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Games: Bazzite, Dumping Windows, and a Glimpse at SteamOS 3.9
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XDA ☛ Bazzite is chopping 1GB off its image size — here’s what got cut
It has never been a better time to be a Linux gamer. With Proton making good headway, we're seeing gaming-oriented distros spring up in the wake of SteamOS to capitalize on the wave of titles Linux can now run. This includes Bazzite, which has posted some excellent performance demonstrations over the past few months, including that one time it outperformed Windows on Microsoft's branded handheld console.
Well, a new version of Bazzite has just hit the testing branch, and the team has managed to shave off an impressive 1GB from the image size. However, while the space savings are impressive, it wasn't 'free,' and people who are interested in what got cut may be interested in swapping to Bazzite's alternative system soon.
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XDA ☛ Windows continues to lose gamers to Linux, but they might be jumping ship at a bad time
The last couple of years have not been great for Windows, both in its usability and in the court of public opinion. In enthusiast circles specifically, Windows has largely been framed as something to "escape" from, with the oasis being Linux, and its newfound ability to run the vast majority of games flawlessly is a large part of that. There are many people who only daily drive Windows 11 because it runs their favorite games, but as more of those titles become playable on Linux, there are fewer reasons than ever to stick around for gamers.
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XDA ☛ SteamOS 3.9 is the closest thing to a perfect desktop Linux I've ever used
For years, desktop Linux has felt like a trade-off machine to me. One distro nails performance but stumbles on polish. Another looks great until it asks me to solve some weird packaging problem at the worst possible time. A third promises flexibility, only to turn basic maintenance into a weekend project I never asked for. SteamOS is the first one in a long time to make me stop thinking of Linux as a project and start using it like a finished product.