 Hey, what's up? Oh, computer trouble? Man, all I want to do is write scripts. Dank ass jokes for LTT. But I've been stuck in an infinite bool loop for like, a day. What if I told you that there's a way out from under the iron grip of the bloated legacy of Billy G? Why are you using that voice? I can show you. Sure, but... I must warn you. It's a rabbit hole that you may never want to climb back out of. But you never explained the voice. And if you do escape, you should probably escape to our sponsor. Thanks to Joan for sponsoring this video. Their meeting boards help us prevent double booking in our conference room, and they can help you too, so you don't have to deal with people poking their heads into your meetings. And use offer code LINUS8 to get 8% off. Okay, so you got me down here. Why don't you start by telling me why I should care about Linux? Well, it's simple, really. I can say with confidence that it's the future of gaming. That's a pretty bold claim. Yeah, but there are huge companies backing it right now. Now you can play Steam games in Linux using Valve's Proton, and the number of games is growing by the day. As a result of that, Nvidia has been focusing on Linux drivers almost as much as Windows. And you want to know the most important thing? Hit me. Google's game streaming service, Stadia, relies on Linux using Vulkan. Native Linux versions of the most popular titles are all but certain, at the very least Windows versions with Vulkan support, which makes Proton's job that much easier. What's more, Game Developers see Proton as a way to access a whole new audience of Linux users, meaning the more popular Proton becomes with gamers, the more native Linux releases developers will make. I see, and you're going to talk me through this, right? I mean, I've never used Linux before, and I've heard that it's pretty complicated. Uh, not necessarily. Do you remember how we had to jump through a lot of hoops in order to get our last video on Ubuntu gaming up to date enough to run games properly? Well, as it turns out, there's actually a bunch of different distros available where that's not a problem. Wait, hold on, slow down a second. I've heard about Ubuntu before, but what's a distro? Oh, right. It's short for distribution, and Ubuntu is just one of them. You can think of it like Android. Some phones get updates faster than others, or come with their own bundled apps and UI skins, the same with Linux. So you can think of Ubuntu as being similar to, say, TouchSquiz on Samsung Galaxy phones, or OxygenOS and M1+. Like those, Ubuntu is not always the most up-to-date, but it's got a nice enough interface. It's, you know, pretty popular. Some distros, on the other hand, are more elegant, and some are more customizable. Some have more features, other place emphasis on stability, that kind of thing. So what, if I don't like one distro and I want to choose another one, I'm going to have to learn everything again from scratch? No. Just like on Android, where you can download a new launcher, if you don't like the interface on a Linux distro, you can just download a new desktop environment. Ubuntu itself is a distro, and these days it's just used as a customized version of a desktop environment called GNOME. But if you want a more Windows-like experience, there's KDE, LXQt, and XFCE. And if you want a more Mac-like experience, there's Deepin, Pantheon, and Budgie, all of which feature high levels of polish. Ubuntu even has a bunch of different flavors with that in mind, like Kubuntu, Zubuntu, and Ubuntu Budgie. I love these names. And since you can run them all off of USB Drive, you can give it a test drive without even affecting your existing operating system. So, like, if you have Windows, it only takes a few minutes to just download the ISO, and using Belina Etcher or Rufus, you just create a USB drive, and off you go. Just one of these. That's pretty sweet. Okay, so, as I said, I have heard of Ubuntu, so since it's the most popular one, that's got to be the best for gaming, right? Yes and no. Ubuntu has the advantage of being ridiculously popular, so most guys will be written with it in mind. The problem is that Ubuntu ships with old versions of all the software we're going to need, so there are some hoops to jump through in order to get the working gaming setup. With that in mind, though, there are two distros I'd like to bring attention to today. System 76's PopOS and Manjaro. PopOS is based on Ubuntu, so it's able to take advantage of Ubuntu's community support, and it also has more up-to-date software than stock Ubuntu does, which makes it simpler to get up and running. Manjaro, on the other hand, is not based on Ubuntu, but something called Arch, which is really geared towards more advanced users and uses what's called a rolling release cycle, which is similar in concept to stock Android's release cycle. This gives us access to even more recent software. Plus, it even has Steam pre-installed. And, like Ubuntu, Manjaro comes in multiple flavors, just in case you like one desktop environment over another. Okay, so you're saying if I install Manjaro, I just have Steam, but if I go with PopOS, I can go to the website and download Steam, right? No, that's where the package manager comes in. Then who would do what? Well, it's basically like an app store. It gives you a list of searchable software that is gathered from a list of centralized repositories that you can just download and install with just a couple clicks. And this gives you automatic updates as they become available on the repository, and it sells any prerequisites the app might need. So on PopOS, you just open up the pop shop and search for Steam. Is there a lot less overhead with this OS? Is it easier to windows? Yes. It just feels so fast and light. Okay, but what if a software I want isn't even in the store? In that case, your next step is to turn to the community. And on Ubuntu-based distros, that comes in the form of personal package archives, or PPAs, which can be added in PopShop's settings window under Extra Sources. Meanwhile, on Manjaro, you'd use the Arch user repository, which is a little easier to set up. Just enable it in Manjaro's preferred package manager, PAMAC. Usually, these will give you access to software that might not have a package available for your distro. For example, things like Discord, TeamViewer, or OBS. Okay, but what if it's not on either of those? Then, as a last resort, you would turn to the author's website just like on Windows. But that's not really a common problem to have, which is fortunate because it's not as easy or as clean to install something you downloaded from the internet on Linux as it is on Windows or Mac OS. You'd be at the mercy of the developer having good instructions, and you'll probably need to use the terminal like shown here. Hold on a second. You expect me to understand all this gibberish? No. In many cases, it's just a universal way to provide an easier installation experience for people until the software is available in their package manager. How is this easier? Don't be intimidated. You can just copy and paste. If it's a repeatable piece of software, there's little harm in it, even if you don't understand what's happening. The terminal isn't something that needs to be scary. It's just old-fashioned feeling, but think of it this way. How often have you been digging through settings, trying to figure out where that one button is? True. If you know exactly what you want your computer to do, and that includes copying these lines, it's the fastest and simplest way to go. And, by the way, this even applies to Windows and Mac OS too. Okay. So now with Pop OS, I'd normally go to the Pop shop, and if it's not there, I'd add a PPA. But if it's not there, then I just copy this stuff, and it'll install. How much more do I have to know to play games? Actually, surprisingly little. While it's not strictly necessary to get everything working, we're primarily focused on making sure your drivers are up to date. Thankfully, Manjaro has the ability to install them for you in just a few clicks, using the Manjaro Settings Manager, followed by a quick reboot. But Pop OS has dedicated versions for AMD Intel and NVIDIA users, with the drivers already pre-installed. No fuss. All that's left for you to do is install a piece of software called Wine via the Package Manager. That will let us run Windows programs and ensure all the prerequisites are installed for our next important item, Lutris, which is a game manager for Linux that can handle games not supported by Steam. What is this logo trying to be? Like an egg? With a little guy? It's a little otter, yeah. Okay, so is it ready now? Can I play some games? Sure. Games like Rocket League, Team Fortress 2, and most newer indie games actually, are straight up available on Steam for Linux without needing any compatibility layers or special setup. So it just knows that I'm on a Linux PC and it's going to install the right one. Yep. Sweet. Yep, it's what Valve calls Steam Play. And I think you'll be surprised at just how many games are jumping to Linux. Over 5,000 native Linux games as of today, including many AAA titles thanks to porting studios like Feral Interactive. And that's not even including the growing support for Proton. Just check out the excellent community around Proton DB site. And what's more, you can even enable Proton for any game on Steam by going to Steam Play in settings and checking a box. But if you want to install games like StarCraft 2, Overwatch, League of Legends, or if you're big on good old games or Humble Store, you'll want to use Lutris, which makes the process dead simple. Just grab one of the community made installers from Lutris.net and it does all the work for you. Configuring lines, setting all the right variables, installing all the support software, all that stuff you used to have to do manually. So why don't you just take a first spin? So I go to Activis. You can go to that or you can go to Lutris.net. Either way, click on the button where it says search Lutris.net and click install. Do I have to install this? DriveTrac 9? Yeah. So this is going to launch Battle.net. You might need to still install StarCraft. But it says play. It's playable. I think you can launch multiplayer or something. Balls-a-Rath. Oh, look at all the achievements I get just for logging in. So great. Cool. So it just looks like the game. Am I going to play? Do I get paid to play right now? How many actions per minute do you have? Like 40. This is probably enough. I got a gateway. I'm going to go to. Need to construct more pylons. I have not enough minerals. My life for the horde. Wait. What? My life for ire. I'm out of here. Go. This guy's going to die for sure. I'm not doing anything. Let's end this now. Okay. I played a game on Linux. Your first game on Linux. I did it. You said that there were some hoops that had to be jumped through. But to be clear, you don't have any of that on PopOS or Manjaro. It's just all works like we saw. Yeah. So Ubuntu is due for an update like now. Which might fix some of that. But for PopOS and Manjaro and actually for a number of other distros we didn't cover today, the steps basically boil down to install the OS, install Steam or Lutris, and start playing. That's what makes these distros especially enticing for gamers. But while Manjaro is set up well to cater to gamers out of the box, it's not going to be as stable as a distro like Ubuntu. And that's why PopOS and others like it try to bridge that gap with updated drivers while still retaining excellent community support and stable packages. Which makes them a good choice for getting your feet wet. Okay, so what games am I least likely to be able to play? And are there any gotchas? There are a couple of caveats when it comes to gaming on Linux. The biggest ones are problems with anti-cheat software and intrusive DRM schemes and with switchable graphics like Nvidia Optimus. Thankfully with Valve and Tox with easy anti-cheat, there's some hope for resolution on anti-cheat sometime soon. But for switchable graphics right now, Ubuntu based distros are the only ones that provide any real support out of the box, like PopOS. And the workarounds for other distros aren't pretty. To say nothing of Linux's HDR support right now, which is zero. You'll also lose access to most, if not all, of your dedicated RGB lighting controls. Hold up, hey, come on, get back here. Yeah. Hold up. There are some stand-ins for configuring peripherals, like CKBnext, Piper, and Antimicro. Okay, I'm listening. Just be prepared for limited support for external peripherals that rely on custom software. Especially for headsets and less mainstream brands in general. But aside from that, you know, we keep saying it, but it keeps turning out to be true. Getting into Linux is easier than ever. And the rapid pace at which features are equaling Windows is only going to accelerate now that Google Stadia, again, a Linux-based platform using Vulkan, is coming. And because Proton and Stadia, NVIDIA is working overtime to match AMD's already excellent open-source drivers, and Wikis for Arch and Ubuntu are excellent resources for running and troubleshooting. Plus, the Linux gaming subreddit is huge. Thanks for your contributions, you guys. You rock. And if you take all that together, I mean, it looks like we're in the middle of a renaissance. The Volta 2.0 magnetic cable is a sleek 5-amp charge and sync magnetic cable that's standard USB on one end and then an open magnet on the other end. And they've got a new reinforced design for all three tips so you can fit them into almost any phone case. They've got USB Type-C, Apple Lightning, and Micro USB. The upgraded connection slot design means it's one touch, you've got instant charging and a nice strong magnetic connection, and it's reversible, meaning it can charge in both directions. It's got a new and improved blue LED light on the side so you can still see it in the dark, but it's easier on your eyes and no longer like glares while it's charging, and that 5-amp capability means that it supports the new Huawei Super Charge, Dash Charge, Quick Charge 4.0, Rapid Charge, etc., etc. It's designed to sustain up to 10,000 plugs and unplugs, and it comes with a lifetime warranty. That's true for all Volta products. So go check it out. The Volta 2.0 features four bold colors, red, black, silver, and blue, and they've got lengths from.8 feet to 6.5 feet. We've got the Amazon links in the video description. We did it! Yay! Well, thanks for watching guys. If this video sucked, you know what to do, but if it was awesome, get subscribed, hit that like button, check out the link to where to buy the stuff we feed... well, it's all free. Maybe you check out where to buy a flash drive. Also linked in the description is our merch store, which has cool shirts like this one, and our community forum, which you should totally join. And let us know how you feel about these writer videos. Instead of having Linus here, we just have like me and James, or Alex and... Not Jake, though. Fire Jake. Fire that guy.