Windows is one of the most popular Operating systems on the planet right now. According to Wikipedia, more than 70% of the desktop/laptop users use Windows right now. A big chunk of this userbase is due to the awesome Gaming Library of Windows.
Almost all Games that are developed for PC’s are developed for Windows operating system only. But this domination of Windows, as the only option of the Gaming operating system, seems to be changing now. With more than 6500 Windows Games now being supported on Linux, Linux is emerging as an alternate Gaming option to the Windows.
Options in everything are great as they not only provide you a choice but also create competition. And its said Competition is good for Consumers.
So lets see what Advantages Linux brings.
Advantages of Linux for Gamers
1. Cost
The first advantage Linux distros have over Windows is it’s free. At the time writing of this article, Windows 10 Home costs $139 and Windows pro even more. Now for some users, it might not make much difference but think about this if Linux was really suitable for all types of Gaming then while building your Gaming PC these $139 could be used in purchasing a better Graphics Card.
Better graphics means better Gaming experience and that’s what a Gamer always wants. A better Graphics card will also be more future proof. And for those who are short on budget, this means saving $139, as you use Linux(free of cost) instead of Windows.
2. Updates of Windows:
Ask anyone what they hate about Windows and you will find a common answer: updates.
There are too many cases as if someone was working on something important, or playing an important match, and then they get interrupted by an update. Sure they can go ahead and turn off auto-update, but guess what? That also doesn’t work at all.
These types of errors are less common in Linux and are fixable(thanks to community-based support). But even if you are not able to fix the error you will have an option to change the distro as there are so many of them(for free).
3. Windows is high on resources:
Windows comes with bloatware, Cortana(little to no use), and other non usefull applications. That’s why Windows itself consumes a lot of hardware resources and decreases the overall performance of the system.
While on the other hand, Linux can be light actually very very light depending on the OS you choose. You might also create a Linux from scratch just for Gaming purposes only. This reduces the burden of the operating system on hardware and frees up hardware to be utilized for the task you want to perform.
These are just some of the advantages of Linux over Windows.
Linux Still has a long Way to go.
Although the above-mentioned points are just some of the great advantages of Linux over Windows. Linux still has a long way to go in terms of becoming a Gaming operating system.
There aren’t many games developed for Linux yet. Nor the third party equipment have showed any special love for Linux so far. This means you don’t have much options in-terms of controllers on Linux.
Games even though they are now available on Linux with the help of Proton. But the number of games available is limited when compared with Windows. And even though Gaming performance has gotten better, it is still far away from Windows.
Future of Gaming on Linux is bright
Linux is catching up very fast, with Proton number of Windows games supported on Linux is increasing fast. While Linux is also getting ready for games. The number of GPU’s supported and driver updates available has also improved lately.
So with this continued trend of an increasing number of games supported in Linux, soon gaming on Linux might be comparable to Windows. You might also see someday Linux competing Windows in terms of Gaming.
Conclusion:
Future of Linux distros as Gaming operating system is going to bright. With this continued trend soon you might also find most of the Games supported in Linux as well.
But for now, Linux still has a long way to go in terms of Gaming. As the number of Games available and running properly on Linux is still low. So if you are a Gamer we will advise using Windows at present.
If you are someone who uses Linux regularly then we will definitely advise you to try Gaming on Linux and see how far Linux has come.