Pondering Gaming on Linux

[GSDFan]

With the recent buzz about the new Steam hardware / OS and my trials and tribulations with the recent Windows update to 25H2, I am contemplating the switch to an alternative gaming platform.

I am a noob when it comes to Linux, although before I retired, I had to endure some Unix for my job. I am reaching out to the community for insight into things like which distro to use and should I be looking at SteamOS, Bazzite or some other form of Linux. Hardware wise my current setup is about five years old so I might also want to look at a new build. Any hardware considerations are also welcome, like which brand has the best support under the Linux ecosystem, will my Logitech wireless keyboard work, will my Stream deck work and so on, damn so much of my peripheral hardware is Windows based.

Share your journey if you have switched from MS to Linux. 

Any help would greatly be appreciated.

 

[z929669]

2 hours ago, GSDFan said:

With the recent buzz about the new Steam hardware / OS and my trials and tribulations with the recent Windows update to 25H2, I am contemplating the switch to an alternative gaming platform.

 

 

I am a noob when it comes to Linux, although before I retired, I had to endure some Unix for my job. I am reaching out to the community for insight into things like which distro to use and should I be looking at SteamOS, Bazzite or some other form of Linux. Hardware wise my current setup is about five years old so I might also want to look at a new build. Any hardware considerations are also welcome, like which brand has the best support under the Linux ecosystem, will my Logitech wireless keyboard work, will my Stream deck work and so on, damn so much of my peripheral hardware is Windows based.

 

 

Share your journey if you have switched from MS to Linux. 

Any help would greatly be appreciated.

 

I use CentOS 8 or Stream 9 (RHL based) for server-centric Linux, but it also has various GUI options. I prefer RHL-based Linux personally, because I know it better. For more PC-GUI Linux, Ubuntu is probably the most popular, but I prefer Linux Mint, which is probably best as a transition from Windows (or Zorin OS). The latter are all Ubuntu based, which is Debian-based, but Mint also has a pure Debian-based flavor (rather than Ubuntu). Expect lots of tinkering and shell work with Linux, but it's very powerful and much better than windows for custom fitting to your needs. Gaming, drivers, and compatibility is always complicated under Linux, but there's tons of options and support. Things are much better now than they were a decade ago.

[GSDFan]

4 hours ago, z929669 said:

I use CentOS 8 or Stream 9 (RHL based) for server-centric Linux, but it also has various GUI options. I prefer RHL-based Linux personally, because I know it better. For more PC-GUI Linux, Ubuntu is probably the most popular, but I prefer Linux Mint, which is probably best as a transition from Windows (or Zorin OS). The latter are all Ubuntu based, which is Debian-based, but Mint also has a pure Debian-based flavor (rather than Ubuntu).

I will have to look into this, just starting out my research so that is helpful.

 

4 hours ago, z929669 said:

Expect lots of tinkering and shell work with Linux,

I kind of expected having to build up a learning curve. That is why I want to build a modest rig so I can tinker and not worry about anything if I screw up.

 

4 hours ago, z929669 said:

Gaming, drivers, and compatibility is always complicated under Linux, but there's tons of options and support. Things are much better now than they were a decade ago.

I have not got that deep into research on hardware just yet, but that will be one of my focuses going forward. 

[Mousetick]

This timely article may help you get an idea of what you'd be getting yourself into, if you're contemplating a DIY SteamOS or Bazzite on a cheap hardware box: I’ve already been using a “Steam Machine” for months, and I think it’s great [link to arstechnica.com]. The article also references many other articles and resources which you may find useful.

If you're considering switching to Linux for gaming only, SteamOS or Bazzite would seem to be your best bet with the least fuss, assuming you get the proper hardware for it. Once your DIY "Steam Machine" is setup, installing and playing SteamOS-compatible games should be relatively painless.

If on the other hand you're considering switching to Linux as your general "computing" platform, for productivity and other non-gaming activities, that would be an entirely different kettle of fish. It could be very painful and time-consuming, depending on which applications and hardware you need to use.

I'm very familiar with Linux but only on the server side (no GUI). Last time I used Linux as a desktop platform was decades ago. So please take anything I say on the subject with a big grain of salt...

[GSDFan]

8 hours ago, Mousetick said:

If you're considering switching to Linux for gaming only, SteamOS or Bazzite would seem to be your best bet with the least fuss, assuming you get the proper hardware for it. Once your DIY "Steam Machine" is setup, installing and playing SteamOS-compatible games should be relatively painless.

If on the other hand you're considering switching to Linux as your general "computing" platform, for productivity and other non-gaming activities, that would be an entirely different kettle of fish. It could be very painful and time-consuming, depending on which applications and hardware you need to use.

I mostly wanted to try gaming and was looking at the one click solutions. I have to look at hardware, although I tend to want more than I need and right now prices are getting out of control. I guess an option is to upgrade my current setup as I been having the pc build itch lately and repurpose the old components into the game system.