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Linux PC Gaming Is On The Rise While Windows Trips Over Itself
For months I have watched the internet argue about PC gaming, with the never-ending Windows versus Linux debate always being mentioned. And ever since Linux gaming has taken the bullhorn, thanks to Valve’s involvement, the conversation is louder than ever.
You can barely mention PC gaming without someone jumping in to praise Linux or remind you that Microsoft’s Windows is constantly taking 1 step forward and two steps back. I have wanted to speak on this for a long time, but I usually held back because the pushback never stops. I am past that now. It is time to talk honestly about what is happening.
Linux gaming has come a long way from the days where Nvidia or AMD wouldn’t even consider developing drivers for the OS. Valve’s Proton and SteamOS has changed the landscape in a major way, and games, past and present, run shockingly well. Many players find the experience nearly seamless. Indies, older titles, and anything built with Valve’s ecosystem in mind often work without much trouble.
Rust and rootkits ('anti-cheat')
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Rust developer has 'no plans' for Linux or Proton support, says games that support them are 'not serious about anti-cheat'
Rust has a long, rocky will-they-or-won't-they history when it comes to official support for both Proton and Linux, and with a new Steam Machine on the way it's no surprise to see those conversations popping up again. Valve's cute little cube will run SteamOS and use Proton—a compatibility layer to make Windows games play nice with Linux—but you can't play official Rust using it.
The latest plea for official Proton support started on Reddit, where Scout339v2 shared their screenshot of Rust running "on a server with EAC disabled to show that the game already works perfectly on Linux." Disabling Easy Anti-Cheat (EAC) is the key factor here, and part of a broader conversation where Facepunch and its Linux/Proton userbase don't see eye-to-eye.