Valve have released the Steam Hardware & Software Survey for March 2025, and as expected with the Simplified Chinese language dropping the Linux stats have shot back up.
I assume they’re like a lot of people that only play competitive multiplayer games that don’t have support for Linux for whatever reason. Or they’re using a Nvidia GPU.
From the sample size of my two friends I don’t think Nvidia GPUs are that much of a problem anymore on Linux. I don’t personally own an Nvidia GPU so take that as you will.
Certain multiplayer games like CoD because of its anticheat are definitely unplayable on Linux. Only reason I still have windows is for that and Phasmophobia. But I think I can get Phasmo multiplayer running if I tinker with it. Maybe.
Nvidia GPUs are absolutely still a problem on Linux. It’s a problem that can be worked around, but it will require working around.
It’s honestly one of the biggest issues with Linux imo. If we want to encourage widespread adoption, it becomes really difficult to persuade people when they find out their GPU is essentially incompatible without major massaging. Especially since Nvidia is the most popular GPU seller on the market.
And the “it’s so easy, people just don’t want to learn” messaging doesn’t actually encourage long term use; If someone has been told that changing is easy but immediately encounters issues, then you’ve just made yourself an untrustworthy source of information in their eyes. They’re more likely to go “welp I guess it’s not for me” and just stop trying. If they’re at least presented with a realistic use-case and some of the most common pitfalls, they’ll be much better equipped to actually soldier on and learn. Just like teaching someone to ride a bike, going “it’s so easy, just keep peddling” does nothing to help when the person is laying in the grass with a scraped knee.
That part wasn’t aimed directly at you; It was more to head off the inevitable responses that always happen any time the argument gets started. Sorry if it sounded snarky.
If you use Bazzite, there is absolutely zero massaging necessary to use an Nvidia GPU. I know because I made the transition fulltime to it last June with my GTX 1080. To be fair, it includes the proprietary drivers, which I think almost every other distro is too principled to do OOTB.
Nvidia is fine and has been for decades. I used Nvidia exclusively on Linux for ~10 years and it was fine. AMD is a better experience on rolling releases and for keeping up with Linux changes (e.g. Wayland), but Nvidia has always been fine, you just might be stuck on X or obeying something and miss out on some features like having two monitors with different refresh rates (IIRC that was only possible on Wayland).
SteamOS is just Arch with some tweaks. Game compatibility isn’t even determined by SteamOS; Proton is doing all of the heavy lifting. So as long as the game works with Proton, it’ll boot on Linux.
No need to wait for SteamOS. It still needs the compatibility layer, as it is Linux. There is bothing too special about it as far as I know.
I’m a layman in terms of Linux but really… except some multiplayer titles, there really isn’t much to be concerned about using Linux. At least not from my experience.
If you install a version with Gamescope implemented (Chimera, Bazzite, Nobara, HoloISO), the experience is indistinguishable from SteamOS, other than typically some other goodies that make the desktop experience much better, like printer support. I don’t know exactly what they have planned for the wide release of SteamOS but I expect when it drops it will still be inferior to these distros.
I’ve been running Chimera/Bazzite on my desktop for a couple years now and it’s awesome! Especially if you don’t play competitive multiplayer stuff like me.
I assume they’re like a lot of people that only play competitive multiplayer games that don’t have support for Linux for whatever reason. Or they’re using a Nvidia GPU.
From the sample size of my two friends I don’t think Nvidia GPUs are that much of a problem anymore on Linux. I don’t personally own an Nvidia GPU so take that as you will.
Certain multiplayer games like CoD because of its anticheat are definitely unplayable on Linux. Only reason I still have windows is for that and Phasmophobia. But I think I can get Phasmo multiplayer running if I tinker with it. Maybe.
Nvidia GPUs are absolutely still a problem on Linux. It’s a problem that can be worked around, but it will require working around.
It’s honestly one of the biggest issues with Linux imo. If we want to encourage widespread adoption, it becomes really difficult to persuade people when they find out their GPU is essentially incompatible without major massaging. Especially since Nvidia is the most popular GPU seller on the market.
And the “it’s so easy, people just don’t want to learn” messaging doesn’t actually encourage long term use; If someone has been told that changing is easy but immediately encounters issues, then you’ve just made yourself an untrustworthy source of information in their eyes. They’re more likely to go “welp I guess it’s not for me” and just stop trying. If they’re at least presented with a realistic use-case and some of the most common pitfalls, they’ll be much better equipped to actually soldier on and learn. Just like teaching someone to ride a bike, going “it’s so easy, just keep peddling” does nothing to help when the person is laying in the grass with a scraped knee.
Well you won’t hear me argue for that. I don’t come off like that do I?
I wouldn’t recommend Linux to my mother for instance. She may use a laptop for work all the time but thats about as far as her knowledge goes.
That part wasn’t aimed directly at you; It was more to head off the inevitable responses that always happen any time the argument gets started. Sorry if it sounded snarky.
If you use Bazzite, there is absolutely zero massaging necessary to use an Nvidia GPU. I know because I made the transition fulltime to it last June with my GTX 1080. To be fair, it includes the proprietary drivers, which I think almost every other distro is too principled to do OOTB.
In my experience, and many others’ it is a problem. YMMV. Not really a debate I care to rehash.
Nvidia works fine with Linux. Stop saying this.
Nvidia does not always work fine with Linux. Stop saying this.
Nvidia is fine and has been for decades. I used Nvidia exclusively on Linux for ~10 years and it was fine. AMD is a better experience on rolling releases and for keeping up with Linux changes (e.g. Wayland), but Nvidia has always been fine, you just might be stuck on X or obeying something and miss out on some features like having two monitors with different refresh rates (IIRC that was only possible on Wayland).
Nah, the vast majority of my interest is in single player story-based games. But hey, the moment SteamOS for desktop is here, I’m jumping on that
SteamOS is just Arch with some tweaks. Game compatibility isn’t even determined by SteamOS; Proton is doing all of the heavy lifting. So as long as the game works with Proton, it’ll boot on Linux.
No need to wait for SteamOS. It still needs the compatibility layer, as it is Linux. There is bothing too special about it as far as I know.
I’m a layman in terms of Linux but really… except some multiplayer titles, there really isn’t much to be concerned about using Linux. At least not from my experience.
If you install a version with Gamescope implemented (Chimera, Bazzite, Nobara, HoloISO), the experience is indistinguishable from SteamOS, other than typically some other goodies that make the desktop experience much better, like printer support. I don’t know exactly what they have planned for the wide release of SteamOS but I expect when it drops it will still be inferior to these distros.
I’ve been running Chimera/Bazzite on my desktop for a couple years now and it’s awesome! Especially if you don’t play competitive multiplayer stuff like me.