Linux Gaming has been something of an oddity.
For years you were pretty much stuck with Tux Racer or cloned versions of games better suited to your phone than a full blown gaming PC.
There were a few exceptions like Solider of Fortune back in the early 2000's but getting it running was an exercise in frustration and the video servers ( drivers ) of the time were less than optimal. Yes there was always WINE but considering the hardware of the time running an emulator and a 3D Game on top of it was a less than ideal experience. That and once again you could easily find yourself spending hours under the hood of Linux just trying to get it running.
Believe me, I know from whence I speak...
So for years I kept Linux as the OS best suited to PC's not quite dead but not worth paying Microsoft to update.
In the Interim between then and now Linux Distros got more tightened up with far more user friendly offerings in the guise of Linux Mint, PC Linux and of course the ubiquitous Ubuntu that most popular distros are based on.
So Linux was getting better but Windows was still dominant and driving not only sales of software but for gamers, hardware as well. Every iteration of Windows brought with it new demands on the hardware. DirectX became something more than just a gaming API of choice for Windows; it became a requirement if you wanted to have any chance of success on the platform.
Somewhere around the launch of DirectX 11 Gabe Newell (of Valve) got really pissed at Microsoft and decided Linux was the next gaming platform of choice for PC and console players.
He already had the number one gaming sales portal and enough clout to convince major publishers like 2K to port their more popular titles to it.
The end result; the SteamBox and with it SteamOS both based on a Linux Kernel and anything else that wasn't Microsoft for that matter ( AKA DirectX)
It was the first time we saw a real challenge to the dominance of Microsoft and specifically Windows on the PC gaming platform.
So here we are today and Windows is still the dominant gaming platform but the gaming landscape for Linux is not as bleak as those early days. Steam has continued its active support of Linux primarily on Ubuntu with a full version of the Steam client working virtually identically to it's Windows counterpart. Thanks largely to the development of the now failed SteamBox console was birthed a foundation of hope for real Linux gaming.
Which is where my story really begins. I've started a new series on Linux Gaming on the companion YouTube channel to this blog and I've been pleasantly surprised. While Steam is still the primary supporter of Linux gaming there are others like GOG.com but the other elephants in the room ( EA's Origin & Ubisoft's Uplay ) haven't.
It's likely Steam will be on it's own for awhile until the PC gamer user base finally gets sick of Windows 10 annoyances and Microsoft in general and starts looking beyond their PS4's.
Linux has a reported 23% market share in the OS market but that is a many feathered beast. Getting EA or Ubisoft to start supporting the platform is going to take one Linux distro to rule them all. As in almost 100% of that 23% share.
So without further ado, let's take a look at my latest dive into Linux Gaming!
