Gaming on Linux still sucks.

[Aristarchus of Samos]

Most new PC titles are still Windows exclusives. All it takes is one broken or missing package and your GPU software is toast. On the games that do work, you will enjoy superior performance, but you know deep down that you will always be a second class gamer. VALVᵉ doesn't actually care about any of this since VALVᵉ, like many other American corporations, spends most of its profits on stock buybacks instead of actually investing in making Linux and SteamOS viable gaming alternatives to Windows.

Everything has to be just right if you game on Linux, and if you make a mistake, you're on your own. This is fine for students and kids, but for those of us who work and game, this is almost as bad as getting hit with a 50 GB game update when you only have an hour to play. It has now been five years since The Year Of The Linux Desktop, and AMD does not have an AMD Control Centre for Ubuntu. NVIDIA doesn't have an NVIDIA Control Panel for Ubuntu either. Users are expected to power user and hack their way to solutions, which gets old after about one year. Using your Google-fu to fix the same type of problem you've been having for years doesn't make you feel like an amateur computer whiz. It makes you feel like someone whose time is worth less than $100.00 USD Windows 10 Pro license.

It's time for VALVᵉ to pay the cost of taking Linux gaming to the next level. We need some serious business to business sales for creature comforts like seamless GPU installation, better integrated development environments for the Ubuntu desktop, and more big titles being brought to SteamOS. Additionally, we need a new name and license change. Valve Software is asking other companies to exchange one monopoly for another instead of creating something that is truly international and collaborative. This is a repeat of the Microsoft monopoly that gave us the software monoculture we currently live in.

"How do you get a license?

We've already selected OEMs to work with for the initial launch of Steam Machines so we won't be issuing new licenses in the near term. Eventually we plan to expand the Steam Machine program to work with a larger group of OEMs, until then, feel free to reach out to us at [e-mail].”

Does this agreement really seem that different from the Microsoft monopoly that made Gabe Newell a millionaire? If you were a successful gaming studio like ID Software, EA Games, or Blizzard, would you want to distribute using this kind of platform where you sign your rights away and beg Gabe for permission to create and distribute a gaming console?

We have to go back to Tux. Building another software cathedral instead of creating a software bazaar for gamers is how we will exchange one master for another instead of becoming the producing consumers and consuming producers that GabeN wants us to be. The Linux version of the Steam client and SteamOS must become libre software if we’re ever going to displace Windows to make a generic computing platform for gaming that can be deployed on any hardware in this part of the Milky Way Galaxy.

"Can't install Nvidia drivers on Ubuntu 19.10 after Kernel update”[askubuntu.com]


“Open-source software brings to the computer software industry
even greater freedom than the hardware manufacturers and consumers have enjoyed.” —Bob Young, Chairman and CEO, Red Hat,

“Everyone therefore who hears these words of mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man, who built his house on a rock. The rain came down, the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat on that house; and it didn't fall, for it was founded on the rock. Everyone who hears these words of mine, and doesn't do them will be like a foolish man, who built his house on the sand. The rain came down, the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat on that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.”

— Matthew 7:24–27

[ryao]

Valve is a private company, so it cannot spend its money on stock buybacks. Also, why are you spelling Valve in a strange way? The bottom of this page says "Valve Corporation".

As far as licensing goes, I thought that the license that valve mentioned was just for the SteamOS trademark and the Steam client. If you want a new name, just get a different distribution or better yet, make your own. As for the license, it doesn't really stop end users from installing steam, so I don't see why anyone should care.

As for your bad link, bugs happen. Report it to Ubuntu rather than ranting about it here.

[Mario]

I did not have a single game in my 1,5k library for the 2 years I've been using steam on Linux which didn't run after a bit of tinkering.
One hurdle keeping Proton back is DRM and Anti-Cheat software, which are Anti-FOSS by nature and should be avoided either way if you are a GNU/Linux-elitist.
Another problem are people who don't read the documentation / who are unaware of protonDB.

Honestly I do not see how you still think there is anything holding Linux desktops back?
If your problem is market-share or unresponsive manufactures, then you're looking at the wrong places.

Valve did really well with kickstarting the Proton Project.

GTA runs sluggish because of Rockstars stupid Social Club?
Let them know by using your wallet, there are tons of games that are great while also not being anti-Linux.

Nvidia doesn't provide drivers for your specific Ubuntu version?
With AMD cards your drivers are inside mesa by now.

You want a control panel for your graphics card?
Use CoreCtrl or just type in the values yourself.

Thinking the Steam Client or SteamOS becoming FOSS will somehow fix the moral failing of the game industry caused by economics is utopic.
You can literally make your own Steam Machines and SteamOS yourself.

Also: >Bible quote

[KoFi]

One day we will be able to <3

[Reverse Module]

Originally posted by Just A Millenial:

Get A Windows pc THATS THE FIX

lol Windows literally sucks. In my 2 years of gaming on Linux I didn't have single problem with ANY game I bought (some of them without even checking PrtotonDB first). Also games run faster on AMD, some even on Nvidia. So why the hell use Windows? It's obvious you've never even tried Linux gaming. :P

[Cat on Linux]

"NVIDIA doesn't have an NVIDIA Control Panel for Ubuntu either"

right )))
only windowoze housewife can say that. Even Nvidia legacy drivers for every distro have control panel, even 15 y.o. video card (if it still alive) will have control center.

what is going on with this massive attack on Linux lately? I even get some lunatic comments on my old game review saying it is a nightmare to run games on Linux. What happened all of a sudden to all these folks? I haven't seen any issues with my Linux gaming lately.

[Aristarchus of Samos]

Originally posted by Rogue:

Come on now, It's very easy to break things on Windows. Especially if you don't know what you're doing. And games are no exception to that.

I get it, you're new to Linux and frustrated by some issues that you faced. I saw and commented in your other thread.

A lot of the things you're saying here are incorrect. Saying Valve doesn't care is false. They are a for-profit privately held corporation. They care about profit, by definition. One could argue they could do more for Linux, but you can't say that they don't care and can't ignore the fact that they've done more to benefit Linux gaming than any other company ever has since the days of Loki Software.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linux_gaming#History

I've been a Linux user for 5 years now. There is no excuse for the state of graphical software on Linux.

[Beninan]

Originally posted by Aristarchus of Samos:

I've been a Linux user for 5 years now. There is no excuse for the state of graphical software on Linux.

So instead of crying to us about it, why don't you switch back to Windows?

I mean that as a serious question too. What is stopping you from going to Windows if all you want is for gaming to be 100% compatible?

[Aristarchus of Samos]

Originally posted by Beninan:

Originally posted by Aristarchus of Samos:

I've been a Linux user for 5 years now. There is no excuse for the state of graphical software on Linux.

So instead of crying to us about it, why don't you switch back to Windows?

I mean that as a serious question too. What is stopping you from going to Windows if all you want is for gaming to be 100% compatible?

Computers are for much more than gaming.

[Beninan]

Originally posted by Aristarchus of Samos:

Computers are for much more than gaming.

I can't disagree with you at all on that, as this is the exact reason why I use Linux. I got the feeling from your post that gaming was the only thing your were after, my apologies. But, I feel like you have to take what you can get. For me, I am willing to sacrifice the ability to play a few specific games to be able to keep my freedom of computing. I have been using Linux since around 2004 when gaming was almost non-existant. Seeing the growth of gaming on Linux through the years, especially the exponential growth in the recent few years, is truly phenomenal. I'm sure with some time and assistance from the community of Linux users to hash out the bugs, gaming on Linux will be better than Windows.

[Aristarchus of Samos]

I suggest branching out from Ubuntu. Try other distros. Canonical basically gave up on the desktop after their failed attempt at convergence. They focus more on cloud, server, and IoT now. Ubuntu still gets recommended because it's what Valve officially supports, but Valve mentioned supporting other distros too:

This is stupid advice and you should feel bad about giving it.

[@R+5]

You should also research more before deciding or commenting when you find an issue: linux isnt a single OS (plus crippled versions) like what happens with microsoft or apple. its a constellation of OSs and even if most share common qualities, they also have their own unique peculiarities.

AFAIK, and in my own experience, ubuntu is not a great choice to play in linux. Better options according to many is "Pop OS" (i think is based in regular ubuntu), and Manjaro (this is a rolling release but it rarely breaks). Unlike ubuntu, its easier and faster to find help and fix most problems in manjaro forums or discord

[@R+5]

Originally posted by Aristarchus of Samos:

This is stupid advice and you should feel bad about giving it.

Why you believe its stupid? Learning a bit of how other distros work is useful to understand the differences, and to appreciate better their strong and weak points in relation to what you want to do with them.

Its a common mistake to jump into linux to try ubuntu and stick with it. i did that mistake many years ago; i also tried oher buntus and until i decided to try manjaro, i wasnt aware that the rolling release risks are few and when they happen are usually easy to solve.

Also its easier to install and find more recent video drivers in manjaro with its own tools.

[Dingus]

Not to sound inconsiderate or anything, but you are aware the purpose of SteamOS was to be more of a home console operating system to entice game developers and not a proper desktop environment on it's own? Also, more on topic but proton and wine work pretty stellar for compatibility aside from overly intrusive anticheat solutions or third party DRM type things.
Don't get me wrong SteamOS being a proper Distro with a DE would be pretty amazing but I don't really think that's the purpose behind it and fragmenting like that would probably be worse for Steam on Linux in the long run.

[@R+5]

you should watch this 101 video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE

[Marlock]

Originally posted by Dingus:

Not to sound inconsiderate or anything, but you are aware the purpose of SteamOS was to be more of a home console operating system to entice game developers and not a proper desktop environment on it's own? Also, more on topic but proton and wine work pretty stellar for compatibility aside from overly intrusive anticheat solutions or third party DRM type things.
Don't get me wrong SteamOS being a proper Distro with a DE would be pretty amazing but I don't really think that's the purpose behind it and fragmenting like that would probably be worse for Steam on Linux in the long run.

More on the point, Steam runs on any Linux distro aside from SteamOS, so it's just one more option, increasing choice, not the only option locking you in like traditional consoles.

That and SteamOS, by virtue of using the Linux kernel, runs on pretty much any x86-64 machine same as other distros (a bit harder then most to get running on BIOS-based hardware vs. UEFI-based hardware). OP quoted initial plans for SteamOS, not an accurate reflection of what it became later.

The OEM partnerships were intended to kickstart the production of standard x86 hardware in console-like form-factor. The initiative was botched due to the large delay in getting the OS up to speed back then, and some OEM hardware branded as Steam Machines eventually launched with windows instead. Yet Valve learned a lot in the process, and made a truckload of linux investments since, aimed precisely at what bit them with SteamOS initially.


One thing OP hinted at and I tend to agree partially, is that Steam on Linux being closed source is not ideal. But on the other hand a huge chunk of what Valve did for Linux they did in close colaboration with upstream opensource projects and even a good part of their own work is being kept in opensource projects too.