Linux Games?

How is Linux game support, more specifically Ubuntu and SUSE distros.

Has it improved to be more compatible with current games, like Crysis or CoD5?

The only things keeping me from switching to linux are me having a Zune and general game and application support.

 

Um, as Crysis requires DirectX, and since DirectX is proprietary to Microsoft it'll probably never run right under Linux. Linux uses OpenGL, which also runs under Windows, but for various reasons game developers are using DirectX more. Most game studios are either going the console route, or only supporting Windows for their games. EA, the largest game producer by far, tends to immediately ditch linux support when they buy up companies. For one possible reason (note: reasons written by marketing should be taken with grain of salt) that they do this see http://andrewfenn.blogspot.com/2009/02/ea-linux-support.html.

If you want to play PC games, I'd suggest having a dual-boot system. Boot to Windows when you want to play games, boot to linux when you want to get stuff done. Better yet, get a console for the games you want to play. Dedicated hardware will always beat a general purpose machine for gaming experience.

For a more general listing of Linux software equivalents to Windows stuff (including games), check out Grokdoc's application crossover chart.

 

Horse shit general hardware beats dedicated stuff. I disagree, as far as games go maybe, but for most people with the tough world situations we are in now adays, money just isn't there for most people to go and buy each console to play games, where as pc's have a much much larger game base and more purposes then just gaming. IE typing and word processing, and powerpoint and basic programming. All stuff a high schooler could be doing in his courses. Show me a console that has the broad range of stuff that a pc can do.

 

Sigh... I suggest reading comprehension classes before you get all huffy again. Might help you look less silly in the future.

Specifically, I said:

Note the specifics of "for the games you want to play" and "for gaming experience". I said nothing about general purpose uses for the consoles, nor did I even infer such a thing. Where you went and got that idea I'll never know.

Although, now that you mention it, you could run Linux on many of the consoles out there, thereby turning it into a more general purpose machine. See http://www.xbox-linux.org and http://www.ps3linuxworld.com/tag/ps3-linux or even http://www.dslinux.org/ for details. But then it stops being a "console", and I don't know what that does to their game playing abilities as I've never tried it.

 

Honestly not good but there's a few options.

Everything from ID Software is high end and superior quality.

Here's some info on linux
gaming.

Here's a good website to watch with your feed reader.

My favorite linux ported game ever was UT2003.

 

It looks like many games are supported by software from TransGaming called Cedega, including CoD and Crysis. This allows windows games to run under Linux.

http://www.cedega.com/

I use VMWare to run Windows inside Linux for some applications that would not otherwise work in Linux. I hear that VirtualBox is a good open source alternative to VMWare. This may help you sync your Zune. But I would stick to Cedega for games.

http://www.virtualbox.org/
http://www.vmware.com/

- Dragoneer

 

Um... when it comes to modding, hacking/tailoring games to my preference, online communities I don't have to pay for, and the number of games available, the PC still reigns supreme. And that's without even going into the many options for a command interface when there is a whole keyboard to work with.

Consoles make the gaming experience simpler, since all you have to do is put the disc in and press a button. Whether "so easy a hamster can do it" automatically means it's better is a matter of personal preference.

To the original topic: Gaming support in Linux is great as long as you don't want recent, commercial, copyrighted, or DirectX-based games.

 

Aaaaaaand, I just noticed the time stamp on the OP. Whops. :-o

 

This IS quite an old thread :-D