[LogicHound]

The 90% of games running on Linux does not say how well and what games. Sure I can play the Batman: Arkham Knight perfectly on Linux. However the game is a decade old now. Try playing some titles that came out this year and it going to be very variable, multiplayer titles are often a no go at all due to anti-cheat. You can argue to you are blue in the face about kernel level anti-cheat but at the end of the day if all your mates are playing X, you are just going to suck it up and play X.

There is enough issues running games on Linux that there are specific distros created for running games because everything from the kernel version, X/Wayland, Compositor and the pipewire version can affect immensely how well the game runs.

[mikkupikku]

The overwhelming majority of games that came out this year are from smaller studios and will work perfectly on Linux. It's only the big budget "AAA" games with corporate publishers pandering to shareholders/investment firms which insist on custom DRM and anticheat which are a problem.

[LogicHound]

The big budget games are often the ones that people are playing. Sure there have been a few big flops as of late, but a huge number of people are playing that require kernel level anti-cheat and DRM that does not work on Linux.

There are also other issues around how well those games work. Some games will work perfectly fine. I am not disputing that. It is a bit of a lottery though e.g. I had annoying sound issues with Hell Divers 2 that was only fixed with an update to pipewire. Performance issues were solved by upgrading to Kernel 6.16.

On Windows I had to do literally nothing for the game to work perfectly (also don't believe some of YouTubers that are complaining HD2, their PCs were actually broken!).

Generally on Windows I have to do very little to get a game to work, outside of extremely old games from the late 90s/early 2000s.

[mikkupikku]

On Linux, the really old games just work, as do virtually all new games with the exception of those very few big budget new releases. If those are the games you really want to play then Windows is the answer, have fun ponying up your drivers license to Microsoft for the privilege of getting root kitted by those games. Literally everything else just works on Linux, one click install and play through steam, no bullshit fiddling around.

[LogicHound]

> On Linux, the really old games just work, as do virtually all new games with the exception of those very few big budget new releases.

It really seems like you aren't reading what I said. I accept that old games will often work fine, provided they are on a store like GoG or Steam. Big budget releases are often what people want to play.

> If those are the games you really want to play then Windows is the answer, have fun ponying up your drivers license to Microsoft for the privilege of getting root kitted by those games.

It isn't about what I want. It is about what is the reality for the vast majority of people. I would rather everyone play games that work on Linux. Unfortunately many of the people I play games like playing new titles, often they only work well on Windows. There is a social aspect of this that many people on here ignore.

> Literally everything else just works on Linux, one click install and play through steam, no bullshit fiddling around.

They don't though. There are always odd issues with games e.g. borderless window doesn't work in a lot of games, because the mouse will get lost. Having that happen mid-match sucks, having fullscreen window has it own draw backs. I won't get into performance and sound issues as I've already explained the issues there.

[mikkupikku]

I get what you're saying, the plurality of gamers want to play the new release AAA stuff. And the majority of movie goers want to see the latest Minions Emoji movie. And the majority of cheese eaters want to eat American cheese or at best Wisconsin cheddar.

These things are mass market slop which are engineered to be bland and predictable to make the most reliable returns for institutional investors. Discerning consumers know better and don't go by what's popular.

[LogicHound]

I don't think there is anything wrong with liking popular things and tbh this attitude that somehow you are better because you like more niche things is very close to snobbery. I am not saying that is your intention, but it can come off that way.

There are plenty of popular franchises that I've liked in the past. There are plenty of "slop" movies that I enjoy, I really like Mission Impossible movies, Fast and Furious movies. I've also liked some of the Call of Duty games. There is room for both.

[keyringlight]

For the "huge number of games work on linux" I wonder how valuable that really is to drawing people to linux as PC gaming has a challenge with huge numbers of releases that aren't noteworthy and don't have many players, I'd guess most of them are not doing anything technically novel or quirky (i.e. using a popular engine with minimal changes) so can easily be compatible.

Is there much value there for users or the linux platform? Some definitely, but it's not going to move the dial much compared to if say valve, codeweavers, or someone else could work with EA to get an agreeable solution that lets Battlefield6 work on linux, as an example with a large audience that's locked into windows to play what they want.

[HypnoticOcelot]

What do you mean by "really old"? My experience with games available on Steam has been fine(barring those big-budget ones), but I've had problems in the past setting up games from CD-ROMs that have DRM on them. Proton and Wine still don't play so well with SafeDisc or SecuROM, and traditional Windows workarounds(when applicable) often don't work on Linux.

[vintermann]

The publishers almost certainly prefer that you play these "AAA" titles on console, but if you insist, they'll settle for making your Windows as console-like as possible.

I live fine without a console, so I live fine without a Windows gaming PC too. I don't think the AAA chasers have more fun than me when it comes down to it, dealing with these companies seems to be an aggravating affair even if you do everything the way they want.

[LogicHound]

It isn't that much of an issue gaming on Windows. Yes, I had to do a one time workaround for a local account and run a de-crapifier. But it wasn't that difficult. If it becomes too difficult I will probably drop Windows entirely.

I run into more problems with Linux than I do typically with Windows. I've been using Linux on and off since 2002. I don't particularly mind it, but I also don't pretend it is for everyone.

[0points]

This situation only exist because Microsoft would allow kernel level anti-cheat in the first place, which is a moronic feat wrt security.

[theshrike79]

Online competitive games with anti-cheat are the problematic ones in general.

If you play single player games with no or limited online features you'll be fine in 99% of the cases (number pulled from my ass).

[sylens]

Expedition 33 is a GOTY contender this year and it’s been working great for me on Linux

[LogicHound]

I am sure it is fine. HellDivers 2 (the game I like to play) needed a lot of messing about with to work well on Linux. It really depends on what game you are playing as to how well it works. Having the odd game that doesn't work is a deal breaker for a lot of people.