让我们面对现实吧，虽然 PC 用户有许多不错的操作系统可供选择，但如果您是游戏玩家，那么选择很明确——Microsoft Windows。由于到目前为止， Windows仍然是最受欢迎的操作系统，因此游戏开发人员将时间和精力集中在为拥有最大客户群的平台创建软件是有道理的。
对于想要使用Ubuntu Linux(Ubuntu Linux)等开源操作系统的游戏玩家来说，这是一个遗憾。选择这种（或任何其他） Linux(Linux)而非Windows风格有很多道德、法律和技术原因。
大多数主要的商业Windows软件工具也有开源的等价物。然而，在Linux(Linux)系统上修复游戏一直是一件苦差事。这(Which)就是为什么像Ubuntu这样的操作系统以仅适用于非游戏用途而闻名的原因。
如果这是您目前对
Ubuntu Linux或一般Linux上的游戏的印象，那么是时候重新审视您的偏见了。虽然没有人可以争辩说Linux上的游戏与(Linux)Windows一样好，但这并不等于说它不好。以下是游戏如何变得更好的方式。
更好的驱动程序和 API 支持(Better Driver & API Support)
游戏在Windows(Windows)上运行得一样好，
因为硬件制造商努力为它们编写优化和稳定的驱动程序。游戏设计的API(APIs)（应用程序接口）也是如此。他们充分利用了Windows及其运行的硬件。
Linux对驱动程序和
API(APIs)的支持在某种程度上是事后才想到的。然而，现在，Nvidia、AMD和英特尔似乎在确保(Intel)Linux用户在其内核模块中获得功能和稳定性
方面做得更好。我们还看到了Vulkan API的更广泛使用，它不像DirectX那样特定于Windows。
如果游戏在Vulkan或其他跨平台API上运行，则可以更轻松地创建本机Linux版本并使用特殊的兼容性软件在Linux上运行(Linux)Windows版本。
原生 Linux 游戏正在增加(Native Linux Games Are
Increasing)
Valve的Steam平台是 PC 游戏市场上最具统治力的玩家。所以Steam客户端拥有原生Linux版本也就不足为奇了。Valve还推出了一项名为Steam Play的功能。如果游戏有Linux或Mac版本，当安装在相关操作系统上时，它会自动显示在Steam中。(Steam)
如果您今天在Linux(Linux)机器上登录Steam客户端，很有可能您已经拥有的大量游戏将拥有原生Linux版本。您可能还会惊讶于有多少相当知名的未来版本正在获得本机Linux版本。
如果游戏有Linux或Mac版本，安装在相关操作系统上时会自动显示在Steam中。(Steam)如果您今天在Linux(Linux)机器上登录Steam客户端，很有可能您已经拥有的大量游戏将拥有原生Linux版本。您可能还会惊讶于有多少相当知名的未来版本正在获得本机Linux版本。
葡萄酒比以往更好(WINE Is Better Than Ever)
WINE是(WINE)Wine is Not an Emulator的递归首字母缩写词，对于任何想要尝试在Linux发行版（如Ubuntu ）上运行(Ubuntu)Windows软件的人来说，它都是第一站。虽然它从未明确用于运行游戏，但有许多Windows游戏使用(Windows)Wine运行良好甚至完美。
社区维护着一个游戏（和软件包）列表，其评级表明体验有多好。WINE一直在不断改进，现在您可能会惊讶地发现您最喜欢的标题可能在该列表中。
Steam 质子 API(The Steam Proton API)
虽然WINE很棒，但Valve一直致力于扩展其Steam Play计划，以使游戏在Linux上运行良好。2018 年，他们发布了Proton API。这是WINE技术的内部版本，它创建每个游戏的配置文件，以使Windows游戏尽可能在Linux机器上运行。
Valve维护着使用Proton完美运行的游戏白名单。您可以像在Windows上一样在(Windows)Linux上
从Steam客户端下载和启动这些游戏。无论Valve
是否批准，您都可以在任何(any )Windows 游戏中试用Proton API 。显然结果可能会有所不同，但社区发现很多游戏不仅仅是可玩的。
该白名单不断增长，并且随着每个主要游戏的添加，Linux游戏变得更加现实。
游戏流媒体现在很重要(Game Streaming Is a Thing Now)
不管你喜不喜欢，游戏流媒体正在成为平台游戏万神殿的重要组成部分。Project Xcloud和Google Stadia等服务旨在将任何联网设备转变为高端游戏平台。这包括Linux，尽管您需要连接到高速、可靠的互联网连接才能使其工作。
您还可以使用本地流媒体，例如
Steam 家庭流媒体(Steam In-home Streaming)技术。这(Which)意味着使用您的 Windows 游戏 PC在同一LAN上的另一台(LAN)Linux机器上玩游戏。因此，从技术上讲，您并不是在 Linux 计算机上玩游戏
，(on)但这(Linux)是一种选择。
这是捕获(Here’s The Catch)
虽然在 Ubuntu Linux(Linux)等操作系统上玩游戏
比以往任何时候都更好并且完全可行，但它并不完美。除了特定于游戏的错误和限制外，还有一般的性能损失。这主要归结于在Linux(Linux)上运行非本地游戏的开销。此外，虽然驱动程序性能更好，但与Windows(Windows)相比却没有那么好
。
让游戏运行还需要更多的工作，所以如果你因为在各种菜单设置中乱搞或阅读一些在线指南来让你的游戏运行而冒冷汗，一般来说Linux
游戏可能并不完全存在给你。再说一次，作为一个
Windows PC 游戏玩家还(also )涉及搞乱设置和阅读偶尔的指南，所以也许事情并没有那么不同。
最后，这是一个尝试Linux的好时机，
不用担心当一天的工作完成后您将无所事事。它实际上只花费时间，谁知道呢？你最终可能比你想象的更喜欢它。
Gaming On Ubuntu Linux – Is It Any Good?
Let’s face it, while there are many fіne
operating system chоices аvailable for PC users, if you’re a gamer the choice
is clеar – Microsoft Windows. Since Windows is still the most popular operating
system by far, it makes sense that game devеlopers focus their time and energy
оn creating software for the platform that has the largest customer base.
Which is a pity for gamers who want to use open-source operating systems such as Ubuntu Linux. There are plenty of moral, legal and technical reasons to choose this (or any other) flavor of Linux over Windows.
Most major commercial Windows software tools also have open-source equivalents. However, getting your gaming fix on Linux systems has been a major chore. Which is why an OS like Ubuntu has developed a reputation as only being suitable for non-gaming uses.
If that’s your current impression of gaming on
Ubuntu Linux or Linux in general, it’s time to re-examine your prejudices.
While no one can argue that gaming on Linux is just as good as Windows, that’s
not the same as saying it’s bad. Here’s how the game has changed for the
better.
Better Driver & API Support
Games run as well as they do on Windows
because hardware manufacturers put effort into writing optimized and stable
drivers for them. The same goes for the APIs (application program interfaces)
that the games are designed for. They get the most out of Windows and the
hardware its running on.
Linux support when it comes to drivers and
APIs have been somewhat of an afterthought. Now however, Nvidia, AMD and Intel
seem to be doing a much better job of ensuring that Linux users get feature and
stability parity in their kernel modules. We’re also seeing more widespread use
of the Vulkan API, which is not Windows specific as DirectX is.
If a game runs on Vulkan or another
cross-platform API, it makes it easier to both create a native Linux version
and to get the Windows version running on Linux using special compatibility
software.
Native Linux Games Are
Increasing
Valve’s Steam platform is the most dominant player in the PC gaming market. So it should be no surprise that the Steam client has a native Linux version. Valve has also introduced a feature known as Steam Play. If a game has a Linux or Mac version, it will automatically show up in Steam when installed on the relevant OS.
There’s a good chance that if you logged into the Steam client on a Linux machine today, a significant number of games that you already own will have native Linux versions. You may also be surprised at how many rather big-name future releases are getting native Linux versions.
If a game has a Linux or Mac version, it will automatically show up in Steam when installed on the relevant OS. There’s a good chance that if you logged into the Steam client on a Linux machine today, a significant number of games that you already own will have native Linux versions. You may also be surprised at how many rather big-name future releases are getting native Linux versions.
WINE Is Better Than Ever
WINE, which is a recursive acronym for Wine is Not an Emulator is the first stop for anyone who wants to try running Windows software on a Linux distro such as Ubuntu. While it was never explicitly meant to run games, there are many Windows titles that run well or even perfectly using Wine.
The community maintains a list of games (and
software packages) with a rating indicating how good the experience is. WINE is
constantly being improved and these days you might be surprised to learn that
your favorite titles may be on that list.
The Steam Proton API
While WINE is great, Valve has dedicated itself to expanding its Steam Play initiative to get games running well on Linux. In 2018 they released Proton API. This is an in-house version of the WINE technology that creates per-game profiles to get Windows titles running as well as possible on Linux machines.
Valve maintains a white list of games that
work flawlessly using Proton. You can download and launch these games on Linux
from the Steam client just as on Windows. You can try Proton API with any Windows game, regardless of whether Valve
have approved it. Obviously results may vary, but the community have found
plenty of titles are more than playable.
That whitelist is constantly growing and with
every major title added, Linux gaming becomes a more realistic prospect.
Game Streaming Is a Thing Now
Whether you like it or not, game streaming is becoming an important part of the gaming pantheon of platforms. Services like Project Xcloud and Google Stadia are set to turn any internet-connected device into a high-end gaming platform. This includes Linux, although you will need to be connected to a high-speed, reliable internet connection for it to work.
You can also use local streaming, such as the
Steam In-home Streaming technology. Which means using your Windows gaming PC to
play on another Linux machine on the same LAN. So you aren’t technically gaming
on the Linux computer, but it’s an option.
Here’s The Catch
While gaming on operating systems like Ubuntu
Linux is better than ever and totally viable, it’s not perfect. Apart from
game-specific bugs and limitations, there’s a general performance penalty as
well. That’s mainly down to the overhead of running non-native games on Linux.
Also, while driver performance is better, it’s not quite as good compared to
Windows.
It’s also still a little more work getting
games to run, so if you get a cold sweat from the idea of messing around in various
menu settings or reading a few online guides to get your game running, Linux
gaming in general may not be quite there for you yet. Then again, being a
Windows PC gamer also involves
messing with settings and reading the occasional guide, so perhaps things
aren’t that different.
In the end, this is a great time to give Linux
a try without fear that you’ll have nothing to play when work is done for the
day. It literally costs nothing but time and, who knows? You might end up
liking it more than you think.
