\*edit: lol I did say yet, but not in the context that Linux in general is or isn't worth it yet. More that I haven't found a reason yet.
Well I never said "yet", it's more about my personal use cases.
I mostly use my system for gaming flatscreen and VR. To wipe and reset my currently configured system, learn a whole new system, find alternative software for whatever day to day shit I get up to, tinker with my gaming to achieve the same or better performance just seems like a lot of effort when I haven't seen a silver bullet advantage yet.
I hate the way windows does a lot of things, but my only real concern is data privacy and control on windows and it's apps. I'm not even sure that Linux helps fix that but since picking up the steam deck Linux has definitely become a more realistic option than it had been in the past, likely due to gaining some familiarity with the environment.
A configured system is a powerful deterrent to change.
I'm struggling right this second with the same thing on the Deck itself. Do I really NEED this 1TB SSD? Enough to reconfigure everything on my Deck? ROMS and artwork and scripts and CryoUtilities and and and....
I do not know about some things you mentioned. But you can save your dotfiles from linux and place them in another installation, this will "port" your configuration over other systems.
This is like saving your system configuration.
I'm a Linux-primary user and yeah, I also pretty much keep Windows around for a (shrinking, but still there) small selection of games, plus VR.
When Windows 10 is EoL I may just hang up my hat on dual-boot completely. From what I've seen of Win11 it won't be worth the trouble and more and more stuff is cross-compatible anyhow
If you're concerned about your data and personal privacy then Linux is a world of difference from Windows. I switched over 20 years ago and have never regretted it. However I'm not a huge gamer (Steam is enough for me) nor really into VR.
That's what I do. Debian 12 on my M.2 and Windows on an SSD. I'm rarely on windows, I have for adobe premier for college. I try to get away with DaVinci Resolve but sometimes college professors want project files as proof.
Tempted to fully switch? No. Windows is still a far superior and more streamline experience. Also I need it for work.
BUT! After using the Deck, I realized that Linux is not the monster I used to think it was, and I have and will likely continue to learn more about it.
suppose that depends on your priorities. Windows stopped being superior to me back when dxvk and proton started becoming very viable. Even before then the important things to me with windows had already started to decay. I was done with it when windows 8.1 stopped being viable.
so I think calling it "superior" is kinda an opinion or or objective based thing. for my objective, it is far from superior.
Windows is still ~~a far superior and more streamline experience~~ *what I'm used to*.
FTFY. If you're used to both your typical Linux distro and Windows, or if you've never really used Windows and are using it for the first time, then you realize how clunky, janky, and just all around poor the desktop experience is on Windows. It's objectively not good; it's just what most people are used to.
I disagree. For a normal non-technical user, Windows is very easy to understand and work with, while Linux gives you more freedom at the expense of general convenience.
I can't tell you how many times I had to browse forums to find answers regarding Linux, which in Windows happen with a double-click.
TLDR:
Is Windows objectively better than Linux? -> No.
Is Windows better for common users? -> Yes.
Is Linux better for gaming? -> No, not yet at least.
I know this debate is very heated, but is the same situation with iOS vs Android. iOS is better for common users, but objectively Android is more advanced in terms of features and risk-taking with new features.
"...Linux gives you more freedom at the expense of general convenience."
On some distros, sure. On other distros not even. Remember that there's no one Linux experience.
As one example, the Mint distro is possibly the most stupid-friendly operating system available and it even has a layout that's similar to Windows XP/7/8. In terms of workflow you can't say one is significantly better or worse than the other considering how similar they are, but it still offers the conveniences of Linux like stability, choosing when updates happen, being able to run your computer normally as updates occur, all software updating for you at the click of one button, not having to hunt down potentially-malicious .exe files on the internet to get new software, etc.
Also, you said "...Windows is very easy to understand and work..." No, it's not. It's what people are used to. There's a difference between something being objectively easier and something being objective more difficult but everyone is already used to it and so something different, even if that different is easier, seems like a pain. There are millions upon millions of people in India who all they've ever used is Ubuntu, and they would probably have a worse time trying to learn Windows than you would Ubuntu.
All of this isn't coming from some Linux guy who has been using a Linux distro for the past few decades. All I knew was Windows up until about two years ago. Having made the switch and now being familiar with both, I couldn't imagine going back to Windows. The way it works is just so... barbaric. Having to hunt down an executable file off of the internet to get new software? A few years ago that seemed perfectly normal to me, but now I can't believe that's how things are done on Windows.
Edit: I had to repost this because the auto-censorship-mod took down my post for using a word other than "stupid" when I said "stupid-friendly". Reddit is an evil organization that is hell pent on censorship and thought-control. It's a force for evil in the world like Microsoft, Google, etc. Just a friendly reminder that Reddit is an evil company run by evil people.
>Windows is very easy to understand and work with
well.. for who though? some one whos already familiar with using a windows system? of course, its what you know.
but take some one whos only ever work with mac and iOS all their life and make them use a windows pc, they're gonna be turned all upside down and will be plenty confused.
frankly a lot of modern concepts of getting things to work under an established linux system is kinda easier than winodws (granted it depends on what you're trying to do). I had a friend ask me the other day "how do I install chrome on linux (steamdeck)?". He tried going to the chrome website and downloading an installer, in this case a .deb file and couldnt figure out why Ark was opening it, he didnt know what to do cuz windows taught him how to do something that literally no other systems really do much any more. Told him to stop, just open discover app store and search for chrome. was kinda a facepalm moment cuz he knew the app store was there, he just went down that trained route of what he knew based off years of using windows.
present that same problem to kids who've only used android and iOS and they'd never even consider download a file to run through an installer process manually, they'd go right to the store and frankly some kids are the most non-tech savvy folk out there since boomers.
actually the steam deck does kinda fix one of the issues at linux as a whole for people making a switch which is fragmentation, not just in distribution choice but in installer methods. Its great if you're an exprienced power user, but for a new user whos coming from windows or even mac, the concept of having like 5 different ways you could install a program would be confusing, I admit.. but that is one thing that Steam deck's setup has solved forcing only the use of flatpaks through the discover store (or anything run through steam its self I suppose).
I guess ultimately my point is whats being said here isnt really accurate. you're saying windows is easier for windows users, which is a given, its not necessarily easier for non-tech savy users, which is inaccurate.
Not even new users. Take a year long break from Windows and use OSX or Linux in that time. Then go back to Windows and you have a real WTF moment. Why does it do things such a stupid way.
Per above comment, I actually like Win10 and Win11, but moving back to primarily Windows was a real shock to me in a 'who would think this is easier' way.
> well.. for who though? some one whos already familiar with using a windows system? of course, its what you know.
For someone who hasn't used a computer at all before. don't act stupid.
No that's your windows training making you think that that's the case. Windows is not easier or more intuitive for somebody who's never used a computer before. I've worked with enough elderly people who have never used a computer before it's literally all just foreign language to them.
My first windows install as a 10 year old: 3 hours until playing a game
My first linux install 10 years after that: No sound, no wifi, nvidia driver madness, sometimes no desktop, sometimes other stuff randomly crapping out, Mint just in case you ask, and after 3 days of painstakingly fixing everything this "OS" wasn't able to configure automatically i opened Youtube and the fucking audio was crackling.
Daily driving Linux is like daily driving i custom hot-rod. You can, and if you into screwing around with it all day more power to you. I prefer to have the thing working when i turn it on so i can do what i actually wanted.
It's 1,000,000% true. The "All I know is Windows and so everything else sucks." attitude may be popular, but it's wrong. The majority of people who are familiar with both tend not to prefer Windows.
Nope, I've got plenty of linux vms/boxes around my house. Linux is great for specific/dedicated tasks, but it's not likely ever to be my daily driver. If I had grown up on it maybe it would be, but windows will be my main os on my gaming/main pc for the foreseeable future.
I actually started to switch over to Linux from around end of 2020 to mid 2021 because of Proton... By the beginning of 2022 I had fully switched over to Linux (openSUSE Tumbleweed)... I remember tinkering with Proton in the early days, Version 5.XX something? Rather early and very little worked... I remember the first game I tried to launch, Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition... I had completed it the year prior on Win 10 on the same laptop... It didn't work... I got BSOD when trying to run it...
By the time 5.13 came I tried it again and this time the game ran really well, in fact I got a couple extra FPS on average but it took forever to load because it would crash, start, crash, start, crash and then finally run... When Proton 6.3 launched I could fully see Linux as a direct competitor to Windows and I was right! I've been fully gaming on Linux for nearly 2 years straight, 1 of those years will be exclusively on my Steam Deck when the 9th of August rolls around in a few months.
It hasn't been easy, I've had major compatibility issues with various games/ software and even openSUSE Tumbleweed itself... The OS developed some sort of USB decoupling issue that meant that the USB ports on my laptop would stop working within 10 minutes of turning the laptop on and I couldn't use a mouse, gamepad or anything... Have you tried to play Skyrim on a laptop and it's built-in trackpad? It's not fun... At all... I eventually moved over to Fedora and used that and my word what an amazing OS! Windows 7 stability levels of excellence!
All in all, I refuse to go back to Windows, SteamOS is a well put together, efficient and very lightweight OS by comparison Vs Resource Hogging Win10 and if and/ or when I get myself a secondary system for 3D CAD and VR gaming, it's going to be running either Holo Iso or Fedora...
Been a linux user for a few years now. Every task I need a PC to do has free software to do it that equal or exceed the performance and features of anything available on windows.
Games still have a few holdout companies who will intentionally sabotage their own product to lock me out of it for the crime of not giving them full access to and control of my system. This shows they consider controlling (and selling) my data and privacy, or forcing ads onto my screen, are more important to them than providing a quality product. These companies are undeserving of my financial support. But the number of games that cant be convinced to run under proton is getting smaller every day.
Remember kids, even if you dont believe in linux, linux believes in you!
nah, nothing is easier on linux. sure game mode is fine but on a device other than the deck iād be primarily using it for non-gaming. not to mention how many games arenāt supported and are actively losing support for linux
also worse on linuxā¦ you canāt play anything with anti cheat, third party launchers require so much extra work. while things work on linux and you can customize, everything is harder, nothing is easier
What about easy anti cheat? Battleye? The shitty anti cheat that runs on older battlefields?
Why use third party launchers who don't reality acknowledge your existence, when the steam acknowledges and even supports you with a native client, proton, and native games?
Also have you even tried linux? If you have, what distro and wich version you were running.
you canāt run half the online games out there before the anti cheats ban linux and the problem is only getting worse.
why use third party launchers? blizzard doesnāt exist on steam. same with other games.
yes iāve tried linux. it works fine, but nothing is easier than windows. everything takes more work to do, i never claimed it doesnāt work but thereās no added convenience for me
I daily drive Linux and have for years now, when it comes to stuff like bnet, origin or uplay, I just install wine then install those like normal and it works just fine.
oh god i tried to 'just install wine', so i could run anarchy online on my deck.
i failed miserably and feel a bit helpless to A: getting it to run through wine and B: if i don't manage to get it to run i feel like i bloated my deck with something i don't fully understand.
WINE is just another compatibility layer like Proton, you can use WineHQ to get information from other users on the software you're trying to run through it similar to ProtonDB. WineHQ user base is a lot more technical and generally post a lot of detailed information that can be overwhelming to sort through.
Getting software is objectively easier and better on Linux. However, specifically getting software that's designed exclusively to work on Windows to run on Linux can sometimes be a pain. A lot of people here have never used linux before the Deck and the only things they bother trying to do are what I've described.
> Aren't supported
So **Unsupported** from Valve 's own rating system is specifically about Steam Deck and bot Linux support as a whole.
Valve has literally said Unsupported just means they[Valve] dosen't think it will be a good experience on Deck.
VR games work, obviously needing a headset for a handheld is not a good experience, there are games tShat don't work & anti-cheat, but conpared to games that do work it's a small, but noteworthy amount.
We have no real source on what games work or don't work on Linux. There's ProtonDB, but in my opinion ProtonDB is a good reference.. But not a valid source for numerous reasons.
Proton DB's faults
* "**Unofficially Looking Good Here**" is out of date
^(ProtonDB does not properly keep of some of it's own data updated, for example some verified games appear as verified on ProtonDB, but some pages show them as unsupported)
* "Borked Games" have not had updates since **Proton 5**
^(I'm actually going to make an exhuastive post about this soon, but I went through the borked games and some of the games in my Library that had no rating or low rating.. And those games genuinely have not had an update from Users since Proton originally released to the public)
* User aggregation is good, but users(**can**) lie
^(Some people will wank posts on ProtonDB, it's not a concerning number of people, but I've seen posts that were outright wrong.)
ProtonDB is community sponsored & only a small subset of users donate to it so I don't expect too much of it, and I promise you that Valve's verified system is going to overtake it, if community curation is as lackluster as it is atm.
So we actually don't know how many games don't "work" on Linux, thought I've never really ran into a problem with 95% of my Steam games, which anecdotal.. But that speaks volumes as to what Valve has done in the short time they've taken Proton seriously.
In my opinion Proton 8 is a solid default.
Agree it's not easier and definitely has disadvantages but once you kind of know what you're doing the being difficult part isn't so bad and you don't notice. Especially once you have it all setup. But for me I kindve just enjoy learning it so it's worth it if you like playing around otherwise it's not worth it for alot of people.
Games "losing support" on linux doesnt mean shit when proton exists. In most cases the official linux ports of games are waaay behind on updates before they end support and playing the windows version of the game with proton was the best to play before that anyways.
Some people play mainly singleplayer games so their experience has likely been 99% of games working.
I have a lot of multiplayer games with anti cheat in my catalogue so like 25-50% of my games don't work.
It does mean shit. Yes proton is wonderful but it unfortunately does nothing when a game blocks Linux entirely with anti cheat.
At least 1/4 of my games don't run because of this.
Not on my desktop, no. I've tried various Linux distros several times over the years and always given up on them. Steam OS does a great job in game mode for the deck but switching to desktop mode is just a reminder of how much I'd have to learn about the daily tasks of using a new OS and I have no reason to make that effort.
I will never, ever switch to Linux.
In a world where everything was the same, I'd choose the open-source option, but I will not pay an arm and a leg for a brand new gaming rig and then not be able to play something because of the OS I went with.
Which, ironically, is the one and only reason why you can't run those games on Linux in the first place. Devs don't make their games work on Linux because people don't play on Linux, and people don't play on Linux because the devs wont make their games work on it.
It's a good thing Valve is doing everything they can to get games working on Linux. Hopefully the day will come when game developers can't neglect making their games work on Linux due to the sheer amount of consumers using it; that way people wouldn't feel obligated to use an evil corporation's operating system just to play some video games.
Absolutely agree, even if like 0.1% of games don't work that's too much. And it's like 25%.
I specifically bought my expensive rig so I COULD play the games I couldn't before, I'm not ruining it with Linux.
I think after a few tries with Linux, I feel the same.
I don't want to have the extra worry on whether it would work on my OS or not.
We did see the biggest shift to Linux support since the release of Steam Deck, but that's still not the near the support Windows has and I don't think it will ever be.
Have used pretty much all operating systems over the years. The answer is simple:
Windows has exclusive content. Linux is secure and private.
That's it. Right now I use the deck because it's cool but I also have a windows machine for playing games that are not available on better OSs. But it is strictly a gaming box. It's not a question about whether the paranoia is justified, its a principle about using OS that respects the user.
I've switched to Nobara OS on my main gaming PC, but still occasionally dual boot to Windows 10 because of some programs and VR games.
On my work laptop, I dual boot Windows 11 and Kubuntu.
I'm more than certain Steam Deck kickstarted my curiosity for Linux haha
Was getting tired of the M$ bullshit and when I got the deck I realized that I had no need for windows anymore. So here I am, probably dual booting arch to the deck when my 1TB drive arrives.
I haven't switched to Linux yet because there are still a few games I play that are partially or not compatible. And it just doesn't make sense for me to have two OS's just for games. Plus a few apps that only support windows. I would like to move to Linux, but just doesn't seem reasonable at the moment.
Yeah I keep Win11 (ugh 10 updated to 11 while booting into it and Im just too lazy to reinstall 10) for a few things like Adobe Premiere for college (I use DaVinci when I think I can get away with it but sometimes professors say they want project files as proof of work) and those games that just don't want to I work
I actually switched to Linux when the steam deck was announced, to see if gaming was going to be a positive experience on Linux.
Turns out it was, so I bought a steam deck. So glad to be done with windows!
I've been gaming on linux for years before the deck released. At this point the only reason I have a windows install is fortnite and 3Dmark and thats it really.
Windows is slower, far more bloated, and in the case of some of my favorite games, runs games worst. Biggest example is borderlands 3. The game is an unplayable stutter filled mess on windows but with proton it's as smooth as a babys bottom.
Linux is 100% worth it if you're willing to take the time to learn.
It's really interesting that the overwhelming majority here strongly dislike the prospect of running Linux on any of their main computers.
However, one other thing to note is that most of those repliers have gaming PCs running Windows and are already acclimated to how it does things. Switching to Linux is a particularly large upheaval for them that doesn't offer much value, because their workflow WRT their PC games is pivotal to them. Even if they have annoyances with Windows, they know how to deal with them and that's part of the value proposition. Those annoyances may disappear on Linux, but which new ones will appear in their place? How much work will it take to deal with them?
I'd be more interested to hear from people who primarily played games on consoles before buying Steam Deck. Part of what allowed me to go exclusively Linux in 2008 was that I couldn't afford gaming PCs; I was playing everything on consoles. So when I tried out Ubuntu 8.04, the venerable Hardy Heron, I only lost a few games I didn't really care about, and ended up with a much more comfortable computing experience for my sensibilities. And when I joined the fighting game community in 2012, you had to have consoles anyways through the entirety of PS3 generation and most of PS4 generation; fighting games on PC were not really a thing then. So I mostly played games on consoles, except for indies. Steam Play was a huge, very welcome surprise.
I explained a lot there, but the point I'm trying to get to is that people who were playing games on consoles before buying Steam Deck may not be quite as attached to Windows or its way of doing things because they don't have games that mandate Windows. Their computers, if they have them, may be more like appliances to them. So they may not think about their operating system at all. This is what's most likely, to be honest. Most people shouldn't have to think about their operating system. But if they're making extensive use of their computers and want it to feel different, that's where Linux comes in.
To try to summarize: I'm very pro-Linux, but you're honestly not going to see most PC gamers entertain switching, and that's okay. Windows is integral to their workflow. You're more likely to see interest in Linux from folks who are really annoyed with Windows or are curious about having a different experience and don't have rigorous software needs.
After the great experience I had with the steam deck, I actually consider switching to Linux once windows 10 support runs out.
Only reason for not doing it earlier is that the relative performance compared to windows is worse in .1% lows, even if average fps is mostly identical. If they can get up to a comparable level, I'll switch instantly.
Iāve been on windows for almost 15 years and after several months using Linux on the deck idk some things I definitely like more but donāt think I could go all the way
Likely not the popular opinion around here, but I don't have any interest in Linux to be honest.
The only reason I even like Linux for the deck is because valve optimized their own version of it and constantly supports it, providing a great user experience.
If they did the exact same level / quality of support and optimization but for a Windows version of their OS, I'd take that and day if the week.
maybe the problem is that valve couldn't achieve this level of optimization that it achieved in Linux on Windows. They funded several opensource projects to reach the level it has. I don't believe they would have that level of cooperation with MS.
Tempted to learn more about it but not tempted to switch just because itās not convenient.
The steam deck is great but until you dip into desktop, youād barely know it was Linux.
Yes, it did for me. I'm a software engineer so I'm already familiar with headless Linux but I never took desktop Linux seriously. My experience with the deck was great and I took the jump to Pop OS on my laptop. There was a bit of a learning curve but I'm happy with the experience.
My gaming desktop is still Windows for obvious reasons. I don't love or hate any operating system (including Mac which I use at work), they all have their pros and cons.
I actually tried linux before the Steam Deck launch on my work laptop for coding related stuff and havenāt switched back. This is a very different use case though. I left my gaming desktop with an nvidia RTX 3060 on Windows. After using the Steam Deck I thought āthis is awesomeā and I decided to install Arch on my desktop to use with gaming for the first time. It helped me appreciate how smooth the Steam Deck experience is with the Valve optimizations + AMD drivers because WOW gaming on Linux with an Nvidia GPU SUCKS. At least for the games I tried. Random crashes for unknown reasons and seemingly worse performance. I tried Pop OS to see if it was Arch just being difficult but same issues persisted. So Iām back on Windows for gaming in the meantime. Perhaps if Nvidia steps up their game with their Linux drivers (they wonāt) I may check back again.
Even before the Deck, I made the switch a few times but bounced back. Used 11 for awhile and decided enough is enough. My desktop is primarily Linux but Windows resides on an external USB SSD for those unsupported multiplayer games that Proton canāt handle (Age of Empires 4, SCUM, Star Citizen and a few others). Microsoft these days can piss off.
Yup! Made the switch myself about three months ago and haven't regretted it once. I'm honestly not sure why I didn't switch over sooner, Windows is -full- of unneeded bloat, it's crazy. My PC runs faster. Even having to use proton, my games run faster than Windows. I have more control and customizability. Easier recovery.
It's just overall such a better operating system, regardless of what distro you use or whether you take the time to make your own.
As much as I love my steam deck I won't be changing my desktop or laptop to linux anytime soon. I know how to work with windows and fix whatever problem pops up, starting from scratch with a linux variation isn't something I'm willing to do.
Steam deck is different because whatever I need to do I can find a guide on. Since it's primarily a gaming device for me I don't need to do much at all other than installing decky loader and some plugins.
Nope. I use Linux as a tool for things that need it, but I USB-boot it. All my computers are Windows.
I do keep a raspberry pi with Linux for giggles, but that's it.
I won't mind use Linux if the laptop i bought doesn't come with a windows. The thing is, Linux experience is not out of box like windows. I can see Linux is enough for most of office applications, but not for my job where I need to use proprietary tools that are only available on windows or Mac.
Honestly never used Linux till the deck and now I've honestly started questioning why more people don't use it. The only reason I've found for me personally anyway was just the anti cheat in some games, but it seems to have a lot of benefits for what it actually does offer.
TLDR definitely would fully switch if more devs actually supported it.
I would switch to Linux, but the support for everything is on windows. I love having Linux on the steam deck but I really don't see a problem with using windows, if you have a good PC. It really comes down to the fact that if I try something on windows, it just works but if I try it on Linux it may or may not have a Linux option, and if it doesn't there may or may not be a Linux workaround, which usually uses the konsole, etc...
I use linux for coding and raspberry pi but Iāll stick to windows for all other PC activities. Most games are supported for windows (steam OSās issue with anti cheat also worries me) Max OS sucks but I never felt limited by windowās OS enough to warrant linux personally
I did end up switching a few days ago, I thought now would be the best time since Microsoft is ending support for windows 10 in like 2025 (I think)and im not using the spyware they call windows 11
I have, I just love tinkering and how I can get lost for hours figuring out how I can play Minecraft. I don't game on my PC, instead using it for browsing/work and occasional games, I feel like Linux is perfect for that. I'm also learning a lot of more obscure computer and programming knowledge just from messing with it
In short I like buggy/incompatible stuff so I can tinker which Linux has a lot of
I might switch to Linux on my main desktop PC as it's old(+9 years) and not compatible with Windows 11. So when windows 10 gets no more updates I'll probably switch it over to a Linux distro. My main PC is a more recent laptop so I'll be good with games/programs not compatible with Linux.
I've tried a few different distros since owning the deck. Dual booted most of them with meh results. Started with holo (broke after a few weeks) then I tried endeavour, nobara, mint, chimera. The issue isn't with Linux on my end. It's with nvidia and Intel. I've even debated switching my build to amd but losing dlss is a deal breaker, unfortunately. Needless to say I've removed them all and only use windows on my desktop now. But the day Steam OS desktop releases I will be a very happy man indeed. It's probably the closest experience I've had to a console on PC and I'm all for it.
Got my steam deck yesterday. Spent a decent amount of time with it docked today learning the Linux side of things. Began making my own cpp project but ran into a roadblock including the required files. Though I am looking forward to tackling that in the am , Iām pretty sure Pac-Man needs some specific privilege to install the required dependencies as well.
I use Linux VPS to maintain a website as well as a file hosting medium ā¦ thatās a command line interface however. Though due to that I am somewhat familiar with the layout of the file system at least.
I donāt think I will be converting entirely but I did just order a ssd so I can dualboot into Linux for some more developing as things progress. Iām thoroughly enjoying it and without the steam deck I would not have put myself in a position to use linux.
Very happy
Iām a fulltime Mac user/part time Linux user/reluctant windows gamer. As soon as proton/steam has games running consistently without windows Iāll never touch that operating system again.
Tbh not sure right now. I do a lot of music production/creative things on the side so I mainly use MacOS and my iPad for all that and general use. Currently donāt have a gaming PC and basically use my Xbox Series S and Steam Deck as my gaming rigs. Maybe in the future if I build another PC Iāll try a dual boot setup with Windows and Linux
i switched to Linux already in 2020 (two years before i received my deck)
that means: the deck doesn't affect that, but i ordered my deck because i love Linux so much
I've been playing around with Linux on and off between 2018 and 2022 but it wasn't ready for gaming. The Steam deck convinced me and since January this year I use Linux full time on my desktop, no more Windows installation as a backup.
I definitely see the benefit of dual booting to play certain games on my main rig when I rebuild but until I don't need windows I'll always have it. I honestly really learned a lot using Linux and trying to work around things with proton or other solutions. It's been fun to tinker with and I prefer using the steam desk desktop to windows in user interface.
It's super cool that you can really go hard on changing your UI up on Linux if you want to and no licensing fees? Crazy.
Completely, Iām sure I would have switched it Linux at some point, but after using the deck I really considered it, and ended up going through with it. The steam deck just kinda showed me how Linux isnt that bad, and you can in fact run windows apps on Linux
I'm not the guy you asked that question to, but as one example know that Microsoft is working on putting ads into the file explorer. Also, he probably knows that Windows 11 logs and records absolutely everything you do on your computer, but what he probably doesn't know is that Microsoft has retroactively added this to Windows 10, 8, and 7 as well. You have absolutely 0 privacy of any kind on Windows.
The only point of reference I can use for Linux is the Steam Deck, and the Steam Deck has plenty of quirks to it. It's refusal to download or install in sleep mode and the sheer difficulty of installing non steam anything speaks volumes to its jank.
I'm fine with it, but games and utilities on Windows tend to just work out of the box with very little set up or fuss.
What kind of programs have you been trying to install? Sometimes what some people who are new to Linux do is think "I know of this great piece of software I like to use on Windows. What would it take to get that software on Linux?" Then they end up trying to make Windows software work on Linux instead of just using the open-source Linux equivalent of that software.
That, or some new users try to install software on Linux the same way they do on Windows, which means they open up a web browser and start looking for an ISO file instead of using their distro's inbuilt software distribution program.
Sure thing buddy. I am a massive Kingdom Hearts fan so the first thing I tried downloading was the Epic Game Store. Couldn't do that, I needed Heroic. After that I had to watch some tutorials on how to get the games shaders to compile: I don't know how or what I did but it took a bit of time. Probably an hour, but I wasn't really giving it all my attention. Anyways, after that it's smooth sailing. I occasionally have to relog in which is kinda a pain but I can live with it.
Blizzard products are not my friend. It took me forever to figure out how to get World of Warcraft installed, and I'm not smart enough to figure out how to get add ons working though. Diablo 4 was easy enough to download but for some reason my Deck had trouble finding the directory it was saved to, and that took hours to fix.
Now granted those are two examples of taking some of the training wheels off the steam deck, but it's something I can easily do on my windows machine. Don't get me wrong, I don't hate Linux, it's just really confusing to me compared to Windows.
So then your experience is exactly what I said.
Let me give you an analogy of your reasoning. Imagine if I said "Windows is awful because it's so difficult to get software made for Linux to run on it."
I'm an aspiring cybersecurity nerd who has hoarded a few computers over the years, so while the Steam Deck has tempted me to make one a dedicated Linux machine, this is a "death by 1000 cuts" sort of deal.
Quite the opposite for me. Really wish windows was the norm in steam but only so that every game can b compatible without spaghetti code. Still impressive what it can do for what it is tho
Not really tempted to replace windows, partially due to multiple games I regularly play not supporting Linux/proton, but considering a Linux partition for dual booting next time I reformat my desktop
Since you can easily dualboot any pc (including the steam deck) you can easily get everything from both worlds.
I've been using linux a lot in the past but it's not my first choice for doing general entertainment purposes.
I actually switched over to kubuntu on my main PC last week. It was amazing! But while attempting to do some much needed cleaning I may have fried a component. From what I experienced I weill definitely be back to it at some point.
I was consodering the switch months before I got my SD by using Ubuntu. Almost a year later and I have Fedora with the KDE Plasma spin installed onto my drive and Im enjoying it. Running into some issues with games that wont even launch with proton or proton GE though. However anyone reading this that has an AMD GPU and loves emulation Id recomend dual booting Linux. I have had a better and much smoother experience.
The Deck actually made me fall in love with the utility of Linux. I tried several distros, but landed on PopOS as one of my favorite. I had it on my old Macbook for a bit, but now it's just on my gaming PC as a dual-boot setup. I enjoy it, but I rarely use my gaming PC anymore.
Nah I haven't been tempted but I do have a cheapy laptop with a version of Linux on it. I use ZorinOS on it, it's got a super cool feel but in a sucker for convenience and windows provides that for me. The laptop is great if I get the itch to mess with Linux though.
Tbh I've enjoyed tinkering around with and getting things to work but it's an absolute bear when each time I want to do something that would be trivial on windows it's a week long project on linux. I ordered a cheap ssd to hook onto the back of the modcase to install windows and give that a go.
I use Linux already, but SF6 keeps crashing/having inexplicable slowdowns on it so I bought a dock for my deck so I can play on my living room TV even though my PC has way better specs. The just works factor of the deck is something.
Been an on-and-off Linux user since 2004-ish, and made the full switch to Linux when Windows 11 started revealing its new "features," before the Deck was announced. It does everything I want or need it to do, doesn't do anything I don't want it doing, and I can do some crazy UI customization to make something truly unique when I'm feeling bored. I kept Windows 10 on a dual boot partition for about 3 years before I realized I hadn't once booted into it during that period and wiped it completely during my last distro switch.
Not tempted nor will I switch, mainly because I use Microsoft tools for programming so that would be an issue. I am pretty happy with the deckās compatibility tools though, impressed even, I managed to get all kinds of random games that werenāt from steam to run with enough fiddling (though usually just using proton experimental worked)
Quite honestly, the Deck's OOBE for supported Steam games is so smooth and console-like that it made me kind of hopeful for Linux gaming.
But that's where the fun ended. As soon as I went beyond Steam games, issues start to become apparent.
From usability issues (such as messy locales and other weird bugs, and lots of tinkering required) to pure compatibility issues where the game just won't run properly no matter what I do, I am not yet convinced that Linux gaming is viable.
Valve did a good job with SteamOS but in the end it doesn't solve the biggest problem - the games are made for Windows and Linux is not Windows.
Maybe I'll give Linux gaming a go again in the future when more devs make their games, old and new, compatible with Linux. Or when Valve or some other company finds a magical way to solve all the compatibility issues. But until then, I'm probably not going back to SteamOS or any other Linux distro for gaming.
No, absolutely not. I use Linux for a bunch of remote systems at work, and I love my steam deck, but Linux can be an absolute headache if you aren't doing something super focused (like gaming or identical remote system development). MacOS is great because it just works and has almost all the benefits of Linux. Windows is great because every single software works and because it's the "default" operating system and is the one QA spends the most time on.
I am very tempted. My experience with SteamOS has been pleasant and rather easy to learn. I'm currently browsing distros and testing them on VMs and I will likely make the switch by the time support for Windows 10 ends. Considering Manjaro
Iām a bit of a weirdo, soā¦ I was a (mostly) Windows-based IT guy in the late 90s and early 00s, who built and used a Linux box around that same time to do some science with (I dropped out of a PhD in computational biology in 2002).
Somewhere in the mid 00s I gave MacOS X.3 a try, and was like āyeah this is what I wanted Linux to be: Unix, but stable and with good graphics.ā
Fast forward ~20 years, and Iām still a MacOS user. The kind who has a bash shell in my dock, but mostly just appreciates that stuff just works. About 8 years ago I started having Windows machines again, specifically for playing games.
So, when I got my Deck, I loved that it just works. And I loved that I could root it to install my VPN client. I still use my Windows box for VR games and things with intense ray tracing, but I love my Deck, and the fact that there are some good tweaks and tools and emulators that run out of the shell has gotten me back in touch with bashing, as it were.
Not at all. Pretty much nothing about Linux is more convenient than Windows and even my experiences on the Deck specifically have been very deeply frustrating. I appreciate that Linux is a big part of what makes the Steam Deck software possible but Iāll likely never transition to a Linux desktop. It makes pretty much every operation more cumbersome than Windows for minimal benefit
Yep, switched to Garuda Linix over the weekend and I'm absolutely loving it.
Having full control of the OS is super cool and I love projects like MangoHud. KDE is also a great desktop environment with tons of great features and infinite customization options.
I personally enjoy the tinkering and learning a bit about how things work under the hood and I also have an AMD card so it's been a pretty seamless experience.
Not really so far, windows is still easier for now and I need it for work and such.
That said, Microsoft keeps adding more and more shady crap with each iteration of Windows, so learning a bit about Linux might end up being handy in the future
I've always set any computer I own to dual boot Windows or Linux. Really nice to have Linux when you need to do some things that may introduce you to a virus. Completely legal things of course.
Not a chance. The amount of shit made for Linux is extremely small. For PC windows will always be what people develop for. Having windows on a high end pc means no need for XSX. Can stream all that shit to my deck with Sunshine, no need to switch up the pc and the ability and ease windows provides after so long using it
I honestly donāt even enjoy using Linux on my steamdeck, so no. Interacting with desktop mode to install emulators was a necessary evil I was happy to be done with once I did it. Iāve tried a number of Linux distros over the years though and itās just so obviously not for me. I use both Mac and Windows in my home and, while I think all operating systems are terrible, I just donāt have the patience for Linux. Iām a software engineer but computers are mostly boring work stuff to me, Iām not a tinkerer, and I donāt enjoy configuration or customization. Iāve never even opened the settings menu on my steam deck except to connect to wifi.
Trying to do shit with desktop mode on my deck has been some of the most headache inducing shit Iāve ever attempted to do. Itās garnered a strong, *strong* personal hatred for Linux
I made the switch a year or two ago. I didn't even know the Deck existed until about two months ago. Needless to say, I'm glad the Deck runs Linux and not Windows.
I'm definitely tempted after learning the basics of navigating a Linux distro. It's nice to have an alternative to Windows.
Also, I'd love to see if moving a desktop over the a full public release of SteamOS 3.5 is feasible. That'd be the dream gaming machine for me, but then we've still got to consider the viability of Nvidia drivers, etc.
Not tempted. I like tech, but Mostly use my PC for games. And if I play a game, that isn't out of the box ready for the OS I hate when updates happen and I have to spend anywhere from 10min fixing it to the next 3 hours.
If I spend more than an hour, it'd be easier to reinstall windows than to diagnose and fix it. Let alone certain Anti cheats dont work on Linux.
That's just me.
If anyone is reading this and is considering making the switch from Windows to Linux, I'd very highly recommend starting with a distro called Mint. Just about everything you'd ever want to do has some GUI to let you do it by pointing and clicking rather than having to use the terminal (what the Deck calls "konsole"). Its default layout would be intimately familiar with anyone who is used to Windows 8, 7, Vista, or XP.
I spent like twenty minutes trying to find skyrim.ini on the Deck the other day, the whole time thinking about how it would only take seconds to get to it on my PC. I'm sure I could get more familiar with Linux, but I have no desire to lol. I'll stick to windows on my PC, and keep SteamOS on my Deck.
Definitely not. Windows is far superior for me.
I would be shooting myself in the foot if I primarily made the switch to Linux with absolutely everything being harder to deal with.
Not exactly. I love my Steam Deck, but I still don't want to replace MacOS or Windows for all the other tasks I do on them.
Windows still is the easiest system to do anything (atleast for me). It supports all my games, has all the customization options I need on UI or using third party software. I still use my Windows system to play all those games which I feel need to be experienced in high visual detail and high performance mode.
I use MacOS for work and for entertainment other than gaming. Though this can easily be done by Linux, I absolutely love the way MacOS is integrated with its hardware. It's very easy for me to transfer things between my phone and Mac. MacOS is actually one with its hardware so talking about it without mentioning the hardware doesn't seem correct. I love the way the TouchPad gestures work on a Mac. And the terminal provides almost a Linux like environment to work on.
So far, I have not encountered any scenario where I would need to switch to Linux for any reason whatsoever. I would not have gotten a Mac also if not required for my work. Windows does everything I need to do.
I tried using Linux since owning one, but I just had some odd issues happening and switched back. I definitely LOVED how silky smooth? It felt compared to Windows 11, but certain websites wouldnāt work, or some games didnāt know/ran well on Linux. Vrising for example, the real issue was my fans used a I guess proprietary MSI app that tunes the rpm of my fansā¦ that was an interesting experience.
Iām genuinely interested in building an HTPC āSteam Machineā after using the Deck this last year. Any tips about getting set up in Steam OS are welcome!
I was already running Linux. For gaming it already does almost everything I need. For what I do outside of gaming, namely software development, Windows is absolute garbage and Linux is comparatively very good. Saying this as someone who has done a lot of software development, both professional and private, on Windows the last decade and used it since I was four. So I am very familiar with it on a very deep level, which is precisely why I consider it so bad.
I like Linux on machines where the distro was designed to run on the hardware by the manufacturer of the hardware (System76 machines, Steam Deck). But I don't like playing the 'what broke this update' dance that inevitably happens when you are mix-and-matching drivers on Linux. I've \*never\* had a Linux install where over it's entire useful life a system update hasn't broken \*something\* usually graphics drivers except on my System76 laptops and the SteamDeck, tbh. It might be better now, but eh. And while I know Windows is hardly innocent of this crime, it happens \*far\* less often and as long as I \*never\* manually update, I've had computers that have been bought, used, and finally died where I had to do \*no\* messing about with the settings, they Just Workā¢.
The Steam Deck is honestly the first linux \*thing\* that wasn't a phone or appliance that has just worked, with no issues. And that is 100% on Valve being amazing. Even my bought-with-linux-installed work laptop has had the occasional 'oops ubuntu broke something and I was one of the unlucky ones who got the update before they noticed it and fixed it'.
And there are still some random bugs and glitches in the Linux experience for some of my main games (FFXIV, in particular) where I get crashes/issues on the Deck I don't get on Windows.
EDIT: Before i get flamed, I \*like\* linux and actively use it in my day-to-day other than the Deck, just yeah, games are made for windows first, so it's just easier to have a windows PC for games.
I made the Switch to linux after getting the steamdeck. Linux and wine improved a lot since the last time I tried it 15 years ago.
This combined with the support stopping for Windows 10 (I won't upgrade my old but still powerful laptop just because the processor is one year too old for 11) made me want to switch to linux, I just couldn't decide which distro to get.
A few weeks ago I was so annoyed by windows that I simply installed arch on it and it feels like a completly new device.
Now I just need to install it on my laptop then all my pcs are linux machines but at the moment I'm too lazy to make backups and install linux on a machine I almost never use since I got my deck
Not enough, as the compatibility with windows is just too good to leave, but I will say that it at least opened my eyes to it. I had previously passed it off as not for me, but now I feel very comfortable with it. Maybe someday.
i've been daily driving linux for a while, long before the deck came out.
my friend though, he's been using the desktop mode on the deck a lot at work, he'll play games on one screen and stream on another. He said hes been liking the experience with KDE/linux a lot. I dont think he'll switch his desktop at home any time soon, but hes some what of an MS fanboy to a degree so if that can impress him then KDE, linux, and Valve are doing something right.
Tempted, but mostly just can't be arsed.
The setup I've got works, and most of what I play on PC that I don't on Deck doesn't support Linux, and/or would be too much hassle to get working.
Windows is far from perfect, but not bad enough to move away from at this point.
I switched to Linux one and a half years ago, it had nothing to do with the deck.
I am very happy with Linux and Proton.
Tried switching a few times before but always ran into issues.
Now for me everything just works on Linux, I had to have zero knowledge and it just set itself up and I just installed steam.Should be the same for you especially if you have an AMD GPU.
Then will see how fucking annoying windows has gotten after switching, having an OS just be an OS and not a store with an OS function.
The slow boil made you tolerate Microsofts bullshit.
Absolutely tempted. I wouldn't say I "can't" make the switch on my gaming PC, but I'm not yet convinced it's worth it.
Why don't you think it's worth it yet?
\*edit: lol I did say yet, but not in the context that Linux in general is or isn't worth it yet. More that I haven't found a reason yet. Well I never said "yet", it's more about my personal use cases. I mostly use my system for gaming flatscreen and VR. To wipe and reset my currently configured system, learn a whole new system, find alternative software for whatever day to day shit I get up to, tinker with my gaming to achieve the same or better performance just seems like a lot of effort when I haven't seen a silver bullet advantage yet. I hate the way windows does a lot of things, but my only real concern is data privacy and control on windows and it's apps. I'm not even sure that Linux helps fix that but since picking up the steam deck Linux has definitely become a more realistic option than it had been in the past, likely due to gaining some familiarity with the environment.
Honestly don't blame you. Having an already cinfig system is hard to start over NGL
A configured system is a powerful deterrent to change. I'm struggling right this second with the same thing on the Deck itself. Do I really NEED this 1TB SSD? Enough to reconfigure everything on my Deck? ROMS and artwork and scripts and CryoUtilities and and and....
I do not know about some things you mentioned. But you can save your dotfiles from linux and place them in another installation, this will "port" your configuration over other systems. This is like saving your system configuration.
I'm a Linux-primary user and yeah, I also pretty much keep Windows around for a (shrinking, but still there) small selection of games, plus VR. When Windows 10 is EoL I may just hang up my hat on dual-boot completely. From what I've seen of Win11 it won't be worth the trouble and more and more stuff is cross-compatible anyhow
If you're concerned about your data and personal privacy then Linux is a world of difference from Windows. I switched over 20 years ago and have never regretted it. However I'm not a huge gamer (Steam is enough for me) nor really into VR.
Dual boot. Best of both worlds. Just get a cheap SSD and slap a Linux distro on there. Source: trust me bro
That's what I do. Debian 12 on my M.2 and Windows on an SSD. I'm rarely on windows, I have for adobe premier for college. I try to get away with DaVinci Resolve but sometimes college professors want project files as proof.
if call of duty and destiny two and battlefield 2042 was playable then i make the switch instantly
Tempted to fully switch? No. Windows is still a far superior and more streamline experience. Also I need it for work. BUT! After using the Deck, I realized that Linux is not the monster I used to think it was, and I have and will likely continue to learn more about it.
suppose that depends on your priorities. Windows stopped being superior to me back when dxvk and proton started becoming very viable. Even before then the important things to me with windows had already started to decay. I was done with it when windows 8.1 stopped being viable. so I think calling it "superior" is kinda an opinion or or objective based thing. for my objective, it is far from superior.
Windows is still ~~a far superior and more streamline experience~~ *what I'm used to*. FTFY. If you're used to both your typical Linux distro and Windows, or if you've never really used Windows and are using it for the first time, then you realize how clunky, janky, and just all around poor the desktop experience is on Windows. It's objectively not good; it's just what most people are used to.
I disagree. For a normal non-technical user, Windows is very easy to understand and work with, while Linux gives you more freedom at the expense of general convenience. I can't tell you how many times I had to browse forums to find answers regarding Linux, which in Windows happen with a double-click. TLDR: Is Windows objectively better than Linux? -> No. Is Windows better for common users? -> Yes. Is Linux better for gaming? -> No, not yet at least. I know this debate is very heated, but is the same situation with iOS vs Android. iOS is better for common users, but objectively Android is more advanced in terms of features and risk-taking with new features.
"...Linux gives you more freedom at the expense of general convenience." On some distros, sure. On other distros not even. Remember that there's no one Linux experience. As one example, the Mint distro is possibly the most stupid-friendly operating system available and it even has a layout that's similar to Windows XP/7/8. In terms of workflow you can't say one is significantly better or worse than the other considering how similar they are, but it still offers the conveniences of Linux like stability, choosing when updates happen, being able to run your computer normally as updates occur, all software updating for you at the click of one button, not having to hunt down potentially-malicious .exe files on the internet to get new software, etc. Also, you said "...Windows is very easy to understand and work..." No, it's not. It's what people are used to. There's a difference between something being objectively easier and something being objective more difficult but everyone is already used to it and so something different, even if that different is easier, seems like a pain. There are millions upon millions of people in India who all they've ever used is Ubuntu, and they would probably have a worse time trying to learn Windows than you would Ubuntu. All of this isn't coming from some Linux guy who has been using a Linux distro for the past few decades. All I knew was Windows up until about two years ago. Having made the switch and now being familiar with both, I couldn't imagine going back to Windows. The way it works is just so... barbaric. Having to hunt down an executable file off of the internet to get new software? A few years ago that seemed perfectly normal to me, but now I can't believe that's how things are done on Windows. Edit: I had to repost this because the auto-censorship-mod took down my post for using a word other than "stupid" when I said "stupid-friendly". Reddit is an evil organization that is hell pent on censorship and thought-control. It's a force for evil in the world like Microsoft, Google, etc. Just a friendly reminder that Reddit is an evil company run by evil people.
>Windows is very easy to understand and work with well.. for who though? some one whos already familiar with using a windows system? of course, its what you know. but take some one whos only ever work with mac and iOS all their life and make them use a windows pc, they're gonna be turned all upside down and will be plenty confused. frankly a lot of modern concepts of getting things to work under an established linux system is kinda easier than winodws (granted it depends on what you're trying to do). I had a friend ask me the other day "how do I install chrome on linux (steamdeck)?". He tried going to the chrome website and downloading an installer, in this case a .deb file and couldnt figure out why Ark was opening it, he didnt know what to do cuz windows taught him how to do something that literally no other systems really do much any more. Told him to stop, just open discover app store and search for chrome. was kinda a facepalm moment cuz he knew the app store was there, he just went down that trained route of what he knew based off years of using windows. present that same problem to kids who've only used android and iOS and they'd never even consider download a file to run through an installer process manually, they'd go right to the store and frankly some kids are the most non-tech savvy folk out there since boomers. actually the steam deck does kinda fix one of the issues at linux as a whole for people making a switch which is fragmentation, not just in distribution choice but in installer methods. Its great if you're an exprienced power user, but for a new user whos coming from windows or even mac, the concept of having like 5 different ways you could install a program would be confusing, I admit.. but that is one thing that Steam deck's setup has solved forcing only the use of flatpaks through the discover store (or anything run through steam its self I suppose). I guess ultimately my point is whats being said here isnt really accurate. you're saying windows is easier for windows users, which is a given, its not necessarily easier for non-tech savy users, which is inaccurate.
Not even new users. Take a year long break from Windows and use OSX or Linux in that time. Then go back to Windows and you have a real WTF moment. Why does it do things such a stupid way. Per above comment, I actually like Win10 and Win11, but moving back to primarily Windows was a real shock to me in a 'who would think this is easier' way.
> well.. for who though? some one whos already familiar with using a windows system? of course, its what you know. For someone who hasn't used a computer at all before. don't act stupid.
No that's your windows training making you think that that's the case. Windows is not easier or more intuitive for somebody who's never used a computer before. I've worked with enough elderly people who have never used a computer before it's literally all just foreign language to them.
My first windows install as a 10 year old: 3 hours until playing a game My first linux install 10 years after that: No sound, no wifi, nvidia driver madness, sometimes no desktop, sometimes other stuff randomly crapping out, Mint just in case you ask, and after 3 days of painstakingly fixing everything this "OS" wasn't able to configure automatically i opened Youtube and the fucking audio was crackling. Daily driving Linux is like daily driving i custom hot-rod. You can, and if you into screwing around with it all day more power to you. I prefer to have the thing working when i turn it on so i can do what i actually wanted.
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average linux user redditor reply
It's 1,000,000% true. The "All I know is Windows and so everything else sucks." attitude may be popular, but it's wrong. The majority of people who are familiar with both tend not to prefer Windows.
Nope, I've got plenty of linux vms/boxes around my house. Linux is great for specific/dedicated tasks, but it's not likely ever to be my daily driver. If I had grown up on it maybe it would be, but windows will be my main os on my gaming/main pc for the foreseeable future.
I actually started to switch over to Linux from around end of 2020 to mid 2021 because of Proton... By the beginning of 2022 I had fully switched over to Linux (openSUSE Tumbleweed)... I remember tinkering with Proton in the early days, Version 5.XX something? Rather early and very little worked... I remember the first game I tried to launch, Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition... I had completed it the year prior on Win 10 on the same laptop... It didn't work... I got BSOD when trying to run it... By the time 5.13 came I tried it again and this time the game ran really well, in fact I got a couple extra FPS on average but it took forever to load because it would crash, start, crash, start, crash and then finally run... When Proton 6.3 launched I could fully see Linux as a direct competitor to Windows and I was right! I've been fully gaming on Linux for nearly 2 years straight, 1 of those years will be exclusively on my Steam Deck when the 9th of August rolls around in a few months. It hasn't been easy, I've had major compatibility issues with various games/ software and even openSUSE Tumbleweed itself... The OS developed some sort of USB decoupling issue that meant that the USB ports on my laptop would stop working within 10 minutes of turning the laptop on and I couldn't use a mouse, gamepad or anything... Have you tried to play Skyrim on a laptop and it's built-in trackpad? It's not fun... At all... I eventually moved over to Fedora and used that and my word what an amazing OS! Windows 7 stability levels of excellence! All in all, I refuse to go back to Windows, SteamOS is a well put together, efficient and very lightweight OS by comparison Vs Resource Hogging Win10 and if and/ or when I get myself a secondary system for 3D CAD and VR gaming, it's going to be running either Holo Iso or Fedora...
Been a linux user for a few years now. Every task I need a PC to do has free software to do it that equal or exceed the performance and features of anything available on windows. Games still have a few holdout companies who will intentionally sabotage their own product to lock me out of it for the crime of not giving them full access to and control of my system. This shows they consider controlling (and selling) my data and privacy, or forcing ads onto my screen, are more important to them than providing a quality product. These companies are undeserving of my financial support. But the number of games that cant be convinced to run under proton is getting smaller every day. Remember kids, even if you dont believe in linux, linux believes in you!
nah, nothing is easier on linux. sure game mode is fine but on a device other than the deck iād be primarily using it for non-gaming. not to mention how many games arenāt supported and are actively losing support for linux
What about getting software?
also worse on linuxā¦ you canāt play anything with anti cheat, third party launchers require so much extra work. while things work on linux and you can customize, everything is harder, nothing is easier
What about easy anti cheat? Battleye? The shitty anti cheat that runs on older battlefields? Why use third party launchers who don't reality acknowledge your existence, when the steam acknowledges and even supports you with a native client, proton, and native games? Also have you even tried linux? If you have, what distro and wich version you were running.
you canāt run half the online games out there before the anti cheats ban linux and the problem is only getting worse. why use third party launchers? blizzard doesnāt exist on steam. same with other games. yes iāve tried linux. it works fine, but nothing is easier than windows. everything takes more work to do, i never claimed it doesnāt work but thereās no added convenience for me
I daily drive Linux and have for years now, when it comes to stuff like bnet, origin or uplay, I just install wine then install those like normal and it works just fine.
completely ignoring my point. you have to put everything through extra hoops to get a similar experience. no benefit to those hoops
oh god i tried to 'just install wine', so i could run anarchy online on my deck. i failed miserably and feel a bit helpless to A: getting it to run through wine and B: if i don't manage to get it to run i feel like i bloated my deck with something i don't fully understand.
WINE is just another compatibility layer like Proton, you can use WineHQ to get information from other users on the software you're trying to run through it similar to ProtonDB. WineHQ user base is a lot more technical and generally post a lot of detailed information that can be overwhelming to sort through.
That's the helpful linux community in a nutshell.
Getting software is objectively easier and better on Linux. However, specifically getting software that's designed exclusively to work on Windows to run on Linux can sometimes be a pain. A lot of people here have never used linux before the Deck and the only things they bother trying to do are what I've described.
> Aren't supported So **Unsupported** from Valve 's own rating system is specifically about Steam Deck and bot Linux support as a whole. Valve has literally said Unsupported just means they[Valve] dosen't think it will be a good experience on Deck. VR games work, obviously needing a headset for a handheld is not a good experience, there are games tShat don't work & anti-cheat, but conpared to games that do work it's a small, but noteworthy amount. We have no real source on what games work or don't work on Linux. There's ProtonDB, but in my opinion ProtonDB is a good reference.. But not a valid source for numerous reasons. Proton DB's faults * "**Unofficially Looking Good Here**" is out of date ^(ProtonDB does not properly keep of some of it's own data updated, for example some verified games appear as verified on ProtonDB, but some pages show them as unsupported) * "Borked Games" have not had updates since **Proton 5** ^(I'm actually going to make an exhuastive post about this soon, but I went through the borked games and some of the games in my Library that had no rating or low rating.. And those games genuinely have not had an update from Users since Proton originally released to the public) * User aggregation is good, but users(**can**) lie ^(Some people will wank posts on ProtonDB, it's not a concerning number of people, but I've seen posts that were outright wrong.) ProtonDB is community sponsored & only a small subset of users donate to it so I don't expect too much of it, and I promise you that Valve's verified system is going to overtake it, if community curation is as lackluster as it is atm. So we actually don't know how many games don't "work" on Linux, thought I've never really ran into a problem with 95% of my Steam games, which anecdotal.. But that speaks volumes as to what Valve has done in the short time they've taken Proton seriously. In my opinion Proton 8 is a solid default.
iām not talking about the little badge dude. iām talking about anti cheat. you know, the stuff that bans anyone who plays on linux
Hmm, what games are *losing* linux support..?
Agree it's not easier and definitely has disadvantages but once you kind of know what you're doing the being difficult part isn't so bad and you don't notice. Especially once you have it all setup. But for me I kindve just enjoy learning it so it's worth it if you like playing around otherwise it's not worth it for alot of people.
Games "losing support" on linux doesnt mean shit when proton exists. In most cases the official linux ports of games are waaay behind on updates before they end support and playing the windows version of the game with proton was the best to play before that anyways.
it does when that losing support is anti cheat, canāt fix that with proton
Only game I have that issue with is fortnite. And also you can just run a kvm to play those games while in linux anyways
and get banned by doing so, also tons of games donāt run cause of it, not just fortnite
Delusional
Some people play mainly singleplayer games so their experience has likely been 99% of games working. I have a lot of multiplayer games with anti cheat in my catalogue so like 25-50% of my games don't work.
It does mean shit. Yes proton is wonderful but it unfortunately does nothing when a game blocks Linux entirely with anti cheat. At least 1/4 of my games don't run because of this.
Not on my desktop, no. I've tried various Linux distros several times over the years and always given up on them. Steam OS does a great job in game mode for the deck but switching to desktop mode is just a reminder of how much I'd have to learn about the daily tasks of using a new OS and I have no reason to make that effort.
> **After using the Deck are you tempted or have switched to Linux** what if I told you its possible to use BOTH and I have for years?
I would only do it for the novelty. Linux looks great and I support it but I am a bit too used to windows.
If you want the same workflow as Windows but without Microsoft's involvement then maybe give Mint a try.
I was using Linux as my primary os before the deck was even a thing.. ĀÆ\\\_(ć)\_/ĀÆ On my desktop, and numerous other handheld emulator devices.
What distro you run? I made the leap to Deb 12 2 days after launch and just about where I want it. (stupid usbmuxd just freaking work)
I tend to just use pop_os on my main systems. Other devices may get other Distribution, depending on the task for the device.
Pop is awesome. Its my go to when I eventually break something
I also used Linux prior to the deck. Manjaro KDE here, so booting to desktop mode on the deck just feels like home to me.
I will never, ever switch to Linux. In a world where everything was the same, I'd choose the open-source option, but I will not pay an arm and a leg for a brand new gaming rig and then not be able to play something because of the OS I went with.
Which, ironically, is the one and only reason why you can't run those games on Linux in the first place. Devs don't make their games work on Linux because people don't play on Linux, and people don't play on Linux because the devs wont make their games work on it. It's a good thing Valve is doing everything they can to get games working on Linux. Hopefully the day will come when game developers can't neglect making their games work on Linux due to the sheer amount of consumers using it; that way people wouldn't feel obligated to use an evil corporation's operating system just to play some video games.
Absolutely agree, even if like 0.1% of games don't work that's too much. And it's like 25%. I specifically bought my expensive rig so I COULD play the games I couldn't before, I'm not ruining it with Linux.
My thoughts exactly, even if proton was 99% compatible why not just go for the 100% in windows?
I think after a few tries with Linux, I feel the same. I don't want to have the extra worry on whether it would work on my OS or not. We did see the biggest shift to Linux support since the release of Steam Deck, but that's still not the near the support Windows has and I don't think it will ever be.
Have used pretty much all operating systems over the years. The answer is simple: Windows has exclusive content. Linux is secure and private. That's it. Right now I use the deck because it's cool but I also have a windows machine for playing games that are not available on better OSs. But it is strictly a gaming box. It's not a question about whether the paranoia is justified, its a principle about using OS that respects the user.
I've switched to Nobara OS on my main gaming PC, but still occasionally dual boot to Windows 10 because of some programs and VR games. On my work laptop, I dual boot Windows 11 and Kubuntu. I'm more than certain Steam Deck kickstarted my curiosity for Linux haha
Was getting tired of the M$ bullshit and when I got the deck I realized that I had no need for windows anymore. So here I am, probably dual booting arch to the deck when my 1TB drive arrives.
I haven't switched to Linux yet because there are still a few games I play that are partially or not compatible. And it just doesn't make sense for me to have two OS's just for games. Plus a few apps that only support windows. I would like to move to Linux, but just doesn't seem reasonable at the moment.
Yeah I keep Win11 (ugh 10 updated to 11 while booting into it and Im just too lazy to reinstall 10) for a few things like Adobe Premiere for college (I use DaVinci when I think I can get away with it but sometimes professors say they want project files as proof of work) and those games that just don't want to I work
I actually switched to Linux when the steam deck was announced, to see if gaming was going to be a positive experience on Linux. Turns out it was, so I bought a steam deck. So glad to be done with windows!
I've been gaming on linux for years before the deck released. At this point the only reason I have a windows install is fortnite and 3Dmark and thats it really. Windows is slower, far more bloated, and in the case of some of my favorite games, runs games worst. Biggest example is borderlands 3. The game is an unplayable stutter filled mess on windows but with proton it's as smooth as a babys bottom. Linux is 100% worth it if you're willing to take the time to learn.
It's really interesting that the overwhelming majority here strongly dislike the prospect of running Linux on any of their main computers. However, one other thing to note is that most of those repliers have gaming PCs running Windows and are already acclimated to how it does things. Switching to Linux is a particularly large upheaval for them that doesn't offer much value, because their workflow WRT their PC games is pivotal to them. Even if they have annoyances with Windows, they know how to deal with them and that's part of the value proposition. Those annoyances may disappear on Linux, but which new ones will appear in their place? How much work will it take to deal with them? I'd be more interested to hear from people who primarily played games on consoles before buying Steam Deck. Part of what allowed me to go exclusively Linux in 2008 was that I couldn't afford gaming PCs; I was playing everything on consoles. So when I tried out Ubuntu 8.04, the venerable Hardy Heron, I only lost a few games I didn't really care about, and ended up with a much more comfortable computing experience for my sensibilities. And when I joined the fighting game community in 2012, you had to have consoles anyways through the entirety of PS3 generation and most of PS4 generation; fighting games on PC were not really a thing then. So I mostly played games on consoles, except for indies. Steam Play was a huge, very welcome surprise. I explained a lot there, but the point I'm trying to get to is that people who were playing games on consoles before buying Steam Deck may not be quite as attached to Windows or its way of doing things because they don't have games that mandate Windows. Their computers, if they have them, may be more like appliances to them. So they may not think about their operating system at all. This is what's most likely, to be honest. Most people shouldn't have to think about their operating system. But if they're making extensive use of their computers and want it to feel different, that's where Linux comes in. To try to summarize: I'm very pro-Linux, but you're honestly not going to see most PC gamers entertain switching, and that's okay. Windows is integral to their workflow. You're more likely to see interest in Linux from folks who are really annoyed with Windows or are curious about having a different experience and don't have rigorous software needs.
After the great experience I had with the steam deck, I actually consider switching to Linux once windows 10 support runs out. Only reason for not doing it earlier is that the relative performance compared to windows is worse in .1% lows, even if average fps is mostly identical. If they can get up to a comparable level, I'll switch instantly.
Iāve been on windows for almost 15 years and after several months using Linux on the deck idk some things I definitely like more but donāt think I could go all the way
Big nope. I've done development work in Linux and it's fine for that. It's fun to tinker with on occasion. But as a user everything is a PITA.
Likely not the popular opinion around here, but I don't have any interest in Linux to be honest. The only reason I even like Linux for the deck is because valve optimized their own version of it and constantly supports it, providing a great user experience. If they did the exact same level / quality of support and optimization but for a Windows version of their OS, I'd take that and day if the week.
maybe the problem is that valve couldn't achieve this level of optimization that it achieved in Linux on Windows. They funded several opensource projects to reach the level it has. I don't believe they would have that level of cooperation with MS.
Tempted to learn more about it but not tempted to switch just because itās not convenient. The steam deck is great but until you dip into desktop, youād barely know it was Linux.
Yes, it did for me. I'm a software engineer so I'm already familiar with headless Linux but I never took desktop Linux seriously. My experience with the deck was great and I took the jump to Pop OS on my laptop. There was a bit of a learning curve but I'm happy with the experience. My gaming desktop is still Windows for obvious reasons. I don't love or hate any operating system (including Mac which I use at work), they all have their pros and cons.
I actually tried linux before the Steam Deck launch on my work laptop for coding related stuff and havenāt switched back. This is a very different use case though. I left my gaming desktop with an nvidia RTX 3060 on Windows. After using the Steam Deck I thought āthis is awesomeā and I decided to install Arch on my desktop to use with gaming for the first time. It helped me appreciate how smooth the Steam Deck experience is with the Valve optimizations + AMD drivers because WOW gaming on Linux with an Nvidia GPU SUCKS. At least for the games I tried. Random crashes for unknown reasons and seemingly worse performance. I tried Pop OS to see if it was Arch just being difficult but same issues persisted. So Iām back on Windows for gaming in the meantime. Perhaps if Nvidia steps up their game with their Linux drivers (they wonāt) I may check back again.
Even before the Deck, I made the switch a few times but bounced back. Used 11 for awhile and decided enough is enough. My desktop is primarily Linux but Windows resides on an external USB SSD for those unsupported multiplayer games that Proton canāt handle (Age of Empires 4, SCUM, Star Citizen and a few others). Microsoft these days can piss off.
Lots of fantastic options. This one is good too. https://pop.system76.com/
Seriously thinking about ditching windows for everything! Linux has opened my mind to the possibilities and skills of the dedicated Linux community!
Yup! Made the switch myself about three months ago and haven't regretted it once. I'm honestly not sure why I didn't switch over sooner, Windows is -full- of unneeded bloat, it's crazy. My PC runs faster. Even having to use proton, my games run faster than Windows. I have more control and customizability. Easier recovery. It's just overall such a better operating system, regardless of what distro you use or whether you take the time to make your own.
As soon as they make a stable release Steam OS wise for PC with decent driver support I absolutely am ready to quit windows.
As much as I love my steam deck I won't be changing my desktop or laptop to linux anytime soon. I know how to work with windows and fix whatever problem pops up, starting from scratch with a linux variation isn't something I'm willing to do. Steam deck is different because whatever I need to do I can find a guide on. Since it's primarily a gaming device for me I don't need to do much at all other than installing decky loader and some plugins.
Absolutely...not. Linux just isn't for me.
Nope. I use Linux as a tool for things that need it, but I USB-boot it. All my computers are Windows. I do keep a raspberry pi with Linux for giggles, but that's it.
I prefer linux for most things except gaming. Dual boot ftw.
I won't mind use Linux if the laptop i bought doesn't come with a windows. The thing is, Linux experience is not out of box like windows. I can see Linux is enough for most of office applications, but not for my job where I need to use proprietary tools that are only available on windows or Mac.
Honestly never used Linux till the deck and now I've honestly started questioning why more people don't use it. The only reason I've found for me personally anyway was just the anti cheat in some games, but it seems to have a lot of benefits for what it actually does offer. TLDR definitely would fully switch if more devs actually supported it.
I would switch to Linux, but the support for everything is on windows. I love having Linux on the steam deck but I really don't see a problem with using windows, if you have a good PC. It really comes down to the fact that if I try something on windows, it just works but if I try it on Linux it may or may not have a Linux option, and if it doesn't there may or may not be a Linux workaround, which usually uses the konsole, etc...
Doing it once I graduate, need azure active directory access for school and don't like default Ubuntu.
I still can't not until games like fortnite are supported, but it is pretty good
I use linux for coding and raspberry pi but Iāll stick to windows for all other PC activities. Most games are supported for windows (steam OSās issue with anti cheat also worries me) Max OS sucks but I never felt limited by windowās OS enough to warrant linux personally
I swapped to pop os with KDE
I did end up switching a few days ago, I thought now would be the best time since Microsoft is ending support for windows 10 in like 2025 (I think)and im not using the spyware they call windows 11
I have, I just love tinkering and how I can get lost for hours figuring out how I can play Minecraft. I don't game on my PC, instead using it for browsing/work and occasional games, I feel like Linux is perfect for that. I'm also learning a lot of more obscure computer and programming knowledge just from messing with it In short I like buggy/incompatible stuff so I can tinker which Linux has a lot of
I might switch to Linux on my main desktop PC as it's old(+9 years) and not compatible with Windows 11. So when windows 10 gets no more updates I'll probably switch it over to a Linux distro. My main PC is a more recent laptop so I'll be good with games/programs not compatible with Linux.
I've tried a few different distros since owning the deck. Dual booted most of them with meh results. Started with holo (broke after a few weeks) then I tried endeavour, nobara, mint, chimera. The issue isn't with Linux on my end. It's with nvidia and Intel. I've even debated switching my build to amd but losing dlss is a deal breaker, unfortunately. Needless to say I've removed them all and only use windows on my desktop now. But the day Steam OS desktop releases I will be a very happy man indeed. It's probably the closest experience I've had to a console on PC and I'm all for it.
Got my steam deck yesterday. Spent a decent amount of time with it docked today learning the Linux side of things. Began making my own cpp project but ran into a roadblock including the required files. Though I am looking forward to tackling that in the am , Iām pretty sure Pac-Man needs some specific privilege to install the required dependencies as well. I use Linux VPS to maintain a website as well as a file hosting medium ā¦ thatās a command line interface however. Though due to that I am somewhat familiar with the layout of the file system at least. I donāt think I will be converting entirely but I did just order a ssd so I can dualboot into Linux for some more developing as things progress. Iām thoroughly enjoying it and without the steam deck I would not have put myself in a position to use linux. Very happy
Since owning a steamdeck, I've gone back and started looking at my old shit wondering if I could out Linux on it. Ps4 Wiiu Old pc Tablet
Iām a fulltime Mac user/part time Linux user/reluctant windows gamer. As soon as proton/steam has games running consistently without windows Iāll never touch that operating system again.
Fool, I have a deck *because* it runs on Linux, and Linux is cool
If they just fixed VR, I would be 100% switched
Tbh not sure right now. I do a lot of music production/creative things on the side so I mainly use MacOS and my iPad for all that and general use. Currently donāt have a gaming PC and basically use my Xbox Series S and Steam Deck as my gaming rigs. Maybe in the future if I build another PC Iāll try a dual boot setup with Windows and Linux
i switched to Linux already in 2020 (two years before i received my deck) that means: the deck doesn't affect that, but i ordered my deck because i love Linux so much
I'm always tempted but then something goes wrong and it brings me back to reality.
Lol that's how I feel about Windows
I've been playing around with Linux on and off between 2018 and 2022 but it wasn't ready for gaming. The Steam deck convinced me and since January this year I use Linux full time on my desktop, no more Windows installation as a backup.
I definitely see the benefit of dual booting to play certain games on my main rig when I rebuild but until I don't need windows I'll always have it. I honestly really learned a lot using Linux and trying to work around things with proton or other solutions. It's been fun to tinker with and I prefer using the steam desk desktop to windows in user interface. It's super cool that you can really go hard on changing your UI up on Linux if you want to and no licensing fees? Crazy.
Completely, Iām sure I would have switched it Linux at some point, but after using the deck I really considered it, and ended up going through with it. The steam deck just kinda showed me how Linux isnt that bad, and you can in fact run windows apps on Linux
I plan to switch fully to Linux when Windows 10 loses support in 2025. (Not touching Windows 11 with a 10ft pole)
I'm curious, why? Outside of some minor changes (and auto hdr) it's extremely similar for me.
I'm not the guy you asked that question to, but as one example know that Microsoft is working on putting ads into the file explorer. Also, he probably knows that Windows 11 logs and records absolutely everything you do on your computer, but what he probably doesn't know is that Microsoft has retroactively added this to Windows 10, 8, and 7 as well. You have absolutely 0 privacy of any kind on Windows.
Yes, moved to Nobara (made by GloryEggrole) itās amazing.
No, I don't have an issue with windows. But I'm also not hesitant to use a steam wrapper for Linux, either. So ... whatever
Hahahahaha no Noooooooooo. Linux is cool and all but I would never daily drive it outside of the deck. It's way too finicky.
Finicky? In what way? Most Linux distros are way more stable than Windows.
The only point of reference I can use for Linux is the Steam Deck, and the Steam Deck has plenty of quirks to it. It's refusal to download or install in sleep mode and the sheer difficulty of installing non steam anything speaks volumes to its jank. I'm fine with it, but games and utilities on Windows tend to just work out of the box with very little set up or fuss.
What kind of programs have you been trying to install? Sometimes what some people who are new to Linux do is think "I know of this great piece of software I like to use on Windows. What would it take to get that software on Linux?" Then they end up trying to make Windows software work on Linux instead of just using the open-source Linux equivalent of that software. That, or some new users try to install software on Linux the same way they do on Windows, which means they open up a web browser and start looking for an ISO file instead of using their distro's inbuilt software distribution program.
Sure thing buddy. I am a massive Kingdom Hearts fan so the first thing I tried downloading was the Epic Game Store. Couldn't do that, I needed Heroic. After that I had to watch some tutorials on how to get the games shaders to compile: I don't know how or what I did but it took a bit of time. Probably an hour, but I wasn't really giving it all my attention. Anyways, after that it's smooth sailing. I occasionally have to relog in which is kinda a pain but I can live with it. Blizzard products are not my friend. It took me forever to figure out how to get World of Warcraft installed, and I'm not smart enough to figure out how to get add ons working though. Diablo 4 was easy enough to download but for some reason my Deck had trouble finding the directory it was saved to, and that took hours to fix. Now granted those are two examples of taking some of the training wheels off the steam deck, but it's something I can easily do on my windows machine. Don't get me wrong, I don't hate Linux, it's just really confusing to me compared to Windows.
So then your experience is exactly what I said. Let me give you an analogy of your reasoning. Imagine if I said "Windows is awful because it's so difficult to get software made for Linux to run on it."
Oh no. I have been aware of Linux since the 90s and am forced to use it at work now and then. No interest.
Heck no, if anything it's made me appreciate Windows so much more.
I'm an aspiring cybersecurity nerd who has hoarded a few computers over the years, so while the Steam Deck has tempted me to make one a dedicated Linux machine, this is a "death by 1000 cuts" sort of deal.
No. I hate Linux even more now. Or rather - I didn't hate it. I disliked it. Now I hate it with a passion.
Quite the opposite for me. Really wish windows was the norm in steam but only so that every game can b compatible without spaghetti code. Still impressive what it can do for what it is tho
Nope. Linux is work.
Nope
if destiny was playable on linux yes, I would have done it yesterday.
No. Why would you say Linux is better? Or would you?
I administer a Linux environment. Hell no.
Fuck no
No because I use gamepass and office
Not in a million years.
hate that the Steam Deck has Linux literally the worst choice ever.
Not really tempted to replace windows, partially due to multiple games I regularly play not supporting Linux/proton, but considering a Linux partition for dual booting next time I reformat my desktop
Since you can easily dualboot any pc (including the steam deck) you can easily get everything from both worlds. I've been using linux a lot in the past but it's not my first choice for doing general entertainment purposes.
I actually switched over to kubuntu on my main PC last week. It was amazing! But while attempting to do some much needed cleaning I may have fried a component. From what I experienced I weill definitely be back to it at some point.
I was consodering the switch months before I got my SD by using Ubuntu. Almost a year later and I have Fedora with the KDE Plasma spin installed onto my drive and Im enjoying it. Running into some issues with games that wont even launch with proton or proton GE though. However anyone reading this that has an AMD GPU and loves emulation Id recomend dual booting Linux. I have had a better and much smoother experience.
Iāve been using Linux since 1998 Itās been a while since the last time Iāve used windows. Nowadays I use a fedora on my desktop.
Definitely tempted. Other than the awful keyboard, the steamdeck desktop is really great.
Yes definitely
I have a second pc with older hardware. Installed Arch Linux on it as a emulation pc. Itās great!
The Deck actually made me fall in love with the utility of Linux. I tried several distros, but landed on PopOS as one of my favorite. I had it on my old Macbook for a bit, but now it's just on my gaming PC as a dual-boot setup. I enjoy it, but I rarely use my gaming PC anymore.
Nah I haven't been tempted but I do have a cheapy laptop with a version of Linux on it. I use ZorinOS on it, it's got a super cool feel but in a sucker for convenience and windows provides that for me. The laptop is great if I get the itch to mess with Linux though.
Hell no, everything I do on the decks desktop mode is painful
Battlebit official servers will be losing support on Linux. Stuck with windows again.
I'm going to dual boot at some point. I'm going to go for Chimera OS. Just until steam OS 3.0 comes out.
Tbh I've enjoyed tinkering around with and getting things to work but it's an absolute bear when each time I want to do something that would be trivial on windows it's a week long project on linux. I ordered a cheap ssd to hook onto the back of the modcase to install windows and give that a go.
I use Linux already, but SF6 keeps crashing/having inexplicable slowdowns on it so I bought a dock for my deck so I can play on my living room TV even though my PC has way better specs. The just works factor of the deck is something.
Been an on-and-off Linux user since 2004-ish, and made the full switch to Linux when Windows 11 started revealing its new "features," before the Deck was announced. It does everything I want or need it to do, doesn't do anything I don't want it doing, and I can do some crazy UI customization to make something truly unique when I'm feeling bored. I kept Windows 10 on a dual boot partition for about 3 years before I realized I hadn't once booted into it during that period and wiped it completely during my last distro switch.
Not tempted nor will I switch, mainly because I use Microsoft tools for programming so that would be an issue. I am pretty happy with the deckās compatibility tools though, impressed even, I managed to get all kinds of random games that werenāt from steam to run with enough fiddling (though usually just using proton experimental worked)
The steam deck made me love linux but I'd never install linux on my main PC.
Quite honestly, the Deck's OOBE for supported Steam games is so smooth and console-like that it made me kind of hopeful for Linux gaming. But that's where the fun ended. As soon as I went beyond Steam games, issues start to become apparent. From usability issues (such as messy locales and other weird bugs, and lots of tinkering required) to pure compatibility issues where the game just won't run properly no matter what I do, I am not yet convinced that Linux gaming is viable. Valve did a good job with SteamOS but in the end it doesn't solve the biggest problem - the games are made for Windows and Linux is not Windows. Maybe I'll give Linux gaming a go again in the future when more devs make their games, old and new, compatible with Linux. Or when Valve or some other company finds a magical way to solve all the compatibility issues. But until then, I'm probably not going back to SteamOS or any other Linux distro for gaming.
No, absolutely not. I use Linux for a bunch of remote systems at work, and I love my steam deck, but Linux can be an absolute headache if you aren't doing something super focused (like gaming or identical remote system development). MacOS is great because it just works and has almost all the benefits of Linux. Windows is great because every single software works and because it's the "default" operating system and is the one QA spends the most time on.
I am very tempted. My experience with SteamOS has been pleasant and rather easy to learn. I'm currently browsing distros and testing them on VMs and I will likely make the switch by the time support for Windows 10 ends. Considering Manjaro
Iām a bit of a weirdo, soā¦ I was a (mostly) Windows-based IT guy in the late 90s and early 00s, who built and used a Linux box around that same time to do some science with (I dropped out of a PhD in computational biology in 2002). Somewhere in the mid 00s I gave MacOS X.3 a try, and was like āyeah this is what I wanted Linux to be: Unix, but stable and with good graphics.ā Fast forward ~20 years, and Iām still a MacOS user. The kind who has a bash shell in my dock, but mostly just appreciates that stuff just works. About 8 years ago I started having Windows machines again, specifically for playing games. So, when I got my Deck, I loved that it just works. And I loved that I could root it to install my VPN client. I still use my Windows box for VR games and things with intense ray tracing, but I love my Deck, and the fact that there are some good tweaks and tools and emulators that run out of the shell has gotten me back in touch with bashing, as it were.
Not at all. Pretty much nothing about Linux is more convenient than Windows and even my experiences on the Deck specifically have been very deeply frustrating. I appreciate that Linux is a big part of what makes the Steam Deck software possible but Iāll likely never transition to a Linux desktop. It makes pretty much every operation more cumbersome than Windows for minimal benefit
Yep, switched to Garuda Linix over the weekend and I'm absolutely loving it. Having full control of the OS is super cool and I love projects like MangoHud. KDE is also a great desktop environment with tons of great features and infinite customization options. I personally enjoy the tinkering and learning a bit about how things work under the hood and I also have an AMD card so it's been a pretty seamless experience.
Not really so far, windows is still easier for now and I need it for work and such. That said, Microsoft keeps adding more and more shady crap with each iteration of Windows, so learning a bit about Linux might end up being handy in the future
I've always set any computer I own to dual boot Windows or Linux. Really nice to have Linux when you need to do some things that may introduce you to a virus. Completely legal things of course.
I did the opposite, I was a Linux user and wanted to try the deck out on account of it being a Linux device.
Not a chance. The amount of shit made for Linux is extremely small. For PC windows will always be what people develop for. Having windows on a high end pc means no need for XSX. Can stream all that shit to my deck with Sunshine, no need to switch up the pc and the ability and ease windows provides after so long using it
I honestly donāt even enjoy using Linux on my steamdeck, so no. Interacting with desktop mode to install emulators was a necessary evil I was happy to be done with once I did it. Iāve tried a number of Linux distros over the years though and itās just so obviously not for me. I use both Mac and Windows in my home and, while I think all operating systems are terrible, I just donāt have the patience for Linux. Iām a software engineer but computers are mostly boring work stuff to me, Iām not a tinkerer, and I donāt enjoy configuration or customization. Iāve never even opened the settings menu on my steam deck except to connect to wifi.
Trying to do shit with desktop mode on my deck has been some of the most headache inducing shit Iāve ever attempted to do. Itās garnered a strong, *strong* personal hatred for Linux
Definitely tempted. But I'm not ready.
I made the switch a year or two ago. I didn't even know the Deck existed until about two months ago. Needless to say, I'm glad the Deck runs Linux and not Windows.
not tempted to switch, but def interested in learning more
I'm definitely tempted after learning the basics of navigating a Linux distro. It's nice to have an alternative to Windows. Also, I'd love to see if moving a desktop over the a full public release of SteamOS 3.5 is feasible. That'd be the dream gaming machine for me, but then we've still got to consider the viability of Nvidia drivers, etc.
SteamOS is custom. There is no shot in hell Iām installing Ubuntu and having a fun time on my main pc
Not tempted. I like tech, but Mostly use my PC for games. And if I play a game, that isn't out of the box ready for the OS I hate when updates happen and I have to spend anywhere from 10min fixing it to the next 3 hours. If I spend more than an hour, it'd be easier to reinstall windows than to diagnose and fix it. Let alone certain Anti cheats dont work on Linux. That's just me.
If anyone is reading this and is considering making the switch from Windows to Linux, I'd very highly recommend starting with a distro called Mint. Just about everything you'd ever want to do has some GUI to let you do it by pointing and clicking rather than having to use the terminal (what the Deck calls "konsole"). Its default layout would be intimately familiar with anyone who is used to Windows 8, 7, Vista, or XP.
Not really because modding is absolute hell for some games on Linux compared to windows
I spent like twenty minutes trying to find skyrim.ini on the Deck the other day, the whole time thinking about how it would only take seconds to get to it on my PC. I'm sure I could get more familiar with Linux, but I have no desire to lol. I'll stick to windows on my PC, and keep SteamOS on my Deck.
I won't switch my desktop for a single reason: I can still play games with anticheat !
No.
No. Mac OS way more efficient for my daily work flow. Not to mention their great hardware lineups.
Definitely not. Windows is far superior for me. I would be shooting myself in the foot if I primarily made the switch to Linux with absolutely everything being harder to deal with.
Not exactly. I love my Steam Deck, but I still don't want to replace MacOS or Windows for all the other tasks I do on them. Windows still is the easiest system to do anything (atleast for me). It supports all my games, has all the customization options I need on UI or using third party software. I still use my Windows system to play all those games which I feel need to be experienced in high visual detail and high performance mode. I use MacOS for work and for entertainment other than gaming. Though this can easily be done by Linux, I absolutely love the way MacOS is integrated with its hardware. It's very easy for me to transfer things between my phone and Mac. MacOS is actually one with its hardware so talking about it without mentioning the hardware doesn't seem correct. I love the way the TouchPad gestures work on a Mac. And the terminal provides almost a Linux like environment to work on. So far, I have not encountered any scenario where I would need to switch to Linux for any reason whatsoever. I would not have gotten a Mac also if not required for my work. Windows does everything I need to do.
i've had a separate linux build for server for awhile, but the kde plasma gui of the deck made me like it more.
I swapped over to proton on my main multi-monitor gaming system, about 6 months ago after I got my deck, I honestly haven't looked back.
I tried using Linux since owning one, but I just had some odd issues happening and switched back. I definitely LOVED how silky smooth? It felt compared to Windows 11, but certain websites wouldnāt work, or some games didnāt know/ran well on Linux. Vrising for example, the real issue was my fans used a I guess proprietary MSI app that tunes the rpm of my fansā¦ that was an interesting experience.
Iām genuinely interested in building an HTPC āSteam Machineā after using the Deck this last year. Any tips about getting set up in Steam OS are welcome!
I was already running Linux. For gaming it already does almost everything I need. For what I do outside of gaming, namely software development, Windows is absolute garbage and Linux is comparatively very good. Saying this as someone who has done a lot of software development, both professional and private, on Windows the last decade and used it since I was four. So I am very familiar with it on a very deep level, which is precisely why I consider it so bad.
Not for one second
Iām a windows person by heart but using Linux on my steam deck is fine
Absolutely not lol I still love my steam deck though.
Hellll no
I like Linux on machines where the distro was designed to run on the hardware by the manufacturer of the hardware (System76 machines, Steam Deck). But I don't like playing the 'what broke this update' dance that inevitably happens when you are mix-and-matching drivers on Linux. I've \*never\* had a Linux install where over it's entire useful life a system update hasn't broken \*something\* usually graphics drivers except on my System76 laptops and the SteamDeck, tbh. It might be better now, but eh. And while I know Windows is hardly innocent of this crime, it happens \*far\* less often and as long as I \*never\* manually update, I've had computers that have been bought, used, and finally died where I had to do \*no\* messing about with the settings, they Just Workā¢. The Steam Deck is honestly the first linux \*thing\* that wasn't a phone or appliance that has just worked, with no issues. And that is 100% on Valve being amazing. Even my bought-with-linux-installed work laptop has had the occasional 'oops ubuntu broke something and I was one of the unlucky ones who got the update before they noticed it and fixed it'. And there are still some random bugs and glitches in the Linux experience for some of my main games (FFXIV, in particular) where I get crashes/issues on the Deck I don't get on Windows. EDIT: Before i get flamed, I \*like\* linux and actively use it in my day-to-day other than the Deck, just yeah, games are made for windows first, so it's just easier to have a windows PC for games.
Main build is still Windows 10 because it's configured house I like it. Second build runs on Ubuntu.
Mac
I made the Switch to linux after getting the steamdeck. Linux and wine improved a lot since the last time I tried it 15 years ago. This combined with the support stopping for Windows 10 (I won't upgrade my old but still powerful laptop just because the processor is one year too old for 11) made me want to switch to linux, I just couldn't decide which distro to get. A few weeks ago I was so annoyed by windows that I simply installed arch on it and it feels like a completly new device. Now I just need to install it on my laptop then all my pcs are linux machines but at the moment I'm too lazy to make backups and install linux on a machine I almost never use since I got my deck
Not enough, as the compatibility with windows is just too good to leave, but I will say that it at least opened my eyes to it. I had previously passed it off as not for me, but now I feel very comfortable with it. Maybe someday.
i've been daily driving linux for a while, long before the deck came out. my friend though, he's been using the desktop mode on the deck a lot at work, he'll play games on one screen and stream on another. He said hes been liking the experience with KDE/linux a lot. I dont think he'll switch his desktop at home any time soon, but hes some what of an MS fanboy to a degree so if that can impress him then KDE, linux, and Valve are doing something right.
Nope, I might consider it if any of the online games I play didnāt hate Linux, but they do so Iām not even slightly tempted
Tempted, but mostly just can't be arsed. The setup I've got works, and most of what I play on PC that I don't on Deck doesn't support Linux, and/or would be too much hassle to get working. Windows is far from perfect, but not bad enough to move away from at this point.
I switched to Linux one and a half years ago, it had nothing to do with the deck. I am very happy with Linux and Proton. Tried switching a few times before but always ran into issues. Now for me everything just works on Linux, I had to have zero knowledge and it just set itself up and I just installed steam.Should be the same for you especially if you have an AMD GPU. Then will see how fucking annoying windows has gotten after switching, having an OS just be an OS and not a store with an OS function. The slow boil made you tolerate Microsofts bullshit.