90°

Valve hits a Linux landmark—1,500 games available on Steam

When we looked at the state of Linux gaming after its 12-month Valve anniversary, we found nearly 1,000 professional, commercially distributed games available as of February 2015. But this weekend there's an even bigger numeric milestone to celebrate according to the Linux site Phoronix—1,500 Linux titles are currently available through Steam.

The five most popular Linux titles for Steam include major developer offerings like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor (the rest of the top five according to Phoronix includes ARK: Survival Evolved, Team Fortress 2, and Dota 2). And this summer, a small indie game called Don't Be Patchman even became the first Linux-exclusive launch on Steam.

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arstechnica.com
uth113167d ago

That's cool, I much prefer Linux to Windows, and games is the only reason I still have windows at all.

Maybe I'll give another shot at setting up a steamos installation

SniperControl3167d ago

Same boat as you, I'am waiting to jump ship as well, i have Mint installed on a separate partition but at the moment, as a Linux noob, alot of hoops have to be jumped through to get anything installed and working.

Hoping that SteamOS gets rid of all that and makes things easy to use.

joeorc3167d ago

Check it out.
http://store.steampowered.c...

The beta is the to try out, and valve is very good about taking in Questions. And Answers.

donthate3167d ago (Edited 3167d ago )

"alot of hoops have to be jumped through to get anything installed and working."

That is pretty much why Linux will never gain traction. It's entire core model is like that. Awkward configurations and awkward user interface. For decades the Ubuntu linux has had minimal GUI changes and they all just mimick whatever "popular" OS is out there, and they all look like they belong in the 90s.

MacOS has a bigger chance of gaining meaningful userbase than Linux on Desktop/laptop computers.

Linux is more about the ideology, that actual usage. Windows is just polished, and the changes are just major work under the hood.

uth113167d ago

Installing on Linux is simple these days. All the major distributions have installation tools where you just select what you want and it automatically installs for you.

It's not like the old days where you had to build everything from source code

uth113167d ago

I know, I've dual-booted Linux and win for years. But the last release of SteamOS wouldn't install on my hardware.

I'm hoping the latest version will.

ScorpiusX3167d ago

They are just determinte to make that OS popular. When will they learn it will never be widespread or everywhere like Windows an for as long that windows exsit. JMO

donthate3167d ago

People will jump ship, just like they jumped ship to Linux long time ago, only they didn't!

Sorry, but without the software I use day to day incompatible with Linux, the need to delve in to configuration files that makes it look like software from the 90s and the lack of support, no thanks!

Works great on my web server though, but not on my desktop!

I think the momentum for SteamOS is long gone, and the Windows is back on the upswing. The poor reception of Windows 8 was Valve's opportunity, but instead it was squandered. Windows 10 is massive and by far surpassed Windows 8 in adoption after only a month.

sorceror1713166d ago

"delve in to configuration files"? When was the last time you actually *tried* Linux?

I've gotten several of my relatives on Linux. They use Firefox and Chrome, Thunderbird for email, etc. Can do Word files, spreadsheets, etc. They don't have to edit any config files, and all their hardware "just works". (Heck, Linux is better than Windows in many ways. For example, if you plug in your mouse to a different USB port, you don't have to reinstall the whole frigging driver!)

Admittedly, they aren't gamers. On the other hand, I've been playing more games under Linux - real commercial games like Dead Island, Dying Light, Borderlands 2, Shadow of Mordor, Monstrum, Tower of Guns, etc. (Apparently Alien: Isolation is coming out for Linux soon - that'll be fun. Supposedly Arkham Knight, too, but they can't even get Windows working right.)

Just wait for the Vulkan games next year and beyond. Windows has no advantage there.

And Windows 10 is indeed on an upswing - but it's not converting anyone but people who already run Windows.

uth113167d ago

Linux has already taken over practically everywhere except gaming. It's only a matter of time

Testfire3167d ago

"Linux has taken over practically everywhere"

Lol, no, just stop! As much as I wish Windows had a worthwhile competitor Linux has NEVER threatened to take over any segment of the Windows market share. It's on the fringe and that's where it will always be.

uth113167d ago

Linux beat Windows on servers,
On phones (Android)
On embedded system/set-top boxes

Ms wanted to own all of theses things, they failed. The only thing Linux hasn't conquered is desktops.

donthate3166d ago

By your definition "everywhere" is just "servers" and "embedded systems", because Linux hasn't taken over smart phones or desktop/laptop.

I think people seem to think MS has to be a dominant player in every market, but they don't. Windows Server is huge in the server environment. Most of MS sales are actually to enterprise including SharePoint. MS also makes huge amount of patents every year, and they are reaping that reward by collecting royalties for those patents including those on Android.

At one point MS made more on Android than Google did!

Now that MS got their bearings again, it seems they are no longer attached to a platform as evident that they make iOS and Android apps now for hte most popular applications. Windows 10 is also having a huge upswing so we will see, but Linux is primarily in embedded systems and servers.

LInux on Desktop is non-existant. Even MacOS has a much larger marketshare there.

ChickeyCantor3167d ago (Edited 3167d ago )

Operating systems running on Linux are free ( at least like 99% ). This benefits educational systems and other insitutions a lot, which means growth for potential software.

There is a lot of potential with linux and it's already growing. It's far bigger now than it was years ago

joeorc3167d ago (Edited 3167d ago )

@castillo + 3m ago
"They are just determinte to make that OS popular. When will they learn it will never be widespread or everywhere like Windows an for as long that windows exsit. JMO"

Many thought the same thing about Windows Mobile for the base Smartphone for powering a smartphone..no way was Apple's iOS ever going to be that popular. With a $500.00 price point Subsidized with no keyboard. No business client will be interested into that phone since it does not have a Keyboard.

Back in 2007 Steve b. Thought the same way when windows mobile up to that point, took out palm inc's palm pilot OS for the #1 OS for not only PDA's but also the very Term "smartphone" was coined because of Microsoft's Windows CE , pocket PC & evolution to Windows Mobile from Pocket PC 2000 to Windows Mobile 6.1 for over 8 years Microsoft's Windows OS was the leader in Mobile device OS for Advanced OS mobile devices.

Now .. not only is Apple iOS, but Also Google's Android OS is also not only as popular but is Infact on more mobile devices and is being used by more consumers that a mobile Windows OS even has.

The point being now there is just as viable Popular OS's outside of Microsoft's Windows.

With Valve heading up a Linux made OS designed by Gamers for Gamers. You cannot dismiss this fact, that just like Steve B. Thought when Apple released the iPhone for the 1st time that , there would be no way it could be popular. Let alone Google also releasing another OS that also gained massive popularity. To think to be dismissive about it may end up making you look very foolish. Just ask how Steve B thinks about his attitude toward iOS and Android now.

IrishSt0ner3167d ago

Valve doesn't head up Linux, they promote it's use as a viable alternative to Windows. It's not an OS 'for gamers by gamers', it's an open-source OS created in the early 90s to always be free for all PC users. It holds a very small percentage in the desktop PC market (around 2%), we primarily use it on servers so it's pretty much always been the largest OS used on servers and mainframes.

Linux does have the largest install base overall due to Android OS... thing is that suits Microsoft, they recieve royalties on every Android product sold as Android infringes on MS patents. MS makes more money from Android than Windows mobile.

People tend to underestimate just how much control MS has in technology due to thier patents, another example is they get royalites of every single SD card sold (they own FAT32 rights).

It been this way for years now, nothing has changed... MS dominates the home and business desktop OS market (see 1 billion expected Windows10 devices in it's first year), Linux dominates servers and networks, Android dominates handheld devices.

My point is it's incorrect to assume this ecosystem is changing anytime soon. I'd love for Linux to gain market share in the PC desktop space, but true to form MS killed any possibilty of that with the first year free upgrade.

joeorc3167d ago

@IrishSt0ner + 4m ago
"Valve doesn't head up Linux, they promote it's use as a viable alternative to Windows. It's not an OS 'for gamers by gamers', it's an open-source OS created in the early 90s to always be free for all PC users. It holds a very small percentage in the desktop PC market (around 2%), we primarily use it on servers so it's pretty much always been the largest OS used on servers and mainframes. "

The Build of Ubuntu that Valve is designing for Steam hardware, is a Linux OS that is being designed for gamers for gamers!

Its a "Linux Build"

And I never stated otherwise, its not just a Linux OS being prompted. The Linux build that valve is making for gamers is made by Gamers. valve is a game company along with publishing games, its about designing a LinuxOS for "Gamers" to be geared as a Gamers OS!

Its not just taking a Linux OS that's out there and tweaking it for gaming. This is a build from the ground up for gaming. Linux now has Vulkan Api to have more driver support for the Graphics cards that before Linux really never had this..until now.

IrishSt0ner3166d ago

Oh you're talking about SteamOS, it's shares the same core OS as Ubuntu... Debian.

SteamOS is a custom built GUI for TVs so yea it's definitely a purely gaming OS... from Valve:

"Users should not consider SteamOS as a replacement for their desktop operating system. SteamOS is being designed and optimized for the living room experience"

It'll make PC gaming much more inviting... Steam machines will be plug and play, as easy to use as a console, and can be upgraded whenever you want.

I suppose I was a bit hung up on semantics when the juice of what you're saying is absolutely correct.. Valve being are the prime mover for Linux support in games (and driver support as a result), they've always championed it in the face of MS Windows... heck I say it's safe to say they're solely responsible for PC gamings vibrancy today.

Personally, my main excitement from Valve is the incoming Source 2.0 game engine, that'll support Vulkan and DX12, I honestly can't think of a better scaling game engine than Source. Plus can't wait to get my hands on their weird touchpad controller.

_LarZen_3167d ago

That's one game for each Linux user.

superterabyte3167d ago

Anyone ever told you that you look like a 3rd rate Bradley Cooper. Also Linux is a great OS and more popular than you'd think.

FreakyFox3167d ago (Edited 3167d ago )

I think when Vulkan breeds with Linux, we are going to see all the diffent flavours of Linux burst into life with the basic features and simplicity people need to move away from this Monopoly monsters called Windows.

Before when OpenGL used to get talked about in the headlines, its was the Hardware companies, now Vulkan has been announced, game developers are showing up to the party wanting more control and more of a say in how things should be done, because they want change, its that simple.

Their is a reason Windows 10 is the last OS from Microsoft, because they know whats coming and they have to get their marketshare in order, so they ram DX12 and Windows 10 down peoples throat as fast as they can, so they can be first to the table with a low-level API and convince vendors that they dont need anything else other than DX12, and its the reason why AMD/Mantle got shadowed, so i would say the API war is personel now that the Mantle spec as been thrown on the table at The Kronos Group.

With how many companies are supporting Vulkan, one might say it is designed not to fail.

I know one thing..... i'm ready for a change.

110°

Battlefield V now broken on Steam Deck / Linux with EA anticheat live

That's all folks. EA anticheat has now been added into Battlefield V, so it's the end of being able to play it on Steam Deck and other Linux systems.

This joins the likes of Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare 2: Deluxe Edition, EA SPORTS FC 24, EA SPORTS FIFA 23, Battlefield 2042 and Madden NFL 24 that all have EA's own homegrown anti-cheat that make them simply unplayable on systems running Linux.

Now if you try to run it, you'll be greeted with an error. A shame to see a game that's multiple years old get broken like this and no doubt EA will continue to use their own EA anticheat in future online games. Battlefield 1 is still okay, and Apex Legends is also still running but perhaps it's only a matter of time before EA force it onto those too?

Read Full Story >>
gamingonlinux.com
just_looken47d ago

more comments here:
https://www.reddit.com/r/St...
https://steamcommunity.com/...

47 comments in hours bf5 won't launch anymore ea is saying meh not my prob bitch tosses a faq
https://answers.ea.com/t5/B...

Yes counter cheating that is good but when the ea app on pc is still totally broken and these cheaters are on 2042 same anti cheat this is just putting scotch tape on trumps file cabinet to prevent leaks its nothing more than a stop gap.

I mention ea app as for 4years it was in beta then tossed out with 3 year old issues and i still cant not get the products that i purchased on origin yeah i purchased digital but guess what there is no dvd games on pc anymore.

Philaroni47d ago

Likewise, I'm about to do some games with some friends here but if you wish to PM me I could share my Discord if you like to talk further. Oddly you bring up THQ that I did some work for in the past.

Also for Starfield I have just a Stock GTX 1080. Not even the 1080i version on an ultra wide and with some Ini, changes and other weird things I know I got it working at Series X frame rate. Sure not the the fancy graphics options. I know Bethesda games have always been more CPU then GPU limiting. A good application I don't see many using is Process lasso. It helps with may CPU heavy games on PC. (Battletech is the main one I use it for) Can find it here if you like. https://bitsum.com/

""Xbox has made custom engines like forza/unreal they used to support epic back in the day like slipstream like you said but they make so much cash they do not need to work as much as sony.

But the issue i find is the lack of passion behind games aswell as the mass amount of users that love the broken/microtransantion filled games we get every day. Back in the day when a game was crap or had something wrong it was a oh crap are we going to get shutdown or like thq just poof gone. But today its na who cares fix it later or write it off then oh wait never mind they like it such as the new cod.""

Going to combine me response here. You are right, MS and I do feel like what they do with not just Froza and also the tech they use in Flight Sim. Is not given enough credit. If I am correct the next Fable game is going to be using a mix of things from the Turn 10 Team, maybe Unreal? Hard to say at this point, But MS along with Sony both own a full License of the tech (Days Gone for Sony) I agree with you on the talent and passion part, games have become too much, at least AAA games the 'Milk, butter, eggs and toast" to support places now days. Innovations in gameplay and such has fell lower and lower. I still don't see mechanics and ways of playing games like I did so many years back, its a bummer.

For MS maybe the end as even though they might have a massive advantage in software and services (I use to work in Azure) They can kind of do some things at cost but seem to fail at it a lot. The cloud gaming push I don't think is going to have the effect so many hope for (Not sure why anyone wants that) I still want MS to have a chance but, if I sit here with my magic dice and roll it on MS games over the last forever, it could land on Crackdown 3 (Remember that?) The cloud powered game... and now they are trying to do it again with Kojima some what. As an engineer, its not happening now, tomorrow or anything in the next 24 years. I remember back on this interview with John,

https://www.reddit.com/r/nv...

We are not even at that point yet. So hope we get there and I hope MS is still a player but I do feel you are right in many ways, they are already trying to slowly retreat just by the rhetoric alone.

Ether way again PM me and we should talk more, would love to do so.

Philaroni47d ago

The rough part of all of this is that for those of us on PC mostly be it Windows or Linux based, the anti-cheat sucks up a lot of resources. It kind of reminds me of the conversation between, security and freedom. Too much of ether is both good if managed well or very bad. We just as gamers keep seeing this pop up over and over again. Wish I had some magic wand to stop cheaters... but I don't... hell we just seen what happened with Apex at a high level event.. getting that kind of access and such is not good... but at the same time. Can anyone, one person provide me an example where Anti Cheat has even like a hit rate above 50? I know I'm pulling numbers out of my ass, but it seems the cheaters beat the systems in place time and time again. Where there is a lock, and a smith to make it. We always will have a thief that breaks it.

just_looken47d ago (Edited 47d ago )

I can

Sense everyone seems to have brain rot and forgot the ps3 that is the solution.

The ps3 for its first half had systems that would only launch the game if it saw you had a ps3 controller along with a inhouse operating system and a real gpu/cpu it was way harder to run cheats off of along with the ability to make custom rooms.

Yes there were p2p lag switching then later on thanks to that dev kit leak cheat menus but for years games like killzone/mag had dedicated servers that were hard to crack a operating system/cpu those in public had 0 knowledge how to make stuff on them.

Right now if they put all mp files on the server so we just stream the game that would be a huge step or make the multiplayer run in a sanboxed mode separate on the system.

Philaroni47d ago

I'm glad you brought that up that Killzone had Dedicated servers. I remember the Yellow Dog Linux days of PS3, as well. EA use to do more Dedicated Servers for games but as time went on they would 'rent them out' and slowly the official servers would die down.

P2P Lag always had that magical thing (Gears 2 (Aak the shot gun) and Halo 2,3) fans know as host advantage. That alone allowed for lags switches, booting of others from games. ECT. (Though I admit, was the most fun I had when our team could beat cheaters. Man was that a good time)

I fully agree with you, the fact so much is working how it is has in a hard way compromised network/client security issue. I'll pick on COD for example where some assets are local and other are on server, between games and between even evolutions/iterations of the engines used.

just_looken47d ago

@phil

Thank you for the reply i am glad others on here remember

Now back to the series x having games with the same frame rate as a 2005 xbox 360 but the masses thinking that is fine and next gen.

Starfield on series x native 780ishp fallout 3 xbox 360 720p both 30fps gaming has "grown so much"

Sadly we are not in large numbers and see mp/sp tech wise/cheater wise has gotten worse not better.

Philaroni47d ago

I hate to say it about Starfield I'd have too look at reports from way back when. I swear to god they said it was going to launch with Creation Kit 2 (I worked with 1 alot in Skyrim mods in the block based aka cell based structure) Back then it was great, but for the life of me I don't know how a Studio like Obsidian can make a game same as Bethesda but with less bugs and bull shit. (Fallout Veg and Outer Worlds) Not that it was with out bugs but when a 3rd party does better with your own tech... I find an issue... with it all.

Frame rate stuff I only understand from two points, design and marketing. On the Design part yes back in the day 30FPS was I swear almost more common then now days. It was not a design compromise to keep it at 30 as the hardware and the way the game was being 'displayed' (Key thing there) was as impactful. Now days I feel the Marketing side wants a 4K trailer running likely rendered on a Xbox or PS system with little text saying (Oh wit was on a PC that no one is able to afford... of course teasing there a bit.)

I do understand that Starfield is a 'simulated world' where like every item you drop is there, for like forever... cool, that is not too new now days and design wise, is kind of a dumb thing.... who cares how many carrots you can collect... is it cool sure, makes for good PR in some ways. Lack of tangible game play is the issue. I can't take credit for this but a buddy of mine worked in advertising and I shit you not at Fast food. They would make wax and even 3D print now and then post render foods you would get, just for you as the client at a Burger King to not be given as you where sold on. (((( He did not work for them FYI.. but others)))

Issue with gaming as you are saying is too much is on the 'presentation.' It does not sell like it use too, that type of advertising. Most of it is word of mouth, who my friends tell me is a good game or not, what my friends are playing. Then comes the reviews.

Its dumb that our next gen systems feel like we gone all but up a step that we already went down two to three on. Take Uncharted 4 for example 30FPS SP and 60 MP. That I can deal with, and that was a PS4 game.

I do at times dis Xbox a lot, but come on, they still have yet to make there own damn game engine. Slipstream failed heavily, where Sony and most of their own studios have tech they made for the games they are trying to build. I am unsure how Xbox is again now saying the 'next' system will be the best ever. Sure it will be duh? Tech changes and grows, but I never seen a system use it so poorly. (I blame alot on the bloated Xbox OS FYI)

just_looken47d ago

@phil

You can have both presentation and framerate pc's have been doing both for decades now 4k ray tracing bla bla yeah that is different but starfield is no maxed out minecraft with its seed tech with ray tracing minecraft uses seeds also with huge buildings but for years pc's can do 60fps on that.

I mentioned 30fps because back in the day we had hd consoles alot of users had sd tv's just getting into hd tv's so i get the graphics difference but we are talking about 20years of hardware difference.

A real hardware console 6700 3700x 16gb of ram can run starfield at 60fps not maxed out but its possible this was pre performance patches:
https://youtu.be/hNM488QIKO...

Remember the apu/igpu tablet crap the consoles are using are based off of the 6700

The xbox operating system has always been windows based from windows 2000/xp xbox-xbox 360 the tail end of the 360 using vista/7 then to the series x using windows 10 that is why backwards compatibility works great its all direct x based with the same bc as a window's pc. What we see today is just the change from needing games to survive to making games as a product m$ makes more money in a week than what sony can make in months.

Xbox has made custom engines like forza/unreal they used to support epic back in the day like slipstream like you said but they make so much cash they do not need to work as much as sony.

But the issue i find is the lack of passion behind games aswell as the mass amount of users that love the broken/microtransantion filled games we get every day. Back in the day when a game was crap or had something wrong it was a oh crap are we going to get shutdown or like thq just poof gone. But today its na who cares fix it later or write it off then oh wait never mind they like it such as the new cod.

The new cod is making bank yes users hated it but the sales show the masses that do not post love it sadly

Heck did you see that wow has limited time store items now with hundreds online defending it because they think the store its what's need to keep the game online despite the $15 a month payment and m4 ownership.

I find in the end of this generation Microsoft will go the way of sega they might also just buy sony as everything sony except music/games is not making money they are a cheap buy for microsoft right now so we would just have 2 companies fighting in the gaming ring with papa os watching from the sidelines.

Great chatting 2 you may i recommend looking at rpgm games? they are out there even though i have a i9 4090 custom rig right now along with a ps5 i have been playing 4yr old games or rpgm stuff this year. Its funny i remember being a 2360/ps3 owner stacks of adventures now i am like well time to see what is in the past.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 47d ago
60°

Linux overtakes MacOS on Steam thanks to the Steam Deck and SteamOS

Despite an insurmountable lead for Windows, MacOS has been in second place. Thanks to the Steam Deck, Linux has overtaken Apple's OS on Steam.

Read Full Story >>
gamefreaks365.com
ocelot07292d ago

Cool love the steam deck. Hope valve return and make steam machines.

JEECE292d ago (Edited 292d ago )

If they did it right this time and have the same type of focus for that as they do Steam Deck, that would be awesome. The problem when they did it before is that they just sort of threw out the name "Steam Machines" and some hardware standards, and then never did anything else to cultivate it. If Valve actually made an official Steam Machine, I might actually be interested.

Christopher292d ago

Really just tells you how small the MacOS gaming market was even after all this time.

JEECE292d ago (Edited 292d ago )

Yeah about every 7-8 years one or two major titles will either get Mac ports or launch simultaneously on Mac and we'll get a wave of articles from the Apple-obsessed writers at various game sites about how Mac gaming is finally turning a corner, and then it never does.

Last year a few of the guys I play PC games with and I were trying to find a decent RTS game we could play with our friend who only has a Mac. He couldn't figure out why MS didn't want to prioritize porting recent Age of Empires games to Mac lol.

UltimateOwnage292d ago (Edited 292d ago )

That’s awesome, well deserved. I love my Steam Deck. Steam OS is fantastic at this point. I can do almost anything on Deck with desktop mode that I use my normal laptop for. Since launch it has constantly improved. One of my favorite devices ever

__SteakDeck__291d ago

I don’t know if you have tried the Rog Ally yet. But if you have, how would you compare it to the Steam Deck? People keep talking about how great it is. I know the Rog Ally is more powerful, but I think the Deck is more efficient and the better value.

70°

Valve Developer Hints At Major Breakthrough In Linux HDR Compatibility

This comes after AMD's decision to incorporate Linux into their hardware.

drizzom503d ago

Excellent. Its so good to see more effort linux compatibility in gaming.

jznrpg503d ago

If I don’t have to use crappy windows I’d consider building a PC again. Make it happen .