Even gamers nexus’ Steve today said that they’re about to start doing Linux games performance testing soon. It’s happening, y’all, the year of the Linux desktop is upon us. ᕕ(ᐛ)ᕗ
Edit: just wanted to clarify that Steve from GN didn’t precisely say they’re starting to test soon, he said they will start WHEN the steam OS releases and is adopted. Sorry about that.
I’ve been saying for years: we need a dedicated gaming operating system.
Well here you go: https://bazzite.gg/
Or even better, a dedicated gaming runtime environment. And that env can then be made multiplatform.
Hello, flatpak exists you know
New to the Linux community here; why is a valve owned Linux OS better than any other massive company OS. Like if Microsoft released their own Linux OS, would it be good suddenly?
At the end of the day, we don’t want our OS’s big company owned right?
SteamOS is better than, for example, macOS and Windows because of licenses.
Since you’re new (welcome!), I should let you in on a little secret: pretty much the entire free software movement is built around licensing. I know, it’s boring and seems insignificant. But the outcomes are profound.
Because SteamOS is built to function within the free software ecosystem, it means users are never beholden to the decisions of one centralized entity (usually the company that owns the software patents.)
If Valve ever decides to, say, include candy crush ads in SteamOS’ start menu (they’d have to make their own start menu, since right now SteamOS uses one that’s already made by the free software community), then users can choose to remove that part of the menu or replace the menu altogether without having to start from scratch.
For wealthy people who can always pay the “proprietary tax,” this might seem like a non-issue. Practically speaking, these people only want their software to work without hassle. They don’t care about the true cost of that software, such as only one entity being able to modify/distribute the software. It’s not until, say, photoshop starts charging a subscription (which they can always increase the price of) that people start to see the value in free software and the importance of licensing.
Microsoft is deeply entrenched and has undergone decades of enshittification. SteamOS is at only the beginning of this cycle. And since SteamOS is linux-based, it’s likely to have ramifications for the whole GNU/Linux ecosystem. Furthermore, if there are two vastly different OSes that developers and graphics card manufacturers need to seriously target, they’re more likely to write more platform-agnostic software that everyone can benefit from.
Because valve is a private company. They don’t have to answer to shareholders. That means, they don’t go through enshitifaction, they care about their product and their customers. Are they perfect? Absolutely not, are they good? Better than every single company out there that tries to be like them. Period.
I’m glad people bring this up.
Private companies are not intrinsically better than public ones, but at least they have the capacity to be.
Valve is one of the very few examples of a company that sees the value in working with customers, not against them. This would be impossible if Valve were publicly-traded.
Because it’s open source and based on the Linux kernel. It’s owned by them but you can do what you want with it. You can’t with Windows.
So if a game works on the Steam OS, it works on pretty much any distro
I game with Steam on Linux, but I’m not using Steam OS
Also, that means that every effort made by Valve to improve compatibility is beneficial to everyone.
Edit: Also, even if it were closed source, I think it would still be good as it gives us alternatives to Windows. But
Like IBM and Red Hat!
The source is always free so you could fork it if you disagree with them. Also it means broader support for Linux gaming
let’s goooo
This is so great to see, and the timing is perfect.
My son already calls the PC Steam, as in “we played game A on Xbox and game B on Steam,” so maybe by the time he has a PC in his room Steam really will run the whole platform.
Hell yeah, brother.
I thought this had already happened?
I remember seeing ads on Steam for SteamOS years ago—wasn’t there a point at which you could download and run it on your own computer? What happened?
Old steam os was an Ubuntu derived OS. Ubuntu has issues relating to the organization that runs it. New steam os is basically a coat of paint on top of Arch which is community based. The old os is deprecated.
The version on steam deck is fantastic, but they have been polishing it for desktop use for a while now. I can’t wait to have it available.
If I recall correctly, this has never happened the way it’s happening now. It was a matter of “hey, you can fork it on GitHub and make your own iso thing”, hence why there was a “holoiso” or something like that that (I keep forgetting the name) where people used if they wanted to install steamOS on a device. This one is straight supported by valve. Like “hey, here is our official steam OS that we use on our steam deck. Use it and we will support you”.
Iirc the original steamOS was Debian based and you really had to be an experienced Linux user to use and enjoy it.
With the new steamOS (arch based?) it’s a much more streamlined experience and opens up the user base because of it
From what I recall, it wasn’t something you could easily use like a normal distro, and that version was based on Debian (so stable but outdated software). It only worked on some hardware, and you had to do a full system wipe.
More likely, this is them officially partnering with handheld or gaming laptop makers, using their latest Arch-based distro and allowing them to use Valve/Steam branding as a selling point.
This could lead to some sort of controlling mechanism that will check if your OS is actually SteamOS, otherwise some kind of DRM would prevent you from playing online for example. I’m wary.
Also people are forgetting that gaming isn’t the only thing people use their computers for. They are convenience devices. They want to game on the PC they also use for other things. They will not switch for gaming only. Companies who sell software will see this and start piling on their controlling mechanisms, tracking, … More proprietary things will come, I mean games already are, and they are not in the spirit of Linux.
I’m bad at expressing my thoughts, but I hope you understand what I’m trying to say.
Not really. The “control mechanism” is already in place for games that rely on Steam’s infrastructure for their online functionality.
You meant “wary”. Weary means tired. Wary means suspicious.
It didn’t feel right when I wrote it, but English isn’t my first language. Thanks!
No problem; it’s a common English mistake, even for native speakers.
I jumped into Linux, via Mint, about a year ago when I refreshed my hardware. The transition was pretty easy, and I haven’t looked back. Steam runs fine and I haven’t had a modern game that didn’t work under default proton settings except for things I’ve run outside Steam and mods. Most of my personal PC’s workload is gaming and handful of web-based apps that are effectively OS-agnostic; Everything else has an easy equivalent in the apt repos.
I would say that my decision to embrace Linux as my OS was primarily influenced by my Steam Deck. Gaming on it has been simple and the desktop UI was easy to adapt to. I replaced my laptop with the Steam Deck, bluetooth keyboard and mouse, and a USB-C dock with HDMI out (all things I already had for the laptop). I now just hook into whatever TV is handy as a monitor when I need a computer on the go.
I was a tech enthusiast when I was younger, and am thus familiar with fucking around on the command line, but now I’m an old man who just wants his stuff to work and it just has… The barrier of entry for the Linux Desktop is effectively gone. We just need PR now.
Also, I think I’d replace Mint on my primary PC with SteamOS, given a simple way to do so. About a year ago, the desktop/beta SteamOS was not fully baked.
Thanks Steve
This is the fifth person I see misinterpreting what Steve said about doing Linux performance testing, they aren’t going to start doing this soon, they will only start doing it WHEN SteamOS is released for desktops! It was very clear on the video FFS
I’m also really fucking excited for that tho, I recently switched to mint and helldivers 2 actually feels smoother than on windows, it has been such a good experience!! I cannot imagine how much better things will get with more people jumping to Linux and thus game makers actually pay attention to us
My apologies. Fixed it in the main post with an edit
I’ve been daily driving Linux since 2017, I started with Ubuntu and it’s been great. I recently got a Lenovo T14 Gen 1 and put Linux Mint 22 on it, and I’ve been playing some games on it and it’s been pretty nice for such a portable laptop.
I’m excited, but I wish gpu manufacturers would jump on board with physically compatible cards with ffs or smaller form factor business machines. HP, Dell, et al like to limit space for traditional GPUs in those machines. If there was a half height mid/low grade gpu with components on the reverse side that would be a great couch gaming machine.
If I recall Intel’s GPUs are a little slimmer right? But I’ve heard middling results with compatibility and such.
I have the sparkle brand intel low profile single slot in an hp sff PC and it barely fits and leaves about 3/8" space between the power supply. It has all the room in the world in the backside. One slot over is a 1x pcie slot if only hp had switched the two or the video card had straight through and out of the case cooling.
I just build a new gaming/creative pc, decided to make the jump to linux mint while i was setting up something new. And I honestly expected more hickups than i got, nothing which a quick search didn’t fix except for one. My xbox controller won’t connect over Bluetooth, it works when connected through a cable though. But I also noticed some stick drift, so I’m tossing it and order an 8bitdo which has those magentic sticks (forgot the name) and linux compatibility.
To fix your Xbox controller issue, you’ll need to do a firmware update on the controller itself. And that can only be done on windows unfortunately (unless you can figure out how to do it in a VM). Then when the firmware is updated, you install Xpadneo and you should be golden. How do I know? This is exactly what I had to do thanks to a random redditor who chimed in to help when I had this same issue. My controller now works on Bluetooth with zero issues.
I guess your the kind random
redditorlemmytor(?) now. That did the trick.
I have an 8bitdo controller. It’s ace:
- no issues with connection because it’s dongle (but does support BT)
- turns itself off with PC (always flakey on Xbox controller)
- hall effect joysticks so stick drift shouldn’t be an issue
- it’s detected as an Xbox controller so it works with most games
I have an 8bitdo controller, and it’s given me nothing but trouble. It’s a dongle-only version (non-bluetooth, but cheaper), and it has some weird bug where the controller is recognized as both an xinput device and a keyboard. I’ve tried updating the firmware to no avail.
I’ve heard other people sing praises about the Bluetooth version, so I think people should avoid being a cheapskate on this one.
Oh that’s a shame. This is the one I’ve got and it’s been perfect: https://shop.8bitdo.com/products/8bitdo-ultimate-2-4g-controller-with-charging-dock-hall-effect-joysticks
Looks similar to what I have. Maybe I got a bum one or they’ve updated it. 🤷
Seconding the other person asking which model you’ve got. I don’t see Linux compatibility listed on the web pages for the few models I just looked at. I also didnt see them list an included dongle, but thats something I’d be very interested in. Also do they all detect as Xbox controllers, or only the Xbox style ones?
I run Fedora, No issues with dongle. All are detected as Xbox controller (atleast by Steam). This is the one I got: https://shop.8bitdo.com/products/8bitdo-ultimate-2-4g-controller-with-charging-dock-hall-effect-joysticks
That sounds great, are there different models? What are you using?
There are. Some work with xbox’s, some have docks. This is the one I got: https://shop.8bitdo.com/products/8bitdo-ultimate-2-4g-controller-with-charging-dock-hall-effect-joysticks
Not the person you asked, but don’t get the dongle-only version. Upgrade to the version with Bluetooth. The former is cheaper, but it gives me trouble on Linux, and I’ve never seen people complain about the Bluetooth version (I think it’s called the 8bitdo Ultimate?).
This one? It says Bluetooth is only for Apple devices.
Nope, this one:
It should be compatible with everything.
Thanks! How does that “ultimate software” for PC work, is it necessary?
My brief time using it, it’s how you set up profiles (for sharing a controller or using specific layouts for different games), it’s how you tell the controller what buttons the back paddles map to, and it’s how you update the firmware.
It’s not really necessary, in my experience, unless you want to use the back paddles. Steam Input just sees the controller as a standard xinput device, so the back paddles are otherwise ignored.
I’m hoping for a Christmas sale the next few days. But I cant wait too long. Besides the point stick drift is infuriating while gaming, I also have a cat. Anything that wiggles is fair play for those claws, and that cord be wiggling.
The Steam controller 2 will be releasing soon if you want trackpads and extra buttons. I also think Valve is licencing to third parties. IIRC 8bitdo will make a Steam Controller
The Steam controller 2 will be releasing soon
I think I’ve just been avoiding news in general for a while. This is GREAT to hear! I still love my OG Steam Controller. Great little piece of hardware.
Every game I bought on Steam under Windows runs great on Steam in Linux Mint. The few games I didn’t buy on Steam (Deus Ex, Giants: Citizen Kabuto) run great on Wine, using the default settings.
Adopting Proton was the smartest thing Valve ever did. They’re going to get about 90% of gamers migrating from Windows to Linux, who don’t want to fiddle with configuration settings.
I never really gamed on PC except for Command and Conquer Red Alert and Age of Empires 2. I still got a Steam Deck and it replaced my PC and not just for gaming.
I just did that. I have a dual boot laptop where Windows was used exclusively for games, and instead of upgrading that I built myself a PC with an AMD GPU (Nvidia, fuck you!).
So far I haven’t run into any problem that I couldn’t easily solve, and the only games that won’t run are those demanding I install an anti cheat system, but I’m fine not playing those.
Really nice. Been waiting for this. I’ve used linux for two decades but kept gaming pc separate last years as I’ve became lazy. Now I’ll likely decommision that one and just rdp into my work windows machine if needed.
Thanks gaben
People might not realize this, but your comment is a huge deal. People like you who keep a separate PC are normally very hard to convince that gaming on Linux is a viable alternative. So the fact that you’re saying that, is a big deal. Right on.
I saw a post on bluesky saying Steamdeck can’t be widely adopted because of linux. I asked why is that the case? He says "Linux doesn’t run as many games as windows ". I said “only a few and the anti cheat ones”. He kept arguing. I asked him about nintendo and he goes “It has the games to back it up” and I blocked him lol.
Millions of games are not enough because its FOMO.
Linux doesn’t run as many games as Windows
I’d argue it runs more due to compatibility breaks. Wine just-werks with a lot of old installers.
Indeed. I couldn’t get a couple of old 3DO games working on windows 10/11 even though I bought them on Steam.
Work great on Linux w/ Photon (aka wine).
Hit or miss sadly, but still damn close to magic. I can play skyrim and it runs… As expected, but can’t install dark souls rn.
Old Gfwl bullshit, probably
The psychic damage from that acronym still hurts after all these years.
I’ve got Dark Souls: Prepare to Die Edition (with DSFix) working just fine.
I don’t remember having to do anything weird… Have you tried ProtonGE? Maybe it was DSFix that makes it work? I don’t remember if I tried playing without DSFix first.
My copy’s pirated thats prolly Why u don’t have issues, I’m launching the installer wine installer.exe
Sadly the repacks like fitgirl is a hit or miss
Rip. At least my gta5 dodi repack plays… OK. Either play a pirated copy of gta5 or simply don’t play it at all cus my legitimate copy can’t play cus its epic games and the cockstar launcher won’t connect to the internet thus locking me out of the game, even offline🤡. It has issues with light, when it hits at certain angles the whole map becomes white AF and things from a distant draw poorly, like mountains and such. Other than that thank god triple a games are at least playable on gnux. Ty crackers and ty wine+proton :3
It has issues with light, when it hits at certain angles the whole map becomes white AF and things from a distant draw poorly, like mountains and such
WTF
I have both. As a pure console I still prefer the Switch, and there is a huge overlap in the games. But the Deck is much more than just a gaming handheld, it is now my only PC as well.
I understand why there are so many Nintendo gamers. I’m just pointing out the hypocrisy of people. Whenever it comes to linux, they demand everything be perfect. They never show the same attitude towards others. Captialism shills.
Nintendo has fans and is an established brand. But I think what most people dislike is the uncertainty. With the Switch you can know for certain all games you buy will work, but with the Steam Deck it’s not guaranteed though it will scan your library and give you a rating. Though in my case I had many “unsupported” games actually work flawlessly.
I think is more of like the fear of the unknown than the uncertainty, for example is uncertain if a new switch game will run well(looking at you pokémon)
