17
bahua
6y

People talk about how they would love to switch to Linux, but cannot, as they claim that gaming lives on Windows. This may have been the case ten years ago but it isn't now.

And further, Microsoft is working hard to break steam, humble, gog, and any other delivery systems they do not control. Such anti-consumer behavior should not be tolerated, let alone rewarded. One result of this is that almost every indie game that comes out now has native Linux support within months, if not on day 1.

The only weak spot is AAA games. But as AAA games and mobile games begin to converge, in terms of the subscription/microtransaction models they're both moving toward, with very few exceptions, I personally don't think I'm really missing anything when I see a Windows-only game for $60 with no Linux support.

And if I really want, I can play un-wine-able Windows games through parsec, though that's getting rarer and rarer all the time.

Comments
  • 1
    Using something like parsec for Windows-only games is actually really clever! I should keep that in mind
  • 9
    And it only becomes easier: https://steamcommunity.com/gid/...
  • 0
    @bahua doesn't parsec imply you have a Windows pc somewhere? as they don't e.g. offer paperspace'esque gaming cloud environments and the monthly cost of playing on paperspace is equivalent of building a high spec'd pc - each month.
  • 1
    @JoshBent

    For me, it worked out to about $15-20 a month, which was more than acceptable. It was an exception to my normal gaming, which can easily be done almost entirely with a Linux machine. That said, I did wind up using Amex points to build a Windows machine that sits without a monitor or peripherals attached, which I use for parsec. But even so, I mostly use it to play movies over parsec, as wine tends to make VLC flicker on my Linux machine.
  • 2
    @bahua definitely an interesting setup to consider
  • 0
    @bahua also why not just have e.g. plex? or is it working so don't touch it.
  • 2
    @JoshBent

    Yeah, though I wonder how strong proton is going to be. I'm wondering if it's going to just completely obviate the work I've done. While it would be something of a wasted pile of money, it would be brilliant for the world at Large, and would give people little reason to use Windows at all anymore.
  • 1
    @JoshBent

    What do you mean by, "eg Plex?"
  • 1
    @bahua I mean setup Plex and have a nice web interface and all, insead of having it through parsec etc.

    I am excited for the new steam layers, that'll fix the main problem for many and for sure drive people to Linux, but damn, there's still too much software that's windows only :/
  • 1
    @JoshBent

    Oh, I see. I like plex and have two servers, and it's great for the TV and for the office, but when I'm sitting at my computer, I want much more granular controls than what plex offers. Skipping ahead or back 10-30 seconds at a time in rapid succession, without a frustratingly long loading animation, just isn't possible with plex. Having a file available locally though, and that works great.
  • 0
    @bahua ah yeah Plex does have a problem sometimes with very high quality files, but if it's 1080 or slightly higher it usually instantly loads for me, even skipping through 40 hour footage, but if it works don't touch it I guess haha
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