Steam for Linux

[hitbyambulance]

http://kotaku.com/5537835/report-reckon ... -linux-too" target="_blank

let it be so....

[GreenGoo]

I'm just not seeing how this is a benefit for either side.

Perhaps Valve is trying to get in on the ground floor, but what games are they going to offer?

And Linux users tend be open source fanatics. I don't see Steam's DRM being well received.

I guess I just don't see the value of having Steam on Linux.

Smoove, I really enjoyed telling your CC company vs Steam story to the linux heads in my shop. The look on their faces kept me warm for a few days at least.

[LawBeefaroni]

I think they're going to offer Source engine games to start, so HL2, CS:S, TF2, etc.

Of course if you don't already have those on a Windows box, your're not really a gamer. Plus Linux's main benefit (at least for me) is that it flies on ancient hardware. L4D2 on a GF3 Ti200 isn't so appealing, even if it is in Linux.

[Jeff V]

And Linux users tend be open source fanatics. I don't see Steam's DRM being well received.

Not to mention they have an aversion to paying for anything. A few years ago, a company tried a business plan of converting popular games to Linux. They didn't last too long.

[LawBeefaroni]

Loki software. It was like 8 or 9 years ago IIRC.

[ChrisGrenard]

I could see myself gaming on a Linux machine. I tried it about 2 years ago with just TF2, worked alright.

I'd consider this step 1 in actually turning a Linux machine into a more fully-functional computer. Where Valve leads with this, you'll probably someday have Office, a good selection of games and numerous other mainstream apps following.

[hitbyambulance]

massive development - i was not expecting this.

https://www.gamingonlinux.com/articles/ ... wine.12400

As we speculated previously, Valve have now officially announced their new version of 'Steam Play' for Linux gaming using a modified distribution of Wine called Proton, which is available on GitHub.

What does it do? In short: it allows you to play Windows games on Linux, directly through the Steam client as if they were a Linux game.

What many people suspected turned out to be true, DXVK development was actually funded by Valve. They actually employed the DXVK developer since February 2018. On top of that, they also helped to fund: vkd3d (Direct3D 12 implementation based on Vulkan), OpenVR and Steamworks native API bridges, wined3d performance and functionality fixes for Direct3D 9 and Direct3D 11 and more.

The amount of work that has gone into this—it's ridiculous.

Here's what they say it improves:

Windows games with no Linux version currently available can now be installed and run directly from the Linux Steam client, complete with native Steamworks and OpenVR support.
DirectX 11 and 12 implementations are now based on Vulkan, resulting in improved game compatibility and reduced performance impact.
Fullscreen support has been improved: fullscreen games will be seamlessly stretched to the desired display without interfering with the native monitor resolution or requiring the use of a virtual desktop.
Improved game controller support: games will automatically recognize all controllers supported by Steam. Expect more out-of-the-box controller compatibility than even the original version of the game.
Performance for multi-threaded games has been greatly improved compared to vanilla Wine.

It currently has a limited set of games that are supported, but even so it's quite an impressive list that they're putting out there. Which includes DOOM, FINAL FANTASY VI, Into The Breach, NieR: Automata, S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl, Star Wars: Battlefront 2 and more. They will enable many more titles as progress on it all continues.

To be clear, this is available right now. To get it, you need to be in the Steam Client Beta.

[Zitterbacke]

Very good news! I've been in the fortunate situation that all the games I played recently were available for Linux anyways, but this should give the whole thing a well deserved push forwards.