Linux Gaming @lemmy.world AlpacaChariot @lemmy.world 10mo ago

Debian for Linux gaming?

I've ordered myself some parts to build a PC for Linux gaming. In the meantime, i'm deciding on which linux distro to use.

For the desktop environment I typically use KDE.

I have used Ubuntu in the past but i'm ruling it out because of snaps and other such annoyances. This also applies to Ubuntu based distros that use the same repos (KDE Neon etc).

I see the wikis recommend Nobara, but I'm reluctant to use a Fedora based distro because I'm so used to Debian/apt (both as a desktop and server distros). I'm not ruling it out completely though.

Any reason why I shouldn't just go with Debian + KDE and install Steam? Will I be missing out on lots of performance improvements or is this easily addressed by using an additional repo for a tweaked kernel and proton version or whatever?

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If you're interested in using Debian directly, @[email protected] put out a great post on this! It worked absolutely flawlessly for me, it goes over getting things like a newer version of Mesa, newer (or alternative) kernels if that is your thing, along with some extra firmware for AMD cards that aren't present in Debian's packaging yet.

Even just regular Debian is fine, and you can easily install the Flatpak version of Steam if all you want is a newer version of Mesa.
- Thank you so much for the link, it's just the kind of information I was after. Very clearly written!
  
  Thanks! I’m the author. If you have any comments or suggestions feel free to let me know. :)
  
  No comments except thank you, and please continue to write similar articles!
  
  Apt pinning is such a nice way to pull in some new packages without affecting the whole system. It's interesting in this specific case and also more generally! I have used it before once or twice but this is the best example I've seen for multiple packages.
- I'm using the flatpak version of Steam, if you go down the road - I've read that what few VR games that work on Linux will not work with the flatpak version. I'm sure that could be fixed/worked through. Just something to keep in mind.
  
  Interesting, that is good to know! I don't have any VR equipment (maybe one day!), however it sounds like the Flatpak has had some odd issues here and there that cause it to be a bit problematic.
  
  I haven't confirmed it, but I think it has some issues with the controller I use (I'm one of those weird people who prefers the Google Stadia controller...), I was confused at when one day the rumble on it had stopped working, even though it previously worked perfectly (even after installing the steam-devices package). Later on I realized that I had switched to the Flatpak version of Steam to give it a try. I only say that I haven't confirmed it due to the fact that I had made plenty of changes to my system in the time between doing so and realizing what had happened, that perhaps something else I did affected it, but I have my doubts about that.
  
  I personally prefer the native version when I can have it, one of the funniest reasons being that I like being able to see my currently playing music through MangoHud, which doesn't work in the Flatpak version of Steam (+ the Flatpak layer of MangoHud) due to the sandboxing (and I'm unsure of how to pinhole it through). It sounds silly, but its those small things that come up (but then also add up) as potential drawbacks between going with everything being sandboxed.

63 comments