Linus Tech Tips: "Linux Gaming Finally Doesn't Suck"

Megalith

Megalith

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Like him or hate him, Linus (not that one) has his audience, many of whom are now being swayed to try out gaming on Linux. Last month, Valve introduced a new version of Steam Play allowing Linux users to run Windows games thanks to Proton, a modified distribution of Wine. While framerates are obviously no match for the intended OS, Linus shows that at least a handful of popular games, which include DOOM and Skyrim, run well enough to play through.
 
His videos bug me, way too much product placement and fluff. I do watch them ocasionally if the topic is interesting enough.

As for Linux gaming, I don’t see what the point is of going through the effort of building a PC that can play games with all of the associated expenses and then lowering the experience by playing it in a less than optimal environment.
 
Unfortunately, I will play almost all games in their native environment, unless it's old ROMs or whatever. But who wants to sacrifice performance for running a game in a different OS? That's why we have dual boot. :p
 
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NeoNemesis said:
His videos bug me, way too much product placement and fluff. I do watch them ocasionally if the topic is interesting enough.

As for Linux gaming, I don’t see what the point is of going through the effort of building a PC that can play games with all of the associated expenses and then lowering the experience by playing it in a less than optimal environment.
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Linus has building rent and employees to pay so I don't mind his product placement ads. I hate those Youtube unskippable ones that pop up though, and Linus does use click-baity video titles sometimes but his target audience is more less mainstream so they kinda expect it within reason.

I think the perspective is ment to be the other way around, aka: why should a linux user be forced to boot into that other OS just to play some of their favorite games for an hour or 2 when a software solution already exists. Apple did a simiular solution waaaay back when Apple made the jump from RISC cpu to Intel x86, they used a emulation layer so older software could run on the newer Macs.
 
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Knurrus said:
Last game I played on Linux I think was NetHack (Qt version) and otherwise there was always Tux Racer if wanted some 3D game :D

To be honest, NetHack is the game I've put the most hours into playing over the decades.
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Heh, I actually preferred playing Quake 3 on Linux back in the day. Game used to load almost instantly, network was also noticeably better. I was using a modem back then

The plan is to move my gaming rig to Linux once I upgrade to Zen 2 next year.
 
Something for the very few dedicated to running Linux. The problem is in PC the market share is so low its more a Novelty than a platform for people to really invest in while A. Rubin helped win a dominant platform in Mobile most people don't even know they are using Linux or a variant distro of it.

From being in computers I've seen people download and install distros of Linux but they rarely if ever actually use the platform, I simply call it the bastard OS, because for most it's hardcore for even the hardcore people out there, at most people like to tinker and do Raspberry Pi builds like retro gaming stations or simplified media, robotics projects, but it still boils down to hobbists and a dedicated few.
 
If I had a spare hard drive floating around (don't feel like partioning the ones I currently have) I'd be really tempted to throw Linux on it and check this out. Seems like it might be fun to mess around with and see which games work and how well they do.
 
A simple to use version of wine is great for older games where the overhead won't hurt performance in any meaningful way but I won't consider Linux a viable option for gaming until most of the newer games I'm interested in run natively in it.
 
NeoNemesis said:
His videos bug me, way too much product placement and fluff. I do watch them ocasionally if the topic is interesting enough.

As for Linux gaming, I don’t see what the point is of going through the effort of building a PC that can play games with all of the associated expenses and then lowering the experience by playing it in a less than optimal environment.
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YouTube keeps screwing over content creators, so good for him for finding ways to pay the bills.
 
Sircolby45 said:
I watched that video the other day...Sorry Linus...You're wrong. Linux gaming still sucks and your video didn't change my mind. It would be great because then I could ditch the dumpster fire that is Windows 10, but that isn't happening anytime soon.
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If you are playing brand new games, yes, I would agree. However, I tend to play older games or games that do not require all the new tech.

I have a machine here with Mint and I can tell you Linux gaming has come a long way. Steam Play is making it so easy to install and play with proton and DXVK. Lutris has also streamlined getting games working easily on Linux. I would suggest if you haven't tried it out recently to give it a whirl.
 
Bigshrimp said:
Unfortunately, I will play almost all games in their native environment, unless it's old ROMs or whatever. But who want's to sacrifice performance for running a game in a different OS? That's why we have dual boot. :p
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Not always a a performance loss, but that depends on the game. Most games on Linux load faster, for some reason. Because of DXVK, some Windows games run faster on Linux through Vulkan but that depends on the graphics card you use. Believe or not, AMD's Vulkan driver on Linux is worse than Windows, and Nvidia is probably better on Linux than Windows.

If anything at least on Linux it won't install updates and reboot without your permission. Had that happen one too many times.
 
It's of course getting better, but you have to love how in a video called "Linux Gaming Finally Doesn't Suck", he runs into multiple games that won't run. Seriously, I hope it gets better, at least it's a lot closer than it used to be.
 
tetris42 said:
It's of course getting better, but you have to love how in a video called "Linux Gaming Finally Doesn't Suck", he runs into multiple games that won't run. Seriously, I hope it gets better, at least it's a lot closer than it used to be.
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There is a large gulf between not sucking and being perfect. Something can not suck, yet not be perfect either. Based on the video I think I'd agree with it not sucking but, as Linus says in the video, its not ready for mainstream yet.
 
For those that complain about Linux not being the optimal environment for games, I suggest to them that they get a console. That would be the most optimal system for most games made in the past 5 or so years. Sure you won't get the most performance or best quality but it will be the most optimal experience.

Jokes aside this is good news. Having options is always a good thing. As a Windows 7 hold out I have been waiting for news like this. My next system upgrade will probably involve me switching to Linux at least part time at the start and maybe full time as I figure out work arounds for games that do not like to run under Linux.
 
DukenukemX said:
Not always a a performance loss, but that depends on the game. Most games on Linux load faster, for some reason. Because of DXVK, some Windows games run faster on Linux through Vulkan but that depends on the graphics card you use. Believe or not, AMD's Vulkan driver on Linux is worse than Windows, and Nvidia is probably better on Linux than Windows.

If anything at least on Linux it won't install updates and reboot without your permission. Had that happen one too many times.
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I never have to restart my computer when installing a new Nvidia driver in Windows 10.
 
Such a waste of time. I mean, I want them to succeed. It's a chicken and egg dilemma. No one is gaming on Linux because developers can't justify investment. And developers can't justify investment in Linux because no one is gaming on it.

The only way I see this happening is if NVIDIA builds an x86 SoC. If NV got picked for next gen consoles, AMD would lose its MS and Sony leashes. AMD could launch a x86 SoC Linux gaming rig for the US/EU, similar to the Subor. If they offer superior performance to xbox / playstation while undercutting them *AND* running Steam OS or a full desktop experience (maybe even VR?)... that could build a significant player base.

For Linux gaming to work, AMD would have to completely dominate the sub $600 market with small, powerful Linux machines capable of playing LoL, WoW, Fortnight, CS, etc.
 
NeoNemesis said:
As for Linux gaming, I don’t see what the point is of going through the effort of building a PC that can play games with all of the associated expenses and then lowering the experience by playing it in a less than optimal environment.
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I could say the same about using win10

Bazinga!
 
NeoNemesis said:
His videos bug me, way too much product placement and fluff. I do watch them ocasionally if the topic is interesting enough.

As for Linux gaming, I don’t see what the point is of going through the effort of building a PC that can play games with all of the associated expenses and then lowering the experience by playing it in a less than optimal environment.
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Never watched any of his content, but if he pops the top on a Jolt and says, "Jolt Cola! The soft drink of the elite hacker." ...I'll subscribe 3x.
 
Derangel said:
If I had a spare hard drive floating around (don't feel like partioning the ones I currently have) I'd be really tempted to throw Linux on it and check this out. Seems like it might be fun to mess around with and see which games work and how well they do.
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I wouldn't use a hard drive with the recent falling SSD prices. Upgrade your windows to a new SSD and use the old small SSD for linux.
 
Tweak42 said:
I wouldn't use a hard drive with the recent falling SSD prices. Upgrade your windows to a new SSD and use the old small SSD for linux.
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Only mechanical drives I have are my 2TB external backup and a 1TB game drive in my laptop. Desktop has a SSD and laptop uses a NvME for boot drives. I have a bad habit of using "HDD" as a catch-all term for mechanical and solid state drives.
 
Linus, Linux.. what's the difference? : D

Reality is, until the framerates get closer, Linux is not a good option. AMD is working on Linux drivers. AMDVLK is here but limited
 
If you're a Linux user or don't want to use Windows or a Mac yes one can certainly game on Linux. If the support is there for your title sweet. But for the foreseeable future even with Windows compatibility tech it's always going to be a hit or miss situation. That's not good enough for average gamers who simply want to play games.
 
Really not an issue for me since Windows is my main OS, tried installing various versions of Linux over the years, couldn't really get it to work or had time to get used to it.
Either you like him or not, at-least he knows how to build a PC. *cough VERGE, cough.......
Sadly he can't display a PC without it falling off a table.....

B00nie said:
Youtube has ad blockers available.
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How I miss watching YT via in browser, that and one click video DLing.
 
Mega6 said:
Reality is, until the framerates get closer, Linux is not a good option.
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I feel like it's not even a matter of raw framerate these days. It's more the stuttering and frame timing. I've tinkered with wine/wine-staging over last several years and for whatever reason, some games, even though framerate is in the quite playable range, it's just horribly inconsistent with dips and, let's call them "mini freezes" where it gets stuck for like 0.5-1 sec before picking up again. I feel like it's analogous to writing to a USB stick where the rate is fast until the cache gets full, then tanks until it's empty again. Other games, like the new Doom for example, amazingly smooth and fast. Probably it's the native Vulkan support. I'm going to continue to be hopeful because, really, on personal computer, the games are the only reason I still keep a Windows drive...
 
darckhart said:
I feel like it's not even a matter of raw framerate these days. It's more the stuttering and frame timing. ..Other games, like the new Doom for example, amazingly smooth and fast. Probably it's the native Vulkan support.
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Emulation will always be subpar. Native API support such as through Vukan needs to happen as well as larger adaption on more titiles. You're correct - it's more about playability, not just framerates. I have over-simplified my point - but typically. these are closely related. Vilkan is the exception, a really great cross-platform API that I hope catches on.
 
Better get used to it if you don't want to pay monthly installments for your OS. We know that's the endgame for Microsoft
 
I would love to give windows the Boot but linux gaming is still a bit to flaky.
 
mUdliLLy said:
What's with the in video commercial?!
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it's annoying, just hit the right arrow key a few times to skip it...

as for the content of the video, "doesn't suck" doesn't mean "it's all rainbows and butterflies", which is obvious just a few minutes in. I don't see many other people doing reviews like this with any sense of clarity/reliability (Linus knows a thing or two more than the average bear) so I say it's a good video despite the slightly misleading title, which FYI is an opinion that might not match your own especially if you happen to wake up with a carrot up your bum or somethin... :p
 
heatlesssun said:
If you're a Linux user or don't want to use Windows or a Mac yes one can certainly game on Linux. If the support is there for your title sweet. But for the foreseeable future even with Windows compatibility tech it's always going to be a hit or miss situation. That's not good enough for average gamers who simply want to play games.
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Average gamers will be the one's that can be swayed depending on the titles they play, what percentage of those titles are available under Windows and how much they're over the problems surrounding Windows 10. It's the hardcore gamers that won't be swayed and truly hardcore gamers are few and far between.

As always, it's got everything to do with how you use your PC as opposed to simply 'gamer must use Windows' and is a decision made on a case by case basis. It's not a case of ' one general statement fits all.'
 
Mazzspeed said:
Average gamers will be the one's that can be swayed depending on the titles they play, what percentage of those titles are available under Windows and how much they're over the problems surrounding Windows 10. It's the hardcore gamers that won't be swayed and truly hardcore gamers are few and far between.

As always, it's got everything to do with how you use your PC as opposed to simply 'gamer must use Windows' and is a decision made on a case by case basis. It's not a case of ' one general statement fits all.'
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Not really. Normal gamers would want an easy to use, reliable pc, which is windows for usability and compatibility. Yes, with win10.
 
Mazzspeed said:
Average gamers will be the one's that can be swayed depending on the titles they play, what percentage of those titles are available under Windows and how much they're over the problems surrounding Windows 10. It's the hardcore gamers that won't be swayed and truly hardcore gamers are few and far between.

As always, it's got everything to do with how you use your PC as opposed to simply 'gamer must use Windows' and is a decision made on a case by case basis. It's not a case of ' one general statement fits all.'
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When it comes to PC games virtually all titles are available under Windows and that's the crux of the matter. You don't have to be a hardcore gamer to simply want to be able to play whichever titles come to the PC. More over outside of gaming virtually all new PC hardware and software has top tier support under Windows. So it's not like one has locked themselves into just gaming using Windows on their PCs.
 
heatlesssun said:
When it comes to PC games virtually all titles are available under Windows and that's the crux of the matter. You don't have to be a hardcore gamer to simply want to be able to play whichever titles come to the PC. More over outside of gaming virtually all new PC hardware and software has top tier support under Windows. So it's not like one has locked themselves into just gaming using Windows on their PCs.
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Still doesn't change the fact that the average gamer will weigh up the pro's and con's of sticking with Windows vs the number of titles available under Linux regarding their Steam library. Creating generalized statements doesn't make your opinion the correct one.

GoldenTiger said:
Not really. Normal gamers would want an easy to use, reliable pc, which is windows for usability and compatibility. Yes, with win10.
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Not interested in discussing anything with yourself.
 
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