Microsoft Should be VERY Afraid - Noob's Guide to Linux Gaming

hey what's the Oh computer couple man all I want to do is write scripts dank ass jokes for LTT but I've been stuck in an infinite loop for like a day what if I told you that there's a way out from under the iron grip of the bloated legacy of Billy G why are using that voice I can show you sure but I must warn you it's a rabbit hole that you may never want to climb back out of but you never explain the voice and if you do escape you should probably escaped or sponsors thanks to Joan for sponsoring this video they're meeting boards help us prevent double booking in our conference room and they can help you too so you don't have to deal with people poking their heads into your meetings check them out and use offer code Linus eight to get eight percent off [Music] okay so you got me down here why don't you start by telling me why I should care about Linux well it's simple really I can say with confidence that it's the future gaming that's a pretty bold claim yeah but there are huge companies backing it right now now you can play steam games in Linux using valves proton and the number of games is growing by the day as a result of that Nvidia has been focusing on Linux drivers almost as much as Windows and you want to know the most important thing hit me Google's game streaming service stadia relies on Linux using Vulcan native Linux versions of the most popular titles are all but certain at the very least Windows versions with Vulcan support which makes protons job that much easier what's more game developers see proton as a way to access a whole new audience of Linux users meaning the more popular proton becomes with gamers the more native Linux releases developers will make I see and you're gonna talk me through this right I mean I've never used notes before and I've heard that it's pretty complicated not necessarily do you remember how we had to jump through a lot of Hoops in order to get our last video on a boon to gaming up-to-date enough yeah run games properly uh-huh well as it turns out there's actually a bunch of different distros available where that's not a problem wait hold on slow down a second I've heard about a bunch of before but what's a distro oh right it's short for distribution and if one do is just one of them okay you can think of it like Android some phones get updates faster than others or come with their own bundled apps and UI skins the same with Linux so you can think of a pun to as being similar to say touch squids on samsung galaxy phones or oxygen OS and on one-plus okay like those Ubuntu is not always the most up-to-date but it's got a nice enough interface it's you know pretty popular some distros on the other hand or a more elegant and some are more customizable some have more features other place emphasis on stability and that kind of thing so what if I don't like one distro and I want to choose another one I'm gonna have to learn everything again from scratch no just like on Android where you can download a new launcher if you don't like the interface on a linux distro you can just download a new desktop environment Ubuntu itself as a distro and these days just uses a customized version of a just environment called gnome but if you want a more Windows like experience there's k2 e LX cutie and Xfce and if you want a more Mac like experience there is deepen Pantheon and budgie all of which feature high levels of polish you're going to even has a bunch of different flavours with that in mind like Ubuntu Xubuntu and open to budgie and since you can run them all off of USB Drive you can give it a test drive without even affecting your existing operating system so like if you have Windows it only takes a few minutes just download the ISO and using ballina after or Rufus just create a USB Drive and off you go just one of these that's pretty sweet ok so as I said I have heard of a bun too so since it's the most popular one that's got to be the best for gaming right umm yes and no Ubuntu has the advantage of being ridiculously popular so most guys will be written with it in mind the problem is that it went to ships with old versions of all the software we're going to need so there are some hoops to jump through in order to get the working gaming setup with that in mind though there are two disk groves I'd like to bring attention to today system76 is pop OS and Manjaro pop OS is based on it boom - so it's able to take advantage of a good news community support and it also has more up-to-date software that Stocki flinty does which makes it simpler to get up and running Manjaro on the other hand is not based on a bun - but something called arch which is really geared towards more advanced users and uses what's called a rolling release cycle which is similar in concept to stock Android release cycle this gives us access to even more recent software plus it even has steam pre-installed and like a bun - Manjaro comes in multiple flavors just in case you like one desktop environment over another ok so you're saying if I install them in jar oh I just have steam but if I go with pop OS then I need to go to the website and download steam right no that's where the package manager comes in ain't nobody wedding well it's basically like an app store and it gives you a list of searchable software that is gathered from a list of centralized repositories that you can just download and install with such a couple clicks and this gives you automatic updates as they become available on the repository and it solves any prerequisites the app might need so I'm Papa Wes you just open up the up shop and searching for steam is there a lot less overhead with this OS compared to Windows yes feels so fast light okay but what if a software I want isn't even in the store in that case your next step is to turn to the community and on a book you base distros that comes in the form of personal package archives or PPAs which can be added in pop shop settings window under extra sources meanwhile on Manjaro you'd use the arch user repository which is a little easier to set up just enable it and man Jarosz preferred package manager Pamuk usually these will give you access to software that might not have a package available for your distro for example things like discord TeamViewer or OBS okay but what if it's not on either of those then as a last resort you would turn to the office website just like on Windows but that's not really a common problem to have which is fortunate because it's not as easy or as clean to install something you downloaded from the internet on linux as it is on Windows or Mac OS you'd be at the mercy of the developer having good instructions and you'll probably need to use the terminal like shown here hold on a second you expect me to understand all this gibberish no in many cases it's just a universal way to rule out an easier installation experience for people until the software is available in their package manager how is this easier and don't be intimidated you can just copy and paste if it's a reputable piece of software there's a little harm in it even if you don't understand what's happening the terminal isn't something that needs to be scary it's just old fashioned feeling but think of it this way how often have you been digging through settings trying to figure out where that one button is true if you know exactly what you want your computer to do and that includes copying these lines it's the fastest and simplest way to go and by the way this even applies to Windows and Mac OS two okay so now with pop OS I normally go to the pop shop and if it's not there I'd add a PPA but if it's not there then I just copy this stuff and it'll install how much more do I have to know to play games actually surprisingly little while it's not strictly necessary to get everything working we're primarily focused on making sure your drivers are up to date thankfully Manjaro has the to install them for you in just a few clicks using the Manjaro settings manager followed by quick reboot but Papa less has dedicated versions for AMD Intel and NVIDIA users with the drivers already pre-installed no fuss all that's left for you to do is install a piece of software called wine via the package manager that will let us run Windows programs and ensure all the prerequisites are installed for our next important item Lucas which is a game manager for Linux that can handle games not supported by Steam logo trying to be like an egg with a little guy it's a little harder yeah okay so is it ready now can i play some games sure games like rocket League Team Fortress 2 and the most newer indie games actually are straight-up available on steam for Linux without needing any compatibility layers or special setup so it just knows that I'm on a Linux PC units gonna install the right one yeah sweet yep it's what valve calls Steam play and I think you'll be surprised at just how many games are jumping to Linux it was over 5,000 native Linux games as of today including many triple-a titles thanks to porting Studios like feral interactive and that's not even including the growing support for proton just check out the excellent community around proton DB site and what's more you can even enable proton for any game on Steam by going to steam play in settings and checking a box but if you want to install games like Starcraft 2 overwatch League of Legends or if you're big on Good Old Games or humble store you'll want to use loot hrus which makes the process dead simple just grab one of the community made installers from Lucas net and it does all the work for you configuring wine setting all the right variables installing all the support software all that stuff you used to have to do manually so why don't you just take for a spin all right so I got activities you can go to that or you can go to Lucas net either way click on the button where it says start to glue trace on it and click install to after install this charge x9 yeah so this is gonna launch battlenet you might need to still install Starcraft but it says play its playable I think you can launch multiplayer or something ball-ball xerath oh look at all the achievements I get just for logging in it's so great cool so it just looks like the game are we am I gonna play do I get paid to play right now how many actions per minute do you have like 40 this is probably enough I got a gateway or about you need to construct more pylons I have not enough minerals what I like her iron oh yeah go no this guy's gonna die for sure I'm not doing anything that's this let's let's end this now okay I played a game on Linux your first game on Linux I did it you said that there were some hoops that had to be jumped through but to be clear you don't have any of that on pop OS or Manjaro it's just it just all works like we saw yeah so a bun too is due for an update like now which might fix some of that but for pop OS and Manjaro and actually for a number of other distros we didn't cover today the steps basically boiled down to you install the OS install Steam or Lucas and start playing that's what make these distros especially enticing for gamers but while Manjaro is set up well to cater to gamers out of the box it's not going to be as stable as a distro like Ubuntu and that's why Papa less and others like it try to bridge that gap with updated drivers while still retaining excellent community support and stable packages which makes them a good choice for getting your feet wet okay so what games am i least likely to be able to play and are there any gotchas there are a couple of caveats when it comes to gaming on Linux the biggest ones are problems with anti-cheat software and intrusive DRM schemes and with switchable graphics like Nvidia Optimus thankfully with valve and talks with easy anti cheat there's some hope for resolution on ntp sometime soon but for switchable graphics right now Ubuntu based distros are the only ones that provide any real support out of the box like pop OS and the workarounds for other distros aren't pretty to say nothing of Linux is HDR support right now which is zero you'll also lose access to most if not all of your dedicated RGB lighting controls a whole hey couple come on take it back here yeah hold up there are some standards for configuring peripherals like ckb next Piper and Auntie micro can listening just be prepared for limited support for external peripherals that rely on custom software especially for headsets and less mainstream brands in general but aside from that you know we keep saying it but it keeps turning out to be true getting into Linux is easier than ever and the rapid pace at which features are equaling Windows is only going to accelerate now that Google stadia again a Linux based platform using Vulcan is coming and because with proton and stadia and videos working overtime to match AMD's already excellent open-source drivers and wiki's for arch and a blood two are excellent resources for learning and troubleshooting plus the Linux gaming subreddit is huge thanks for your contributions you guys you rock and if you take all that together I mean it looks like we're in the middle of a renaissance the Volta 2.0 magnetic cable is a sleek 5 amp charge and sync magnetic cable that standard USB on one end and then an open magnet on the other end and they've got a new reinforced design for all three tips so you can fit them into almost any phone case they've got USB type-c Apple lightning and micro USB the upgraded connection slot design means it's OneTouch you've got instant charging and a nice strong magnetic connection and it's reversible meaning it can charge in both directions it's got a new and improved blue LED light on the side so you can still see it in the dark but it's easier on your eyes and no longer like glares while it's charging and that five amp capability means that it supports the new Huawei supercharged - charge quick charge 4.0 rapid charge etc etc it's designed to sustain up to 10,000 plugs and unplugs and it comes with a lifetime warranty that's true for all volta products so go check it out the volta 2.0 features for bold colors red black silver and blue and they've got lengths from point 8 feet to six-and-a-half feet we've got the Amazon links in the video description are you that yay well thanks for watching guys if this video sucks you know what to do but it was awesome get subscribed hit that like button check out the link to where to buy the stuffy feet well it's all free maybe you check out where to buy a flash drive also linked in description is our merch store which has cool shirts like this one and our community forum which you should totally join and let us know how you feel about these writer videos instead of having Linus here just had like me and James or you know Alex and not Jake though no no no large a fire yeah

Channel: Linus Tech Tips

Views: 3,010,359

Keywords: gaming, PC, linux, pop!_os, manjaro, ubuntu, nvidia, amd, intel, stadia, google, steam, lutris, dxvk, starcraft ii, proton, wine, native linux games, tutorial, guide

Id: Co6FePZoNgE

Length: 14min 44sec (884 seconds)

Published: Tue Apr 09 2019

Reddit Comments

[u/TheBelakor]

I had stuck with Windows for a long time despite being a Linux fan simply because of gaming.

But between the Windows 10 bullshit (lack of respect for privacy, lack of control) and the great strides made in Linux gaming I made the switch last year. Best decision I've ever made. Sure, there will likely be games I would normally want to play that won't run well (or at all) on Linux but then I say that if the game studio wanted me to buy it they should have made sure it runs on Linux.

[u/RedDorf]

He mentioned us! We're famous! waving Hi everybody!

[u/rkido]

Microsoft have already demonstrated multiple times that they take the threat very seriously. When Valve started talking about Linux gaming, they immediately sent engineers over to inquire about the performance issues they were finding in DirectX. When there was talk of Mantle becoming the basis for a new industry standard high-performance graphics API (Vulkan), they furiously cloned it and rushed DirectX 12 out the door shortly before Vulkan's release to try and steal its thunder.

They're not actually afraid of traditional GNU/Linux gaming as we know it, which offers no innovation whatsoever compared to Windows gaming aside from changing the underlying operating system. Only innovative and commercially-backed threats are taken seriously, such as the then-rumored "Steam Box" (which Valve seriously screwed up), or the recently announced Google Stadia. The openness and possibilities of Linux, to take it places and use it in ways Windows cannot, are the threat, not some absurd idea like "mac gaming" lol.

[u/dribbleondo]

Not gonna lie, I squee'd when I saw the protondb results for "Hitman".

[u/CitricBase]

Here's a link to Anthony's previous thread, it has a cameo at the end of the video.

[u/aaronfranke]

2 minutes into the video, he talks about distros where complicated setup is not required, then Arch pops up on the screen...

[u/grady_vuckovic]

Microsoft should be afraid of specifically "fucking up".

Will people move in droves to Linux overnight for no reason? No.

Will they move to Linux easily if Microsoft pisses everyone off? Yup.

Whether you're a fan of Windows or not you should be glad that Microsoft is a position where they need to stay on the ball in order to retain users.

This is exactly why Linux needs support, it breaks up a monopoly and will force everyone to do better to compete.

[u/jdblaich]

He forgot to say that once you do those first sets of steps you don't have to keep redoing it. He implied it, but he should have said it outright.

[u/grady_vuckovic]

Can I just say, if you want to help Linux grow, also donate to open source projects. We can't get every proprietary application on Linux. Some of them sure but some we may never get. We need the Linux alternatives to be as awesome as possible. Krita, GIMP, Godot, Blender, Inkscape, OpenShot, etc. These applications, if they keep improving and focus on UX, can one day steal marketshare from the major commercial giants, and that enables people to make the switch along with gaming. We can do it, it's a giant mountain but we're chipping away at it.