Linux gaming isn't looking too good, but there's still hope!

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#linuxgaming #protongaming #linuxdesktop #steamdeck #steamdeckgaming

Timecodes:
00:00 Intro
00:43 Valve’s rating system is a net negative
03:35 Anti cheat is getting worse
07:27 Microsoft could kill Linux gaming
10:17 Valve is our only lifeline
11:33 It’s not all bleak!
15:14 Sponsor: Tuxedo Computers
16:03 Support the channel

To begin with, we have the current mess that is Steamplay, proton and generally the Valve Steam Deck compatibility rating. This rating changes, and not always positively: it’s a measure of how well a game runs RIGHT NOW, it is utterly untrustworthy as a purchasing aid. You can’t rely on this rating to purchase a game for Linux or the Steam Deck specifically, because this rating is made by Valve, not by the game developer, it doesn’t imply official support from the devs, and if the devs change something for Windows users that breaks Linux gaming, we’re out of luck.

Of course, most of these games that become unplayable, or have never been playable, well that’s due to anti cheat. The anti cheat situation on Linux is problematic.

EAC from Epic is used by plenty of games that run perfectly on Linux. BattleEye works on Ark survival evolded, or DayZ. This can work, and for pretty big games. So, why are game developers not enabling these solutions for their games when they’re run with proton?

The main issue can be twofold here: first, you can’t really run an anticheat with proton at the kernel level, because proton doesn’t have these privileges, and runs in userpsace. This means they are potentially less effective on Linux. It also means they have to agree to let users that don’t have the kernel level anti cheat software play on their servers, meaning some Windows users can now try and make that work, and masquerade as Linux users, while they actively cheat on Windows: it just opens a door for cheaters that are determined enough, a door that you wouldn’t have to open if you didn’t accept Linux gamers.

https://areweanticheatyet.com/

https://sam4k.com/whats-the-deal-with-anti-cheat-on-linux/

And this is just the Linux related problems. Because Linux games are Windows games, really, that use a third party tool to run. The moment Microsoft implements something that can’t legally be reimplemented with proton, or can’t technically be reimplemented through Proton, linux gaming is dead.

Have you heard about this rumor that microsoft wants to kill kernel level anticheat? Well it’s a false rumor. They want to implement ANOTHER way to have such systme access with less chances of killing the OS, like with the crowdstrike incident. This means that in the future, Microsoft will look at Windows specific ways to run kernel level tools, ways that we likely won’t be able to replicate on Linux.

https://blogs.windows.com/windowsexperience/2024/09/12/taking-steps-that-drive-resiliency-and-security-for-windows-customers/

Linux gaming is propped up by valve right now. Proton has MADE Linux gaming, and currently, I’d argue Linux gaming is basically Steam Gaming. Sure, you can play stuff with Heroic, or Lutris, or another launcher, but it runs with Wine. Wine’s development is done mostly by paid employees of Codeweavers, who is funded a LOT by Valve.

Of course, it’s not ALL bleak. There are glimmers of hope that we might land on the right side of the cliff.

First, Valve is committed. You don’t start your own hardware with the Deck, and its OLED model, if you don’t think there’s a path to success. We also have other things on the horizon: while Valve says they want to SteamOS for other computers, we also have investment from big companies like Square Enix and Samsung, in playtronOS, another Linux based distro.

We also have Microsoft, adopting Vulkan’s shader format instead of their own in DirectX, meaning they are moving towards more open standards, not closing things down.

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