cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/2287056

I feel like this is a question that might have been asked around and maybe there are guides around, but that’s a discussion that I’d like to have with the lot of you.

The context

Using Linux on both my work laptop and the Steam Deck has made me quite interested in a full switch to Linux - my other computer is a gaming desktop, which I use a lot for many things, but mostly for gaming. Getting used to Linux has made me quite more intolerant to all the BS Microsoft is pushing than I used to be, the latest one being forcing the users to switch from the older email client to the new Outlook, which has a big, nice ad banner that looks like an unread email. So I’ve began wondering: after all, why not? Why shouldn’t I embrace the penguin? Well, the answer is that I should not if there are too many hinders and drawbacks in using Linux, which would make me need a dual boot instead of a single OS install.

We all know gaming has long been one of the main limiting factors in switching, but the Deck has changed the whole landscape on that front. We’ve basically switched from “Windows is the only OS suitable for gaming” to “Linux is also viable”, and the Deck has been made that available to the general audience. Therefore, nowadays, how viable is Linux for a gaming computer? What are the limitations users will encounter? Would I be able to play all the games from my Steam, Epic and GOG library with a bit of tinkering, including the new releases?

The drawbacks of using Linux (or those that I can think of)

  1. Other gaming launchers support on Linux suck: GOG and Epic will work through Heroic Games but Activision/Blizzard, Ubisoft, EA and Rockstar games will all be a pain, or even not work at all. Is is true? Is there any way around that?
  2. No Microsoft GamePass. Or none that actually matters, as the only solution is to pay for the higher tier and stream the games - so no game actually runs on the desktop. No, thanks.
  3. Some DRM will prevent games from working, and this is especially true for games with heavy online content.
  4. NVIDIA support for Linux is far from being on-par with that on Windows, especially the open-source drivers. Is this still true?
  5. Many devices, especially those for gaming, might not have good (or even working) compatibility drivers for Linux. I know my UWQHD monitor works flawlessly on Windows, but requires quite a bit of tinkering on Ubuntu
  6. Newer games might not be optimized for Linux in the first place
  7. Tinkering is inevitable (as with any Linux computer, really)

What can we add?

The advantages (I can think of)

  1. It’s free
  2. It’s ad free
  3. Customization on Linux is awesome, and I might end up spending more time ricing, breaking it all and reinstalling than gaming (see also, previous section’s 7.)
  4. I will no longer be sending data to Microsoft

What else am I not thinking about?

What distro?

And finally, let’s say I make the switch. What Linux distro should I use? I’ve read a bit about Drauger, Ubuntu GamePack, or even Pop! OS with some manual setup. What do you guys think, and advise?

  • @[email protected]English
    5•1 year ago

    Flightless Mango has some comparisons for ‘newer’ games, in case you were concerned about performance. Short answer is that you might expect to lose a percent or two on frames vs. Windows, which is not really worth fretting over. Some games are worse, usually until the underlying issue is fixed. Some games are substantially better - usually Vulkan-based ones. The additional Linux efficiency is real, when it doesn’t have to translate all the DirectX calls.

    https://flightlessmango.com/

    • HydroelOPEnglish
      1•1 year ago

      Thanks for the feedback! I’ll take a look, that’s also the kind of information that is extremely relevant regarding a full switch.

      Btw, do you know if there are any DX12 features still missing from Proton/DXVK?

      • @[email protected]English
        2•1 year ago

        Don’t know about missing, sorry. The problem is more that some games that use cutting-edge features might have really bad performance, since there’s been no priority on optimising it yet. The last game I played that was that troublesome was Horizon Zero Dawn - was almost unplayable on Linux at launch; couple of updates later, equally as good as Windows.

        Never tried raytracing, would imagine that would probably have some issues. But I hear that even at best, RT is a horrific performance hog.