setup on Linux, I'd rather wait for Steam OS to be fully supported, or just buy a console. And before someone pushes back with Linux being easy to manage, that's not really the point. I use Linux, it requires more sysadmining than my Steam Deck does. Just because I can do it doesn't mean I want to.
  - pona-a 1y ago
    But what's the aspect of sys-adminning do you find separate from normal use that SteamOS addresses? Is it the updates that break your system? There are mature immutable distros like Fedora Kinoite, which I personally used for years without reinstalling. Is it hardware workarounds? The only way to solve that is to use OEM-tested hardware, which in the case of Linux laptops is sparse and still requires some research for desktop. If it's Windows compatibility, Steam itself has supported Proton years before the Deck was released. The only thing SteamOS provides is an immutable base with preconfigured kiosk UI. Unless your use-case is exactly that, a home console, I don't see any added value in it specifically.
  - CactusRocket 1y ago
constantcrying 1y ago
Steam OS ob Desktops is entirely pointless. Why do you care about having that particular Arch derivative? Any mainstream distro (except Ubuntu derivatives) are perfectly usable for gaming. There really is no point in waiting for Valve to drop their own Arch derivative. It won't do anything you can not do right now.
- cyberpunk 1y ago
  Why aren’t Ubuntu derivatives usable for gaming?
  - constantcrying 1y ago
    Because Ubuntu is the worst mainstream Linux Distribution available.
    - binary132 1y ago
      still very usable for gaming ;)
- danpalmer 1y ago
  I care because I don't need to know that it's an Arch derivative. Someone else cares about that bit for me. I press the on button and I get a list of my games to start playing. OS updates are packaged by someone who just wants my list of games to work.

xnickb 1y ago

Nothing is stopping you from switching right away. It's not as hard. You can check whether the games you are interested in are supported on protondb

danpalmer 1y ago
I know, I have a Steam Deck and enjoy Steam OS on that, but what I want is as close to a console like experience (which is what Windows is not giving me). Right now it seems that DIY installs of Steam OS are not yet as simple as I want for that sort of experience, and I'm not looking for another Linux sysadmin hobby machine, I've got enough of those. I'm waiting until there's a big download button on a Valve page, and ideally a supported upgrade path from an existing Windows install.
- constantcrying 1y ago
  There is nothing Steam OS will give you that isn't available right now. Use any low maintenance Linux distro and install Steam through flatpak and you got the exact experience you want. There is no difference. You are waiting for something which might never come out so that installing might be 10 minutes faster. That is totally absurd. Steam OS ist not more maintenance than any other low maintenance distro.
  - danpalmer 1y ago
    I've used low maintenance Linux distros, and they're not comparable to Steam OS in my experience. It's not about a 10 minute install, it's about the hour here and there to update, to fix, to browse the Arch wiki to figure out why my bluetooth mouse doesn't work today. Linux is a lot better than it was 10+ years ago, but to say it's as low maintenance as a game console (which is what my Steam Deck is to me), is actually absurd.
    - Matthyze 1y ago
      Exactly. Linux is great but never actually 'low maintenance'. I personally felt like my OS needed frequent attention.
- aaomidi 1y ago
  Bazzite is what you’re asking for.
  - danpalmer 1y ago
    Thanks, I wasn't aware of Bazzite. It does look like it might be the solution. I'm skeptical given my experience with Linux distros, even very well supported ones, but I may give it a go.
rockyj 1y ago
Nope, do not fall into the hype, i did this and a lot of games did not work. Driver issues, random crashes not to mention games from big studios straight up do not work and are not supported due to anti-cheat software or another layer of sign-in. Yes, some games work but can also stop working with the next driver/kernel update. I also want to completely stop using Windows but it is still very hard for a gaming PC.
- Hasnep 1y ago
  That's why they suggested checking protondb, it really depends on the type of games you play. All the games I play work fine on Linux, but if you want to play Fortnite or League of legends then you're out of luck.
  - rockyj 1y ago
    As I have learned from experience, ProtonDb means nothing. You can have slightly different hardware from SteamDeck and the game may not work for you. I am not talking theory, I am talking from real experience using latest hardware and multiple retires with CachyOS, Bazzite etc.
    - xnickb 1y ago
      Protondb includes reports from all sorts of hardware.
- bitmasher9 1y ago
  > anti-cheat software or another layer of sign-in Kernel level anti-cheat is unethical and dangerous. The sign-ins are mostly spyware.
spacemadness 1y ago
I’m sick of Microsofts shameless embrace of dark patterns as well but I’m waiting for more game and mod compatibility. I’d love to jump ship though and fully support Valve in their efforts. I’m keeping an eye on it for now.

blahlabs 1y ago

I would suggest checking out Bazzite, if you haven't already. Fantastic gaming-focused linux distro, based on Fedora Kinoite.

attendant3446 1y ago

I also recently built a gaming PC. First I installed Pop!_OS and it worked really well for games. But as I do some work on it, I wanted something with fresh(er) packages, so I installed CachyOS instead. Games still work (Proton is fantastic) and I have access to AUR. Just try installing Linux, gaming on Linux is not bad at all.

Hikikomori 1y ago

EU version of windows doesn't have many of these issues.

constantcrying 1y ago
As some who uses EU Windows for work I can assure you that it is a terrible OS, with a terrible interface and a terrible user experience as well.
- lcnPylGDnU4H9OF 1y ago
  What do you dislike about it?
  - constantcrying 1y ago
    Microsoft is painfully inept at design and it is barely usable for any kind of "power user". Besides that it is noticeably slower than Win 10 and even more full of garbage. All around it is the worst computing experience I have ever had. KDE easily outclasses Microsoft at interface design and basically any Linux distro has a superior user experience for a tech literate person.
- Hikikomori 1y ago
  I find osx a bit worse, multiple windows of the same app and fullscreen is particularly atrocious. Both are usable with some 3rd party software though.
  - cosmic_cheese 1y ago
    Option-click the green traffic light to expand a window without full screening it. The app-centric model is more different than it is bad, and in fact I feel like I’ve lost something with the lack of that logical grouping under Windows and Linux.
    - Hikikomori 1y ago

CactusRocket 1y ago

May I ask why you want to wait for Steam OS? Especially if you have Linux experience already. Last year I was fed up with Windows, and switched to Linux. Since I had a lot of experience with Linux already, I went with Arch. I thought it was going to be really difficult. Sure, the initial setup was a lot of work, but now I'm extremely happy with it. Much happier than I ever was running Ubuntu, Mint, etc. But anyway, nowadays I don't even think about that I'm running Linux anymore. I have a pretty big Steam library and play a lot of games. I install a game, I run it, and play it. I haven't found any instance where it doesn't work yet. Granted, I don't play multi-player games nor games with DRM (I'm a patient gamer, most games I play are >2 years old).

danpalmer 1y ago
As mentioned in another comment, I use a Steam Deck which runs Linux, and I love that, but Steam OS isn't available for non-Decks yet in a fully supported manner. I have enough programming adjacent hobbies (and I'm a SWE/SRE at work). Windows is requiring too much management, and I don't want to move to a DIY gaming setup on Linux, I'd rather wait for Steam OS to be fully supported, or just buy a console. And before someone pushes back with Linux being easy to manage, that's not really the point. I use Linux, it requires more sysadmining than my Steam Deck does. Just because I can do it doesn't mean I want to.
- pona-a 1y ago
  But what's the aspect of sys-adminning do you find separate from normal use that SteamOS addresses? Is it the updates that break your system? There are mature immutable distros like Fedora Kinoite, which I personally used for years without reinstalling. Is it hardware workarounds? The only way to solve that is to use OEM-tested hardware, which in the case of Linux laptops is sparse and still requires some research for desktop. If it's Windows compatibility, Steam itself has supported Proton years before the Deck was released. The only thing SteamOS provides is an immutable base with preconfigured kiosk UI. Unless your use-case is exactly that, a home console, I don't see any added value in it specifically.
- CactusRocket 1y ago

constantcrying 1y ago

Steam OS ob Desktops is entirely pointless. Why do you care about having that particular Arch derivative? Any mainstream distro (except Ubuntu derivatives) are perfectly usable for gaming. There really is no point in waiting for Valve to drop their own Arch derivative. It won't do anything you can not do right now.

cyberpunk 1y ago
Why aren’t Ubuntu derivatives usable for gaming?
- constantcrying 1y ago
  Because Ubuntu is the worst mainstream Linux Distribution available.
  - binary132 1y ago
    still very usable for gaming ;)
danpalmer 1y ago
I care because I don't need to know that it's an Arch derivative. Someone else cares about that bit for me. I press the on button and I get a list of my games to start playing. OS updates are packaged by someone who just wants my list of games to work.