I'm considering making the switch to Linux, but I have a few concerns that are holding me back. I have a decent amount of games on Steam, and I've heard about Proton which allows some games to run on Linux. However, I understand that games with anti-cheat systems, like Battlefield 6, might not work. Are there any workarounds for that?
I also enjoy playing Star Citizen and DCS-World, and I use a Tobii Eye Tracker 5, but I found out that it might not be supported on Linux. Is that true? I'd love to hear if anyone has had experience with this.
Additionally, programs like Affinity Photo don't have Linux support, and I'm very used to Outlook for emails. Is there a way to run Windows programs on Linux or any good alternatives?
Lastly, I'm curious about the performance on Linux; is it generally better than Windows? I'm a bit apprehensive about how much tweaking is usually required for gaming. What do you all think?
4 Answers
Generally, Linux performs quite well, especially on older hardware, but it really depends on your setup and games. Most games run just as good or slightly better on AMD GPUs, but Nvidia can sometimes lag behind. Expect to let go of certain Windows apps, but the experience can be rewarding if you're willing to learn.
And don’t forget, gaming on Linux isn’t a direct Windows replacement; it’s a different experience.
For games with anti-cheat like Battlefield 6, unfortunately, there's no workaround on Linux due to the way the anti-cheat systems are designed. If you really want to play those games, dual booting with Windows is your best bet.
You can check out ProtonDB to see if there are specific info for other games you're interested in.
Or try looking into Are We Anti-Cheat Yet for some insights as well!
For Star Citizen, there are workarounds in the Linux community that let you play it, especially if you’re using Fedora. Not all configurations may be smooth, but it's possible. As for the Tobii Eye Tracker, I’m not sure, but definitely check dedicated forums for help!
That’s interesting! I may try Fedora then. Thanks for the tip!
There’s usually more support for different peripherals in some distros.
You can definitely run some Windows programs on Linux using Wine, but compatibility varies. For email, Mozilla Thunderbird is a great alternative to Outlook. Just be cautious about the desktop environment you're using, as that might affect compatibility as well.
Yeah, Flatpak can help with software compatibility issues, too!
Thanks for the suggestion! I'm always looking for alternatives.
Interesting! I wasn't aware AMD was better optimized for Linux.