I've been a PC Gamer since the late 1990's and one of the things that grinds my gears is that PC Gamers are pretty much stuck with running Windows as an Operating System. I'm not a fan of Windows (slow, bloated, requires lots of big updates, etc). I would like to run Linux as my Gaming PC operating system, but some games just won't run (the ones that require anti-cheat) and there are often a LOT of hoops to jump through to get stuff working.
Developers don't have much incentive to make games natively Linux compatible, as the dominant operating system people are running is Windows. The Steam Deck handheld has started to change this. It runs a custom version of Arch Linux called Steam OS (created by Valve). It has been a great success and gives the best bang for buck experience compared to other handheld devices running Windows 11. Manufacturers can clearly see that running Windows as an operating system is giving a bigger performance overhead. That's system resources that could be used to improve game performance and improve battery life. After all, this is what the handheld devices are used for, mobile gaming!
There are rumours abound that in CES 2025 (next week) we are going to see some manufacturers announce they are launching handheld devices that run Steam OS. If this happens then I feel we could be turning a corner in PC gaming. I also hear that Valve are going to make a version of Steam OS available for free for desktop PC market as well. I really hope this is true, as I feel this could open the door to more developers starting to make their games natively Linux compatible. Right now, Steam OS uses proton to translate any Windows native games, which adds a performance overhead.
Windows was the default operating system for gaming, as it was the default OS installed for most people's laptops/desktops. That's fine if you want to write Word, Excel or do video/photo editing, etc. But, if you just want to run your PC for gaming then you want all the resources to be put into running the games and it would be nice to have simple/dedicated overlay display - the same kind of experience console users get when they turn on their machine and navigate the menus, etc. No need for 12 different game launchers, like we have on Windows.
Lets see what gets announced next week. I pray this is the year of the Linux gaming
Developers don't have much incentive to make games natively Linux compatible, as the dominant operating system people are running is Windows. The Steam Deck handheld has started to change this. It runs a custom version of Arch Linux called Steam OS (created by Valve). It has been a great success and gives the best bang for buck experience compared to other handheld devices running Windows 11. Manufacturers can clearly see that running Windows as an operating system is giving a bigger performance overhead. That's system resources that could be used to improve game performance and improve battery life. After all, this is what the handheld devices are used for, mobile gaming!
There are rumours abound that in CES 2025 (next week) we are going to see some manufacturers announce they are launching handheld devices that run Steam OS. If this happens then I feel we could be turning a corner in PC gaming. I also hear that Valve are going to make a version of Steam OS available for free for desktop PC market as well. I really hope this is true, as I feel this could open the door to more developers starting to make their games natively Linux compatible. Right now, Steam OS uses proton to translate any Windows native games, which adds a performance overhead.
Windows was the default operating system for gaming, as it was the default OS installed for most people's laptops/desktops. That's fine if you want to write Word, Excel or do video/photo editing, etc. But, if you just want to run your PC for gaming then you want all the resources to be put into running the games and it would be nice to have simple/dedicated overlay display - the same kind of experience console users get when they turn on their machine and navigate the menus, etc. No need for 12 different game launchers, like we have on Windows.
Lets see what gets announced next week. I pray this is the year of the Linux gaming
