Linux Gaming: An Upward Trend

[ekianjo]

Following my article on Linux's gaming trend a couple months back, here's a new status update on how Gaming on Linux seems to be shaping.



--> Continue Reading...

 

[FelixNemis]

This article is broken, it loads up a page that just shows this

I can still read the article because feedly has a copy of it, just letting you know

 

[ekianjo]

This article is broken, it loads up a page that just shows this

I can still read the article because feedly has a copy of it, just letting you know

It's a DNS problem. I recommend you switch your DNS to OpenDNS or GoogleDNS, otherwise it means the contry you live in is very slow to update their DNS records

 

[FelixNemis]

It's a DNS problem. I recommend you switch your DNS to OpenDNS or GoogleDNS, otherwise it means the contry you live in is very slow to update their DNS records

I get the same problem on Google's DNS servers and OpenDNS. I'm in the US

 

[segaprophet]

I would argue that the success of the Mac has done a lot to improve Linux gaming - once developers get away from DirectX and move to cross platform libraries (usually to cater to the Mac market), it's just a short hop, skip and a jump to invite Linux to the party as well.

 

[Granitehead]

I would argue that the success of the Mac has done a lot to improve Linux gaming - once developers get away from DirectX and move to cross platform libraries (usually to cater to the Mac market), it's just a short hop, skip and a jump to invite Linux to the party as well.

It would seem so - but I know of a lot of Windows+Mac programs which don't run on Linux.

 

[rygD]

I think Linux gamers and people who want to use Linux for some of the benefits, maybe the cost, have been more beneficial to improving Linux Gaming than Macs have been.

 

[DaMummy]

lol@using a mac for gaming. Its like using an ipod for music

 

[segaprophet]

lol@using a mac for gaming. Its like using an ipod for music

Is it any worse than Linux? Thought not.

 

[segaprophet]

I think Linux gamers and people who want to use Linux for some of the benefits, maybe the cost, have been more beneficial to improving Linux Gaming than Macs have been.

Strictly going by the value of Apple shares over the past decade, I don't think anyone can argue that Apple's platforms haven't experienced massive growth.

OS X and iOS have been more successful than any other platforms in putting Unix into consumer use. In the case of multiplatform PC gaming, I think a rising tide truly lifts all boats..

 

[rygD]

I think Linux gamers and people who want to use Linux for some of the benefits, maybe the cost, have been more beneficial to improving Linux Gaming than Macs have been.

Strictly going by the value of Apple shares over the past decade, I don't think anyone can argue that Apple's platforms haven't experienced massive growth.

In the case of multiplatform PC gaming, I think a rising tide truly lifts all boats..

I remember when I was younger Apple had computers everywhere.  If I went somewhere there was a very good chance their stuff was being used.  Schools, libraries, offices, etc.  Now I nearly never see their computers in these places.  Sure, more people may have them in their homes, but I would be surprised if the percentage has not actually gone down.

Back to the point, I don't think Apple's sales has much, if anything, to do with the rise of Linux gaming.  I don't see a massive increase in gaming support for other operating systems...is Apple to blame for this, too?  I think the growth of Linux alone is the reason for the increase in Linux gaming, not something that has nothing to do with Linux.

I miss the Apple of my early years, but cannot stand the company as it has been for a very long time.

 

[segaprophet]

I remember when I was younger Apple had computers everywhere.  If I went somewhere there was a very good chance their stuff was being used.  Schools, libraries, offices, etc.  Now I nearly never see their computers in these places.  Sure, more people may have them in their homes, but I would be surprised if the percentage has not actually gone down.

Back to the point, I don't think Apple's sales has much, if anything, to do with the rise of Linux gaming.  I don't see a massive increase in gaming support for other operating systems...is Apple to blame for this, too?  I think the growth of Linux alone is the reason for the increase in Linux gaming, not something that has nothing to do with Linux.

I miss the Apple of my early years, but cannot stand the company as it has been for a very long time.

With the help of Linux, we've moved beyond the Apple/Microsoft paradigm - our computing lives now are mobile and largely platform agnostic - also, Apple's software platforms have everything to do with Linux.

Apple's devices are the popular face of Unix, like it or not. Hundreds of millions of Macs and almost 1 billion iOS devices have been sold within the past decade.

All I am saying is that the OS X software market has become huge for developers (not Windows huge, but huge). By many metrics, iOS has become even more lucrative than Windows. Developers support Apple platforms because there is money in it - and once they are multiplatform and up and running in a *nix environment, Linux is relatively easy for them to support.

Linux stands on its own merits, and I'm not trying to attribute the success of Linux gaming to entirely to Apple, but it's definitely part of the formula.

 

[rygD]

I remember when I was younger Apple had computers everywhere.  If I went somewhere there was a very good chance their stuff was being used.  Schools, libraries, offices, etc.  Now I nearly never see their computers in these places.  Sure, more people may have them in their homes, but I would be surprised if the percentage has not actually gone down.

Back to the point, I don't think Apple's sales has much, if anything, to do with the rise of Linux gaming.  I don't see a massive increase in gaming support for other operating systems...is Apple to blame for this, too?  I think the growth of Linux alone is the reason for the increase in Linux gaming, not something that has nothing to do with Linux.

I miss the Apple of my early years, but cannot stand the company as it has been for a very long time.

With the help of Linux, we've moved beyond the Apple/Microsoft paradigm - our computing lives now are mobile and largely platform agnostic - also, Apple's software platforms have everything to do with Linux.

Apple's devices are the popular face of Unix, like it or not. Hundreds of millions of Macs and almost 1 billion iOS devices have been sold within the past decade.

All I am saying is that the OS X software market has become huge for developers (not Windows huge, but huge). By many metrics, iOS has become even more lucrative than Windows. Developers support Apple platforms because there is money in it - and once they are multiplatform and up and running in a *nix environment, Linux is relatively easy for them to support.

Linux stands on its own merits, and I'm not trying to attribute the success of Linux gaming to entirely to Apple, but it's definitely part of the formula.

I must have missed this Apple/Microsoft thing you are talking about, but for the average user I see that as a likely way of looking at the computer world.

The average user is unlikely to know that their OS X, iOS or Android device is *nix.  A few years ago I had to point this out to several IT-type people, of which a few were Apple fans.  They gave me shit because I typically use Linux or BSD.  They were largely unaware of BSD or the OS X link.  Those who had Android devices, whether they knew the Linux link or not, got quiet pretty quick when I pointed it out.  The users are where game sales come from, and many of them are afraid of the command line and probably do not know what Unix is.  There really is no "popular face of Unix" except with those who are knowledgeable of it.  These are your Linux users.

Regarding the development side of things, just because there is an easily portable version of a game does not mean a Linux port will be made.  It really comes down to the company making the game and if they feel like investing the time and money to do it at all, and possibly the right way.  I like ekianjo's articles that discuss this.  The company most likely will only support Linux if they see money to be made.  Steam OS is an example of this, and the only reason Linux is being used is because it didn't remain the pet project of Torvalds.  If something else had filled that gap and Linux hadn't grown as it has I doubt Steam OS would be Linux-based.  Where are my big budget, big name DOS games?

Again, if Linux didn't have a significant user base that included people who wanted to play games there would be no Linux gaming support.  Apple has nothing to do with Linux gaming support.  The number of Linux gamers and users, or those who would use it if they had more games available to them, are the reason for the increase in Linux gaming support.

 

[DaMummy]

or maybe its because windows is fucking up in every aspect of pc gaming, Microsoft has shown time and time again, it doesn't give 2 shits about pc gaming

 

[ElPoco]

Looks like the RSS feed of Pandora Live is broken

Since the server change I didn't get any update.

 

[ekianjo]

Looks like the RSS feed of Pandora Live is broken

Since the server change I didn't get any update.

Yeah, blame wordpress... there's a fricking blank line at the beginning of the RSS feed (no idea where it comes from) and this invalidates the RSS feed. There are many people with the same issue all over, but no clear solution.

 

[PokeParadox]

or maybe its because windows is fucking up in every aspect of pc gaming, Microsoft has shown time and time again, it doesn't give 2 shits about pc gaming

Two notable examples are deliberately  excluding XP from DX10 and my current hate - moving away from HID controllers and prompting a trend of controller support meaning "Only supports a 360 controller and cannot be remapped"

My middle finger is way up for that last one even though I have caved and just bought a 360 controller after failing to get the programs which supposedly allow you to map a standard USB HID controller to DXinput to work...

 

[levi]

The only reason Linux Gaming doesn't mean much for me is, as a Linux user all of my machines excepting the Pandora to some extent would be considered relics by most people - it's the fact I can get them doing useful productive stuff without contributing to landfill that I like about Linux. As a gamer I've generally been a console gamer since the demise of the 8/16-bit scene, and after a few bad experience with graphics drivers back in the day, I generally rip the graphics card out of any new machines I inherit and stick to the well-supported on-board graphics.


The Pandora has expanded my knowledge of Linux-gaming a whole lot, and it's great having an open but fixed target, even if driver issues still cause me some grief (mainly when I forget and close the lid when using the newer driver and a full-screen app, grr!).


FWIW, pandoralive is still not visible to me at the moment. I forget what my DNS settings are at the moment though, so I'm probably using the ISPs. I've switched ISPs since the server move though, and on the old ISP I saw the oolite article. Has there been another IP change since then, or is this ISP just really crap on this evidence?

 

[ekianjo]

FWIW, pandoralive is still not visible to me at the moment. I forget what my DNS settings are at the moment though, so I'm probably using the ISPs. I've switched ISPs since the server move though, and on the old ISP I saw the oolite article. Has there been another IP change since then, or is this ISP just really crap on this evidence?

I have not changed DNS recently, so it could be that your ISP's DNS are really OLDDDDD. Apparently there are some ISPs that take WEEKS to update their records (you can check with some services online how the DNS are propagated), so I would urge you to switch to either google dns or OpenDNS. Having correct and up to date DNS is very important.  

 

[levi]

Oddly enough, I was on Pandora live very shortly after making that post, and it was working fine for me. I even navigated to this article, but as I found this thread through the new content view, I couldn't easily find it until someone bumped it again. Now that you have, the link in the OP is working for me, so it seems whatever DNS server I'm using finally took the hint.