Steam OS a likely decider in the move. http://www.bit-tech.net/news/gaming/2014/03/12/cryengine-linux/1
I'm sure dozens of people would be please by this, however IMO the would have been better off porting it to OSX.
Oh, that old argument: 'nobody uses Linux'. Well, you'd be surprised to read the results of the latest Steam Hardware Survey (which, despite its name, tracks software stats too.) Y'see, that has OS X as 3.42% of Steam's userbase, while Linux is at 1.3%. Sure, that makes OS X almost three times as popular among gamers - but if there were mere 'dozens' using Linux that'd make for around a hundred OS X users. Doesn't seem likely. That 1.3% figure, by the way, is prior to the launch of Steam Machines - which, let's face it, is what Crytek is really targeting here; the fact that porting CryEngine to Steam OS also ports it to Linux in general is a happy accident. When the Steam Machines launch, I fully expect to see that figure rise - if it doesn't equal or better OS X by the end of 2015, I'll... Well, admit I was wrong, I guess. Finally: what makes you think they're not porting it to OS X? My guess would be that they're porting to Linux first to be ready for Steam OS, then will port to OS X having done most of the legwork - swapping out DirectX for OpenGL, for example - during the Linux porting process. EDIT: Oh, I forgot you can view Steam User Stats: if 1.3% of Steam's userbase is on Linux, and we assume that corresponds to 1.3% of active concurrent users - a stretch, I know, but it'll do for an estimate - then there are, as I write this, 50,000 Linux gamers on Steam at this very moment.
^rpsgc is right. i use linux but not for gaming.... mainly because i'm using a crappy laptop atm and the only way i get reasonable performance is with dual graphics enabled(crappy gpu and an apu)... unfortunately last i checked dual graphics is less than well handled in linux. that being said has anyone started pushing for mantle in linux.... if linux manages to grab mantle i'd go with amd for a high end gaming rig with a linux os and just bet on the future... if not i'll wait till they get dual graphics up and just build a mid range game/media pc with an apu.
But wouldn't dual boot for gaming into Linux reduce your options on what you can play? I thought gamers were staying on Windows just to game and waiting in baited breath for SteamOS to save them from a bloated Micro$oft OS? That is all you get from these topics anyway :S
Well if new games start to work on Linux then I can see me needing to learn Linux in order to make the switch. Sick and tired of MS but because I want to play games I have to use Windows.
I use Windows strictly for gaming (and for a couple other hardware-specific tasks). I use Steam on linux too, with maybe 1/3 of my total game collection being available on it. I also have 2 games that should be available within a couple months. Only 1 of my games performs significantly worse under linux, for varying reasons. I don't use wine and haven't installed it on any of my personal systems in maybe 6 years. However, I don't find it likely I'll ever stop dual booting any time soon, and I don't recommend linux for anything beyond casual gaming. Nvidia overall performs as good or better in linux than it does in Windows, but that's only if you're using a native application. I'm happy linux is getting some AAA attention, I'm just worried some of this stuff is being pushed a little too soon. Linux isn't ready for the average user.
I think the couple of posts after did kind of state what I said, tongue in cheek I actually agree with the reason behind Linux gaming, as a gamer I'll take any advantage I can get. Although, if you have torrents downloading/uploading, antivirus scanning, adobe shouting "look at me! I have an update!" and whatever else running alongside your steam account. It's a given you'll experience some lag while gaming.
Well, there is the idea of not doing those things while you play a game. Back 7 years ago when my PC only ran Windows, I didn't even have a virus scanner, I disabled automatic updates, and I only downloaded things when I knew I didn't need the internet bandwidth for anything else. Since I don't use Windows for anything but gaming today, that still applies, but even when I do gaming in linux the situation still doesn't change. It's exactly stuff like this why AMD gets left in the dark - if people just managed their tasks better, they'd realize they could spend a lot less on a system that will perform their main focus just fine. I understand though, that the average person doesn't know how to micro-manage.
I have a dim memory from back in my Windows days of software that would close down various background tasks when it detected you launching a game, then restart 'em when the game closed. Is that still a thing, or did it die off when we all moved away from single-core chips and sub-gigabyte memory capacities?
I have everything running you listed snips and have no lag when gaming. I actually have more than that. Skype and Firefox are usaul on as well. Not to mension different word documents I might of left running and Itunes. Only difference is probably the Anti virus scan ( Who runs a scan when gaming lol, and Adobe as you can disable the look at me update crap. ) Lag ingames these days thats not fps related is connection stuff which is not related to your pc in the first place. Downloaded Wildstar beta at 6mb/sec the other day and was still playing league of legends with a 22ms ping. For the Mass user base I dout linux will ever be the future of gaming, Unless steam OS takes off in a big way. And there by forces devs to code for Steam OS ( Which is basically linux) some one said 1.3% is 50k people, OSX has 3.5% and has struggled to get Dev support. Id say Mac support on steam has only changed in the last few years actually. Even some of the biggest launched MMOs till recently did not support Mac OSX natively. Of the 5.6million gamers on steam at this current minute, You could easily say 5 Million is on Windows and that would be a underestimate id imagine by a little bit also. Linux needs a big boost, Maybe Steam OS will be that boost for it who can really say with 100% certainty. Drivers under Linux are still not great will be its biggest failing. ( I have Linux installed and do use it every now and again to mess around with, Audio drivers are really quiet poor, With GPU drivers from AMD GPUs even worse.
From what information i could gather on the hardware survey, it's taken from a random sample of users each month, supposedly 1/12th of the user base. and everyone is supposedly asked if they want to participate once a year. If we assume the 1/12th figure is correct, wouldn't the amount Linux gamers be far more ? around 845,000 or have i embarrassed myself by showing my awful grasp on mathematics.
Yes probably. Assuming everything you said is true, and the majority of linux users are like me (where they dual boot into windows), there's a decent chance they've been questioned about the survey coincidentally when they've been using windows. That happened to me before. Since I wanted to represent linux, I didn't complete the survey, but unfortunately I wasn't asked again. Pretty stupid considering I log into windows about once every 3 weeks.
The Hardware Survey presents its results as percentages, not as whole numbers; the Concurrent Users page presents its figures as numbers, naturally. The 50,000 estimate was gathered by multiplying the number of users active at the time I wrote the post - active as in had Steam loaded, not active as in have a Steam account - by the percentage. It doesn't matter if the hardware survey is presented to a fraction of the user base, so long as they're representative; the final percentage will be accurate. Now, my 50,000 figure was for concurrent users - i.e. the highest number of users on at any given time. That's obviously a smaller number than total users, 'cos at any given time half the world's asleep. Steam doesn't give live stats that I can see for active accounts, but it did issue a press release in October last year claiming to have passed the 65 million active accounts mark. If we assume that the 1.3% Linux share from the hardware survey is truly representative of the installed user base, that equates to your 845,000. So, yes: it's entirely possible that there are nearly a million Linux gamers registered on Steam, before the Steam Machines launch. Not a bad market to target, really - especially if you predict decent growth when Steam OS is available for normals to play with. Oh, Linux audio is dire. So many conflicting 'solutions,' so many layers... It's a wonder it actually makes any noise at all. That said, for normal use - gaming, Skype, listening to music - it's perfectly adequate; it only begins to show its cracks if you're doing professional audio stuff, where you rapidly decide it's not worth the hassle and buy a Mac instead. Interested to hear about problems with AMD GPU drivers, mind. My desktop's an APU, and I haven't had any real problems with the Catalyst driver bundle.
Take the easy way out and go with ALSA+SPDIF. linux audio is fine, IF you know how to configure it properly. Pulseaudio only works part of the time and .asoundrc files are an utter nightmare. A lot of people like to gripe about AMD GPU drivers because of either past experiences, because they're using legacy devices, or because their expectations for the open source drivers are too high.
sorry Gareth, I was pointing out that some moan about the bloated OS but then have all those running in the background but blame the bloated OS. I personality don't have any problems gaming in Windows 8, apart from the fact that I'm shite at some games due to my hardcore occasional gaming pattern.
I'm well pleased at this. Got myself a Win7 box for all games and an Ubuntu box for Steam Linux. I'm one of them people patiently waiting to jump over full time to Linux. SteamOS & Steam box's are just going to make PC gaming more console like. To all the moaners - OSX isn't used by gamers much and Apple has no desire to push gaming, so what is the point. SteamOS The Linux install won't matter if its pre-installed and works out the box having a HUGE library of games isn't going to hurt, DIY or cheap repairs will be a bonus too. Just accept the AAA titles are coming to Linux. Windows is not the last bastion of PC gaming we once thought it was. If you like gaming in Windows, well that is fine, but a change is coming. LINUX....but can it run Crysis?.......SOON!!!!!!!!!!
