I feel like this is a question that might have been asked around and maybe there are guides around, but that's a discussion that I'd like to have with the lot of you.
The context
Using Linux on both my work laptop and the Steam Deck has made me quite interested in a full switch to Linux - my other computer is a gaming desktop, which I use a lot for many things, but mostly for gaming. Getting used to Linux has made me quite more intolerant to all the BS Microsoft is pushing than I used to be, the latest one being forcing the users to switch from the older email client to the new Outlook, which has a big, nice ad banner that looks like an unread email. So I've began wondering: after all, why not? Why shouldn't I embrace the penguin? Well, the answer is that I should not if there are too many hinders and drawbacks in using Linux, which would make me need a dual boot instead of a single OS install.
We all know gaming has long been one of the main limiting factors in switching, but the Deck has changed the whole landscape on that front. We've basically switched from "Windows is the only OS suitable for gaming" to "Linux is also viable", and the Deck has been made that available to the general audience. Therefore, nowadays, how viable is Linux for a gaming computer? What are the limitations users will encounter? Would I be able to play all the games from my Steam, Epic and GOG library with a bit of tinkering, including the new releases?
The drawbacks of using Linux (or those that I can think of)
- Other gaming launchers support on Linux suck: GOG and Epic will work through Heroic Games but Activision/Blizzard, Ubisoft, EA and Rockstar games will all be a pain, or even not work at all. Is is true? Is there any way around that?
- No Microsoft GamePass. Or none that actually matters, as the only solution is to pay for the higher tier and stream the games - so no game actually runs on the desktop. No, thanks.
- Some DRM will prevent games from working, and this is especially true for games with heavy online content.
- NVIDIA support for Linux is far from being on-par with that on Windows, especially the open-source drivers. Is this still true?
- Many devices, especially those for gaming, might not have good (or even working) compatibility drivers for Linux. I know my UWQHD monitor works flawlessly on Windows, but requires quite a bit of tinkering on Ubuntu
- Newer games might not be optimized for Linux in the first place
- Tinkering is inevitable (as with any Linux computer, really)
What can we add?
The advantages (I can think of)
- It's free
- It's ad free
- Customization on Linux is awesome, and I might end up spending more time ricing, breaking it all and reinstalling than gaming (see also, previous section's 7.)
- I will no longer be sending data to Microsoft
What else am I not thinking about?
What distro?
And finally, let's say I make the switch. What Linux distro should I use? I've read a bit about Drauger, Ubuntu GamePack, or even Pop! OS with some manual setup. What do you guys think, and advise?
@hydroel Two biggest drawbacks are certain games with anti-cheat not running (however some do), and peripheral support (my Thrustmaster racing wheel doesn't get force feedback).
Some games (Like Factorio) have a better native Linux version than the Native Windows version.
I use Arch Linux, but wouldn't recommend it to a novice. If you're only gaming ChimeraOS is a good place to start. If you're really new to Linux and scared to break things, an immutable OS like Vanilla may be better suited.
I'm a little used to Linux - a lot less than I am to Windows - and the idea would be to dive deeper into it. So I'm not ready for Arch yet, but Vanilla is too restrictive. And Chimera seems to be a "couch" OS, made to be used with a controller on a TV, so I don't think it's the best option either?
If you have two separate physical drives to work with, dual-booting is a great "training wheels" approach to the problem. Then you can take your time with the learning process and hop back into Windows quickly whenever you need a break or the ability to do something quickly that the Linux hasn't been set up for, yet.
That's another option, but my current build doesn't have room for another drive, M2 or otherwise. So I could buy a new, larger M2 and partition it but I don't really want to have to setup both systems again already.
And I wouldn't advocate for installation of a daily driver OS on anything less than an m.2, these days. Fair enough. A consideration for the future, then.
@hydroel @solarisfire
Ubuntu is an excellent introduction to Linux I think. Also used a lot by experienced users that no longer want to spend much time keeping their desktop running.
Ubuntu has been (mostly) great so far! And there are some Ubuntu-based distros that seem to be tailored for gaming, so I was curious to see if any users around here had used them - I've mentioned Draugr and Ubuntu Game Pack, but if I was to use a base distro and tune it myself I might pick Pop! OS which seems really nice.
@jannem @hydroel It's a good starting point... I've never been a huge fan of the Ubuntu Desktop environment. Snaps can behave a little weirdly at times (I had issues getting a VR Headset working with the snap version of Steam). I'm not sure what their GPU driver situation is these days, I know they were providing older drivers in their repositories a few years ago. POP_OS! is a nice ubuntu based option too...
I agree about Snap: it should be great, in theory, it just doesn't work as well as it ought to.
I've been considering Pop! OS, which seems very nice indeed.
@hydroel @solarisfire pop is one of the very best Debian based systems.
It seems to be, at least! I've been meaning to switch from Ubuntu to Pop! OS on my work laptop but I can't justify to take that time at the moment.