Steam Deck Is The Path Forward To End Microsoft's Death Grip PCs

ElQuintron

Some Random thoughts on the Steam Deck and the threat it poses to Microsoft as the premier gaming OS:

https://digg.com/gaming/link/steam-deck-linux-windows-stealth

Cut to 2022, hot off some very strong COVID years in the gaming industry, Valve announced the Steam Deck, its handheld gaming PC that was powered by a new version of SteamOS.

FWIW I’ve been using Linux fill time for over 6 months now, and the Steam Deck since launch and I’ve yet to encounter a single player game I can’t play. I know a few more multiplayer games are compatible for the Steam Deck, but not Linux. I would’ve never thought this possible before the Steam Deck became a thing.

ugly95

ElQuintron FWIW I've been using Linux fill time for over 6 months now, and the Steam Deck since launch and I've yet to encounter a single player game I can't play.

I was starting to dabble in Linux, but then I switched away from Windows after the first Windows 10 'feature update' caused my PC to BSOD. I was able to fix it by deleting a driver (using Linux to access my Windows files), but it turned me off to Windows, especially as they were on the path to becoming more intrusive.

That was about a year or so before Proton came out. When Proton came out, I didn't have a reason to dual-boot anymore.

I'm in the same boat. I can't think of a game that I've wanted to play that didn't work in Proton/WINE (or wasn't already Linux native). I've come to the point where I just expect games to work now.

But, I'm not big on multiplayer games, and I've heard those have issues, so it might not be for everybody.

Realistically, I don't think people are going to change to Linux, specifically for gaming. It's just that I don't think gaming is a massive barrier to changing anymore.

I don't have a Steam Deck. I've been kind of interested, but I'm not sure if I'd do enough handheld gaming. I can barely find the time to play on the desktop.

Adalicia

I love the Steam Deck and SteamOS is slick as hell but I don't realistically see myself replacing Windows with it on my desktop. At least not yet.

ElQuintron

Adalicia I don't realistically see myself replacing Windows with it on my desktop. At least not yet.

I'm not going to completely derail my own thread, but I was on Linux daily from 08 to 13 or 14, and then I drifted back to Windows. Going by to Linux because I was pissed of at Windows 11 was a PITA, for a few days. If you decide to commit (especially because you have rage at Windows or something else to drive you) the initial stage will pass.

I still keep a Windows partition around for things I can't do anywhere else.

ElQuintron

ugly95 I don't have a Steam Deck. I've been kind of interested, but I'm not sure if I'd do enough handheld gaming. I can barely find the time to play on the desktop.

It also works OK if you dock it to a 1080p tv with an expectation of 30-60 fps depending on the game. It gets a lot of mileage from me for indies and older games.

Heat84

Why is there almost no mainstream gaming development on MacOS? I’m surprised. And isn’t MacOS Linux based? If someone makes a MacOS version of a game, they wouldn’t have to make alot of adjustments for it to work in Linux. I would love to play GTA on Linux. That’s about the only use I have for Windows these days.

I thought consoles were already putting PC gaming out of business. Maybe it was just GTA where most players preferred the console version of the game. I haven’t done console gaming since Atari and Nintendo. I actually still have both and the Nintendo still works(Last time I checked 15 years ago or so).

I don’t know about MacOS , but since Linux doesn’t support SecuROM or the other anti piracy software, the Linux version of games would have to ship without piracy protection. Maybe that’s why there’s almost no mainstream gaming development for MacOS and Linux.I think you need Autorun for SecuROM to work. Linux doesn’t support that. What about MacOS? I haven’t used MacOS since the Macintosh days, except for once in a blue moon.

I think I heard that the major games are developed on Linux. Is that true.

neel

Heat84 macOS isn’t Linux, but it’s another Unix-like system. Mac uses a Mach kernel and a FreeBSD userland.

PC gaming is far from dead. In fact, there are more PC gamers than console gamers. It’s just that you buy a $1000 gaming PC versus a $500 non-gaming PC and a $500 console.

Consoles have the advantage of convenience: it’s a convenient package. PCs have the advantage of needing one purchase for a more powerful system. Steam Deck is a hybrid system.

Linux gaming is growing largely due to Steam and people being unhappy with Windows. Compatibility layers help a transition, largely because you only need to target Windows for both Windows and Linux. Publishers may not make a Linux version because of Proton, they target Windows and also Linux gets supported.

The only games which are tricky are multiplayer games like Fortnite and Valorant where cheating can be a major issue, and it’s easier to ban Linux than allow cheaters. Single-player games like Cyberpunk 2077 are mostly fine as modding is usually not an issue piracy aside (as it’s a “feature”).

Heat84

neel Another advantage that the PC used to have is modding. But now console games can be modded. I guess because the newest consoles are like PCs. I don’t know if it’s as good as PC modding.

ugly95

If I remember correctly, Apple chose to go another direction when Vulkan started gaining prominence. Vulkan is a big part of why Proton/WINE works so well with modern games. DXVK was kind of a game-changer. It’s a translation from the new DirectX versions to Vulkan. So, without Vulkan, MacOS is sort of left behind.

But, hasn’t Apple been working on their own translation layer? I thought I read something about doing one with their newer ARM processors.

Adalicia

Heat84
It is not as robust as normal PC modding. The game/developer has to actually support it console side.

codezer0

One of the things that has me leery with consoles nowadays is the insidious ways in which access can be killed off.

Sony already axed off their formative generations as of the ps4. Their newest iterations of the console lean towards discless; coupled with the literal HOURS of footage of people getting their accounts and consoles banned within the minute of tweeting a pic from their console to them, it wouldn’t surprise me if Sony’s operandi is to get people to buy digital just to abuse the law and steal by way of account bans, mandating the purchase of new hardware.

Nintendo is also not exempt from this. Their method even goes as far as flagging a unique game cart id if it’s seen online from too many different places, making it so the game is no longer allowed to boot in a future system or game update. Given the recently well earned reputation of pettiness their legal team have, that’s deeply concerning.

And honestly at this point? Unless i can go bring a console home and have it jailbroken, my interest in them has nullified by a lot.

If i was to get a current console now, I’d still pick a Series X over a ps5 of any flavor for the backwards compatibility, and nothing else.