I've seen claims that Windows may eventually interrupt games with long advertisements during loading screens or cutscenes. Is this something Microsoft is actually rolling out, or is it only a patent describing a possible future system?
I'm currently a Windows user with an NVIDIA GPU and have been considering switching to Linux because I'm frustrated with Windows. Bazzite is the distribution I'm currently looking at. How good are NVIDIA drivers on Linux these days, and what should I learn about the terminal and general Linux setup before making the switch?
3 Answers
Bazzite is a reasonable choice if you want a gaming-focused system with many things configured already. It is based on Fedora and uses an image-based design, so system updates and rollbacks are handled differently from a traditional desktop distribution. Before switching, make sure the games you care about work through Steam or compatibility tools, and check support for peripherals, launchers, anti-cheat, VR, and creative software.
The claim is being exaggerated. Microsoft has described or patented technology involving advertisements in games, but that does not mean Windows is currently freezing your existing games to play 30-second ads. It could be aimed at future games, cloud gaming, or other business models, and it may never be deployed. The best way to discourage that kind of practice is not supporting games that use intrusive ads or predatory monetization.
NVIDIA gaming support on Linux is generally much better than it used to be. Plenty of people run NVIDIA cards without major problems, especially with newer drivers and common distributions. There can still be issues with specific games, Wayland, laptop graphics switching, or newly released hardware, so checking your exact GPU and the games you play is more useful than assuming all NVIDIA setups are bad.
Older NVIDIA cards have also worked reliably for many users for years, although support depends on the model and driver branch. Hardware details and any error messages matter when troubleshooting.
You do not need to become a terminal expert first. Start with basic commands for navigating folders, installing or updating software, checking logs, and copying files. Most routine desktop tasks can be done graphically, but learning to paste commands carefully and read error messages will make troubleshooting much easier.