GamingonLinux announces that GOG.com (Good Old Games) is now officially supporting Linux. They have announced a big sale of Linux games, including many newly-announced for the platform. I've picked up Pirates! Gold and DukeNukem3d myself.
A frequently-cited reason for people holding on to Windows is the lack of games for Linux. With Steam and now GOG both supporting Linux, how close are we to "the year of Linux on the Desktop"? What, if anything, is holding you back?
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SegmentNext reports:
The online sale and distribution service of PC games, GOG Ltd. accidentally gave away a whole bunch of Linux games to its users.
The company recently introduced support for Linux platforms by adding well over 50 Linux-compatible games to its online store. However, things didn't go as planned and during their Linux Launch Promotion, more than 20 games appeared in a number of users' accounts.
These users realized that they weren't eligible for any freebies and took the matter to GOG.com community forums.
The site's support representative, JuriJ admitted that there was a glitch at their end which offered them these free games. However, he also added that those who got their hands on these free games do not have to return them. As for those users who would like to return the games, should contact him via email.
Here's the complete reply as found on GOG.com:
Thank you for your honesty. Yesterday, due to a small glitch on our end, you and a bunch of other lucky people ended up getting games from the Linux Launch promo for free. Don't worry, though, as it's totally cool with us and you may keep them. Yes, we will not be removing these titles from your account and we do hope you will enjoy them!
Of course, if you prefer, like some of our community members, we can always remove them your shelf - just let us know replying to this email. Again, there's no problem if you want to keep them.
(Score: 4, Funny) by present_arms on Saturday July 26 2014, @11:55AM
Although the games on GOG are aging this is excellent news :D first steam now GOG. I hope this goes well for them. on a side topic, I did comment on this on OS news and caused an unintentional flame war, oh well lol. oh i said in my comment "as soon as people are weaned off windows the better"...
http://trinity.mypclinuxos.com/
(Score: 2) by No.Limit on Saturday July 26 2014, @12:09PM
It's surely a great step into the right direction. But I think 'the year of Linux on the Desktop" will be rather a slow process.
For example out of the top 10 there are still 4 games not available on linux. There's still many games (also on steam) that don't support linux.
CS GO still doesn't support linux although it's based on the source engine which has already been ported and made many other games available on linux (tf2, l4d etc).
Then while more and more games are ported, the graphics drivers still lack in quality, which is another obstacle for linux to overcome.
So I think it should be seen as a rather slow process. Steady, but it'll take its time.
(Score: 1) by idetuxs on Saturday July 26 2014, @01:14PM
Which games are in the top 10? I would thought that out of the top, none of them were available on linux. One that I can think of (extremely popular) is the Pro Evolution Soccer series.
(Score: 3, Informative) by No.Limit on Saturday July 26 2014, @01:50PM
Steam Top 10 Most played games [steampowered.com]:
Dota2
TF2
Football Manager 2014
Sid Meier's Civilization V
Garry's Mod
Counter Strike (1.6)
(Score: 2) by meisterister on Saturday July 26 2014, @06:57PM
Going with your point, I think that it wouldn't be unreasonable to say that the 2010s or 2020s may be the decade of Linux on the desktop.
(May or may not have been) Posted from my K6-2, Athlon XP, or Pentium I/II/III.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday July 26 2014, @07:44PM
A few weeks back it was announced that the SteamBox wasn't going to see the light of day until 2015.
That was disappointing for a FOSS advocate to see; SteamBoxes available for Christmas 2014 would have been a very interesting development.
(Betas of SteamOS are being released to try on your own hardware.)
A quasi-recent item reinforces the trend I'm seeing (that started with Gabe Newell's rejection of M$'s store "idea").
Leadwerks Game Engine makes Linux its primary platform [gamasutra.com]
Related:
Free, cross-platform, real-time 3D engines [freegamedev.net]
-- gewg_ (who is not a gamer at all, but does read the tech press)
(Score: 1) by Freeman on Monday July 28 2014, @06:28PM
I setup a "Steam Machine" on one of my spare hunks of hardware. A fairly high number of the games I have on steam are not available on SteamOS. Terraria is the game I have been playing most recently and that also is not available on SteamOS. Part of the reason I use steam is for the cheap games, but really good games. It's gotten even better by taking advantage of some Humble Bundle Sales. I don't see myself switching to SteamOS any time soon as 75%+ of the games are still not supported on Linux. They will have to push the developers/publishers harder than they have, if they want to make SteamOS more than a novelty.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 2) by CoolHand on Thursday September 04 2014, @04:04PM
I don't see myself switching to SteamOS any time soon as 75%+ of the games are still not supported on Linux
That's funny, about 90% of my steam games run on Linux... Maybe that's because I didn't start using steam until I installed it on Linux... :)
Seriously though, in-home streaming actually seems to work fairly well from a Windows box, so you might try that also..
Anyone who is capable of getting themselves made President should on no account be allowed to do the job-Douglas Adams
(Score: 1) by Freeman on Thursday September 04 2014, @04:19PM
Streaming games to a different room has never appealed to me. Why have 2 machines running in different rooms? I am sure there are a few people out there that could make good use of this, but I haven't found a use for it. What I meant was that SteamOS didn't support 75% of my games. Not, could they be made to run on Linux.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 2) by kaszz on Saturday July 26 2014, @12:16PM
What did you write to upset people? ;-)
And yeah Microsoft products are like dealer stuff. Bad, but people are addicted and getting clean is tough.
(Score: 2) by present_arms on Saturday July 26 2014, @12:29PM
I said "The sooner people are weaned of Winddows, the better" then I had a reply stating things that havn't been true for years... and so it went
http://trinity.mypclinuxos.com/
(Score: 1) by arashi no garou on Saturday July 26 2014, @05:34PM
I wouldn't worry too much about it. I'm a prolific commenter there and I've learned that Kochise has a thick skin. He's not a troll by any means, but he does love to argue for the sake of it. I doubt you actually offended him.
(Score: 2) by present_arms on Saturday July 26 2014, @06:40PM
Yeah he pretty much said that to me in one of his posts, and yep he does like to. To be honest I don't normally argue as a rule. was funny though :)
http://trinity.mypclinuxos.com/
(Score: 2) by bugamn on Saturday July 26 2014, @08:08PM
Well, originally GOG meant Good Old Games, so naturally most of their games are old.
And I think it isn't fair, no one remembers that Desura had a Linux client way before Steam. Granted, Steam's client is better, but yet...
All in all, great news for Linux users. Now for the UPlay and Origin native clients.
(Score: 2) by present_arms on Saturday July 26 2014, @08:13PM
Funnily enough, I thought the same thing and questioned myself as to why I said it, I swear my brain doesn't boot properly some days.
http://trinity.mypclinuxos.com/
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Freeman on Monday July 28 2014, @06:30PM
I am hoping that UPlay and Origin go the way of WindowsLive. UPlay for one is a broken pile of....
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 2, Interesting) by cockroach on Saturday July 26 2014, @03:22PM
This is great. I've already tried Duke Nukem from GOG and (as expected) it's extremely painless to install & run. I still have a few games that are somewhat important to me and only available for Windows at the moment though, thus the big Windows removal ceremony will have to wait a little longer...
(Score: 2) by present_arms on Saturday July 26 2014, @03:44PM
My windows ceremony was nearly 20 years ago, then again I'm not a games player, the only times I get to interact with Windows is when I'm removing nasties from clients machines and thanks to programs like teamiewer I hardly have to see them in person (unless whatever nasty took their net connection :)
http://trinity.mypclinuxos.com/
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday July 26 2014, @06:18PM
BSD. :D
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 28 2014, @01:43PM
Parent probably was intended as humor but it's also serious business. BSD are so licensed that you can make proprietary software based on those (See e.g. OS X). If this crap didn't exist, the proprietary leaches would need to work harder to keep the masses enslaved. The obvious and only salvation is Copyleft.
(Score: 2) by damnbunni on Saturday July 26 2014, @11:09PM
It's that the ways Linux sucks annoy more than the ways Windows suck or Macs suck. (Or Android sucks on the desktop, or for that matter how AmigaOS sucks.)
They all suck. But they suck in different ways. The trick is to find the one whose suckiness annoys you the least in regular use.
Besides, what self-respecting nerd only has one computer? My main desktop is a Mac, I have a beastly Windows tower for games, an Amiga PPC for screwing around with, a Linux NAS, a Windows 7 tablet (which REALLY sucks!), an Android convertible tablet/laptop, a Windows netbook, an Android handheld game doodad, and a Commodore 128D (outfitted with a VGA monitor and a 128GB hard drive!)
They all have some really freakin' annoying shortcomings, but they're all fun to play with.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday July 27 2014, @02:04AM
I think the problem is that windoze has begun to suck to the point of being intolerable to the average user, and Microsoft has doubled and now are tripling down on the bad decision of unifying the desktop with tablets. While macs are great, they cost up to 3x the price of of an equivalent windows PC. Leaving Linux the only reasonable alternative for the masses. If only canonical or some other company would get their marketing act together or work with a hardware manufacturer the Linux desktop is ripe to become a reality.
(Score: 2) by Geotti on Sunday July 27 2014, @04:22AM
Unless [techgage.com] you're buying a Mac Pro with the D700 FirePros, which is cheaper [futurelooks.com] than a comparable DIY box.
From the last link:
(Score: 2) by monster on Tuesday July 29 2014, @03:32PM
Ah!, yes, the typical $10,000US computer everybody and her dog has.
(Score: 2) by Geotti on Tuesday July 29 2014, @11:21PM
Well, you gotta admit that some (serious) gamers spend much more than that on their gear ; )
http://www.ubergizmo.com/2008/08/most-expensive-gaming-rig-ever/ [ubergizmo.com]
http://www.mwelab.com/index.php/en/products [mwelab.com] (WOW!)
http://www.gamereactor.eu/images/?textid=23701&id=384291&sid=6742b585ab38300f0bbde47e03219421 [gamereactor.eu]
and the obligatory
http://home.wxs.nl/~jarkest/fs/4thsetup.html [home.wxs.nl], and http://www.geek.com/games/this-is-the-ultimate-in-home-flight-simulation-1287908/ [geek.com]
(Score: 2) by monster on Wednesday July 30 2014, @07:24AM
I admit that some people may spend such quantities or even more on their computers, but I don't think that it would be much more than corner cases. At least where I live, that's the price of a new small car, to put some perspective on my argument.
(Score: 2) by Geotti on Wednesday July 30 2014, @10:32PM
I'm biased, as I love OS X.
Still, if I'd be building a gaming rig, I'd most probably go DIY, and I can't see myself recommending an iMac or mac mini for games (or anything, really - maybe the mini for a home-server), unless it's browser or classic gaming.
And if I'd be building a workstation, I'd still go DIY and pay a premium as I strongly dislike the new Mac "Pro" and its almost non-existent upgradeability.
However, for those, who value the form factor and quiet mode of operation, it was worth pointing out the fact that, on paper, it's still more bang for the buck.
Still wish I had that chair... Even the 6k variant is fine.
(Score: 2) by damnbunni on Sunday July 27 2014, @12:11PM
Windows is nowhere near being 'intolerable to the average user'. I haven't heard much more than mild grumbling about it from average users. (Nerds, however, complain with amazing creativity.) Generally they either adapt to the tiled start screen in a couple weeks or they install a start menu replacer and go on about their business.
It's hard to compare 'equivalent PC's with Macs. You can get a system with the same CPU and RAM and GPU for less, but once you get into comparing like for like, things are about even. Sure, Dell will sell you a 19.5" all-in-one for less than half the cost of an iMac 21.5", but that's with less than half the CPU power, half the RAM, USB2 instead of USB3, wired keyboard and mouse instead of wireless, and a much crappier display.
If you move up to the 27" Dell vs the 27" iMac, it's much closer - they have similar CPUs, similar RAM, similar drive space. The Apple has a much better GPU (nVidia discrete chip vs Intel integrated). Whether that's worth the $200 difference is certainly debatable.
The problem is that Apple doesn't really offer any inexpensive configurations. Even the Mac mini isn't terribly priced once you start looking at Windows PCs in that form factor. The form factor certainly makes it more expensive, but they don't have a 'cheap tower' to compare it to.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by monster on Tuesday July 29 2014, @03:46PM
I can't speak for others, but since I have recently found two, nonrelated, nontechie girls which, on casual conversations, both despise the new Windows versions and say they prefer Linux (one of them, a stewardess in a Gin presentation, even said she was really happy with her Linux laptop until it died and had to buy a new one with Windows 8, which now hates) I would at least give some credence to the feeling that for many people "Windows just works" is no longer true.
As for comparing PCs and Apples, I would say that we tend to do too much "checklist battles". Most people don't care if their CPUs have six or twenty cores, or if RAM is ECC or not. What they care about is if the environment is pleasant and if they can get their shit done. In that regard, I think the distance between Linux and Windows is less than many people think, both because Linux has improved and Windows has worsened.