Thursday, August 16th 2018
Valve Apparently Working on Compatibility Tools Allowing Windows Games to be Played on Linux
Keen-eyed Linux and Valve uses have noticed what could seemingly be a big reveal and shake-up to games' compatibility with the Linux platform. If you're a die-hard Linux fan, or even if you're just a curious dabbler in that operating system, you know that there aren't many concerted efforts of bringing game experiences to that operating system. A good port requires many more hours than game developers are willing to put into it - let alone compiling a native implementation of their game for that OS.
However, Valve, being the most important digital games distributor through their Steam platform, know there's an untapped source of income in that part of the market. And if developers won't do it themselves, then Valve seem to be willing to take the matter into their own hands. This speculation arises from Steam's GUI files, which when looked at with SteamDB's Steam Tracker, include a hidden section with unused text related to an (as of yet) unannounced Steam Play system, which "(...) will automatically install compatibility tools that allow you to play games from your library that were built for other operating systems."Adding more credence to the Linux compatibility tool (and we say Linux because it's the alternative platform to Windows which has the potential to offer more new users to Steam than any other), the GUI file suggests Steam Play will offer official compatibility with "supported tiles" while also letting users test compatibility for "games in your library that have not been verified with a supported compatibility tool." Of course, these last titles, being outside of the "whitelisted", supported titles, may not work as expected, and may present all sorts of technical problems. Still, some might not.
Sources:
GitHub, via Ars Technica
However, Valve, being the most important digital games distributor through their Steam platform, know there's an untapped source of income in that part of the market. And if developers won't do it themselves, then Valve seem to be willing to take the matter into their own hands. This speculation arises from Steam's GUI files, which when looked at with SteamDB's Steam Tracker, include a hidden section with unused text related to an (as of yet) unannounced Steam Play system, which "(...) will automatically install compatibility tools that allow you to play games from your library that were built for other operating systems."Adding more credence to the Linux compatibility tool (and we say Linux because it's the alternative platform to Windows which has the potential to offer more new users to Steam than any other), the GUI file suggests Steam Play will offer official compatibility with "supported tiles" while also letting users test compatibility for "games in your library that have not been verified with a supported compatibility tool." Of course, these last titles, being outside of the "whitelisted", supported titles, may not work as expected, and may present all sorts of technical problems. Still, some might not.
54 Comments on Valve Apparently Working on Compatibility Tools Allowing Windows Games to be Played on Linux
If you have any problems getting BR to work, here's a quick vid that'll sort the common hiccups.
That said, I've come to actually like Windows. If anything, I'd prefer Microsoft to focus more on it as a gaming platform and move away from the Xbox.
And this is someone who has been using Macs and Linux off and on since the 90s.
As you can see from that tiny list, there are quite a ton of games of all different genres available, even some quite big household names.
@Totally Just a quick OT question: Is it the original Launch version of the PS3 you have? I'm searching for a US launch version, as it can play almost every PS2 game seamlessly. My EU launch PS3 can'T play Tekken Tag Tournament correctly, just as one example.
I was always a BIG advocate for PC gaming, laughing about console peasants. But honestly, now, that I know both worlds, console is mostly just so much more convenient. I find myself being rather rarely on the PC nowadays, since I got the consoles. In fact, it started just with an old PS3, now under my TV there are PS3 Fat Lady, PS4 Pro, Nintendo Switch, SNES Mini and even a 3DS in its loading docking station that friend gave me after breaking up with his ex-wife. Unfortunately it is pink xD
But all in all, the consoles are just more convenient. For everything apart from web-browsing (but for that you can use a phone or better Tablet nowadays pretty decently), actual work or "private copies" of Multimedia-consumables (e.g. Movies, Series etc) consoles are actually way better. I even can play BluRay Disks on the PS3 and PS4, something that is a pain in the ass even with a BD drive in the PC. Netflix simply works with good controls, as do Amazon Prime and Youtube.
Before I used the consoles for multimedia consumption, I had an HTPC with Kodi. Played every file I threw at it. But there was the limitation. Getting a BD drive was on my mind, but I refrained because of cost and it not really working. Stuff like Netflix or Amazon Prime or even Spotify? Forget it, not a chance, especially not on the Linux based Kodi I was using (LibreELEC). Well, the 10TB Harddrive Space that it had, to the last Byte full of media (mostly Anime, which thankfully are now also present on Netflix and Amazon in increasing numbers), were helping me over that, but still... It was simply sitting there as a homeserver/NAS/local media player. Only thing it could do better than the PS4 was actually supporting CDs (yes, the PS4 can not play Audio CDs anymore) and playing every file format known to man without a problem. And tbh a better Interface for Media Consumption of local files.
So, all in all, I find myself on the way to actually say: Gaming on PC is great for some titles (I'd never want to play stuff like Dota on a console), but the all-in-all win in media and game consumption comfort goes to the consoles. Hands down. And it hurts me a bit to say that.
Hard times for some millennials and those who are not born rich.
So they may as well allow it with certain caveats or a marginal fee, if they're smart.
Besides, who the hell would truly get on board with that? It'd cut into the profits of so much hardware that makes PC gaming as lucrative as it is. Even if it did work right, something that practically made GPUs obsolete would get squashed just for that alone.
Linux' main problem isn't it's architecture. It's the diffusion. It's a decentralized hodgepodge with a gazillion competing apis and reinventions of the wheel. Gaming needs a platform with an actual cohesive vision behind it. And no amount of Valve's money will change that -- because the Linux community itself would recoil from anyone even succeeding. It's anathema to them.. and they'll eventually shove that company into it's own space.. where it merely creates a fork of Linux.
Could also be IOS/Android games coming to steam! (J/K).
*EDIT*
Actually, on a serious note it could be for installing DOS/9x/XP emulators for PC games incompatible with Windows 10...
The idea is that if Microsoft dicks them over by, for example, dragging game developers into the windows store, then Steam can simply continue to operate on Linux - which may well cause a shift in OS usage if people want to migrate. They can't do that if Linux remains a garbage gaming platform.
There were unofficial efforts to do something similar by users themselves, which mostly boiled down to letting the game in question to "talk" to the native steam client for authentication and whatnot.