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Linux use on Steam ends 2023 with a multi-year high (thanks Steam Deck) (www.gamingonlinux.com)

submitted 10 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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[–] [email protected] 18 points 10 months ago (2 children)

That depends on what you're looking for.

If you want an example of how Linux is completely suitable for gaming and can be an extremely smooth experience, it's fantastic! Everything just works and essentially feels like a console, but with more features available.

If you want an example of how desktop Linux feels to use every day, it's not great. Again, it basically feels like a console until you drop into desktop mode, and then there's limitations like the read only filesystem that you're not going to run into on a typical desktop Linux system. Also, installing software is quite different, largely due to that read only filesystem.

It's a great user experience, and you can do a fair amount of fiddling, but it's going to be quite different from typical desktop Linux. I love it as a Linux user, and my coworkers that are Windows only also love it and have no desire to use more Linux.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I've only ever used Windows and Apple, but I'm seriously considering giving Linux a go, so it just occurred to me that maybe the Deck would be a good way to get a taste for it amd just see what it's like, even if it's kind of an idiot proof version.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

Sure, give it a try. Just know that desktop Linux will be a bit different.

The Steam Deck is basically just:

Steam Big Picture Mode by default
option to drop to a KDE desktop (looks like Windows)
read-only base system - think macOS terminal commands or WSL on Windows
package manager for installing graphical apps - like macOS's App store, but mostly open source software and no accounts needed

Regular desktop Linux is essentially the same except but without the read-only base system and probably a lot more system packages you can install. That's a pretty big deal to me, but maybe it's not a big deal to you, IDK.

As long as you don't change the read-only filesystem (you won't need to if you stick to the Discover app store), it's essentially idiot-proof.

If you already have a Steam Deck, then yeah, play around with it. However, I don't recommend getting a Steam Deck just to play around with Linux, just install it next to whatever OS you're already using on your PC as a dual boot. I only use Linux, and I honestly treat my Steam Deck essentially as a console. I could do a lot more with it, but it'll be more annoying than using my PC.