As we speculated previously, Valve have now officially announced their new version of 'Steam Play' for Linux gaming using a modified distribution of Wine called Proton, which is available on GitHub.
What does it do? In short: it allows you to play Windows games on Linux, directly through the Steam client as if they were a Linux game.
What many people suspected turned out to be true, DXVK development was actually funded by Valve. They actually employed the DXVK developer since February 2018. On top of that, they also helped to fund: vkd3d (Direct3D 12 implementation based on Vulkan), OpenVR and Steamworks native API bridges, wined3d performance and functionality fixes for Direct3D 9 and Direct3D 11 and more.
The amount of work that has gone into this—it's ridiculous.
Here's what they say it improves:
- Windows games with no Linux version currently available can now be installed and run directly from the Linux Steam client, complete with native Steamworks and OpenVR support.
- DirectX 11 and 12 implementations are now based on Vulkan, resulting in improved game compatibility and reduced performance impact.
- Fullscreen support has been improved: fullscreen games will be seamlessly stretched to the desired display without interfering with the native monitor resolution or requiring the use of a virtual desktop.
- Improved game controller support: games will automatically recognize all controllers supported by Steam. Expect more out-of-the-box controller compatibility than even the original version of the game.
- Performance for multi-threaded games has been greatly improved compared to vanilla Wine.
It currently has a limited set of games that are supported, but even so it's quite an impressive list that they're putting out there. Which includes DOOM, FINAL FANTASY VI, Into The Breach, NieR: Automata, S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl, Star Wars: Battlefront 2 and more. They will enable many more titles as progress on it all continues.
To be clear, this is available right now. To get it, you need to be in the Steam Client Beta.
There will be drawbacks, like possible performance issues and games that rely on some DRM might likely never be supported, but even so the amount of possibilities this opens up has literally split my head open with Thor's mighty hammer.
Holy shit. Please excuse the language, but honestly, I'm physically shaking right now I don't quite know how to process this.
Update #1: I spoke to Valve earlier, about how buying Windows games to play with this system counts, they said this:
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.Hey Liam, the normal algorithm is in effect, so if at the end of the two weeks you have more playtime on Linux, it'll be a Linux sale. Proton counts as Linux.
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The comments on this article are closed.
Cyba.Cowboy Aug 29, 2018
Quoting: Cyba.CowboyAny idea when they plan to roll this out in the stable/regular version of the Steam client?
They just rolled this out for the "stable" (non-beta) version of Steam...
It's a pretty small list at the time of writing (for "supported" games), but clearly Valve Software are keen to get the ball rolling:
- Beat Saber
- Bejeweled 2 Deluxe
- Doki Doki Literature Club!
- DOOM
- DOOM II: Hell on Earth
- DOOM VFR
- Fallout Shelter
- FATE
- FINAL FANTASY VI
- Geometry Dash
- Google Earth VR
- Into The Breach
- Magic: The Gathering - Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012
- Magic: The Gathering - Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013
- Mount & Blade
- Mount & Blade: With Fire & Sword
- NieR: Automata
- PAYDAY: The Heist
- QUAKE
- S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl
- Star Wars: Battlefront 2
- Tekken 7
- The Last Remnant
- Tropico 4
- Ultimate Doom
- Warhammer® 40,000: Dawn of War® - Dark Crusade
- Warhammer® 40,000: Dawn of War® - Soulstorm
There's an option in settings - disabled by default mind you - to enable this for all of the games within your library... Of course, there's no guarantees they'll all work though.
Last edited by Cyba.Cowboy on 29 August 2018 at 4:22 am UTC
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lucifertdark Aug 29, 2018
Since Valve brought us Steam play my list of Steam games playable in Linux has gone from 950 to 1400, I now have 75% of my Steam games playable in Linux with little to no effort on my part. To say I'm impressed is an understatement. :D
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Nevertheless Aug 29, 2018
I just found out the closed beta of Insomnia: The Ark runs on Proton. I never touched it until now, because it's Windows only and I didn't wanna spoil my key..
Stellar Tactics (early access Windows only - dev thinks about Vulkan for Linux and Mac) runs on Proton too.
Stellar Tactics (early access Windows only - dev thinks about Vulkan for Linux and Mac) runs on Proton too.
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legluondunet Aug 29, 2018
With Steamplay it's more than 1100 games available for Linux gamers (and soon MacOSX users).
source: https://spcr.netlify.com/ (completely stable and playable).
I kept only less than 10 games in my Wine Steam prefix that don't work (yet) with Steamplay.
Last edited by legluondunet on 29 August 2018 at 10:38 am UTC
source: https://spcr.netlify.com/ (completely stable and playable).
I kept only less than 10 games in my Wine Steam prefix that don't work (yet) with Steamplay.
Last edited by legluondunet on 29 August 2018 at 10:38 am UTC
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lucifertdark Aug 29, 2018
Quoting: GuestIt's actually a mix of both, playable & installable (potentially playable), I'm going through the list, installing & testing games as I go, some nice surprises have come up like Mortal Kombat Komplete collection working perfectly, I'm finding a few that have been marked as working just refuse to work & nothing that uses .Net has run for me so far, but I've still got more games than I can shake a stick at.Quoting: lucifertdarkSince Valve brought us Steam play my list of Steam games playable in Linux has gone from 950 to 1400, I now have 75% of my Steam games playable in Linux with little to no effort on my part. To say I'm impressed is an understatement. :D
Is that playable, or installable? The games might not actually run.
And they were probably playable before through wine. Steam Play changed none of that, it just means more focus going forward of Valve supporting running games in Steam through wine.
Food for thought: might Valve try this on Windows at some point? Not all games built for XP will run on 10 I suspect.
Wine doesn't work in Windows, but there's always a chance it might in the future seeing as Windows 10 removes compatibility for older games.
Last edited by lucifertdark on 29 August 2018 at 10:36 am UTC
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legluondunet Aug 29, 2018
Quoting: GuestQuoting: lucifertdarkSince Valve brought us Steam play my list of Steam games playable in Linux has gone from 950 to 1400, I now have 75% of my Steam games playable in Linux with little to no effort on my part. To say I'm impressed is an understatement. :D
Is that playable, or installable? The games might not actually run.
And they were probably playable before through wine. Steam Play changed none of that, it just means more focus going forward of Valve supporting running games in Steam through wine.
Food for thought: might Valve try this on Windows at some point? Not all games built for XP will run on 10 I suspect.
The difference with Wine is that most Steamplay prefix are already work with only one click. For example, for dragon's origins I needed with Wine to install DLL or other tierce winetricks apps install. With Steamplay just launch the game, it works and that's a HUGE difference.
Wine code is already used by some Windows apps to launch Windows games that are no more compatible and don't launch on recent Windows version. For example, DxWnd. I even use this app to start old Windows games with Wine, this is great to play old game in full resolution (stretch with aspect ratio) or launch directx games < Direct 9 or games needs 256 colors etc..
Effectively, in the future Valve could use Proton for Windows games too that does not launch any more on recent Windows version.
Will Wine become the Java toolkit/Runtimes for multiplatform gaming?
Last edited by legluondunet on 29 August 2018 at 12:08 pm UTC
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lucifertdark Aug 29, 2018
Quoting: legluondunetThe difference with Wine is that most Steamplay prefix are already work with only one click. For example, for dragon's origins I needed with Wine to install DLL or other tierce winetricks apps install. With Steamplay just launch the game, it works and that's a HUGE difference.I didn't know about DxWnd, that could come in handy for my parent's machine, unless I can persuade them to switch to Linux.
Wine code is already used by some Windows apps to launch Windows games that are no more supported by recent Windows version.
For example, DxWnd. I even use this app to start old Windows games with Wine, this is great to play old game in full resolution.
Effectively, in the future Valve could use Proton for Windows games too that does not launch any more on recent Windows version.
Will Wine become the Java toolkit/Runtimes for multiplatform gaming?
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legluondunet Aug 29, 2018
Quoting: GuestI can see wine taking a place as the dosbox of many a game. I would imagine this possibility has occurred to Valve as well. If MS make older games difficult to run, a large portion of Steam's catalog disappears for Windows users. Wine is a good backup plan for that.
DxWnd....wonder if that'll work with Shadow of the Horned Rat.
You should give a try https://sourceforge.net/p/dxwnd/discussion/general/thread/2227213f/?page=1&limit=25#d2d9
But run DxWnd with Wine could need a lot of try and tweaks, good luck.
Last edited by legluondunet on 29 August 2018 at 8:16 pm UTC
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I feel a little off about some of the keys I've obtained through Humble Bundles. I've sank about 20 hours into Subnautica now, which plays pretty well in Proton, but I got it as part of a bundle. And since it was Windows only at the time, I slid its slider right down to zero. And now here I am playing it.
Feels weird.
I guess I shouldn't feel that bad though - the Subnautica devs haven't raised a finger to support the platform, it's just a quirk of Valve's continuing push to support it. But still. Yeah, feels weird.
Feels weird.
I guess I shouldn't feel that bad though - the Subnautica devs haven't raised a finger to support the platform, it's just a quirk of Valve's continuing push to support it. But still. Yeah, feels weird.
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Quoting: scaineI feel a little off about some of the keys I've obtained through Humble Bundles. I've sank about 20 hours into Subnautica now, which plays pretty well in Proton, but I got it as part of a bundle. And since it was Windows only at the time, I slid its slider right down to zero. And now here I am playing it.
Feels weird.
I guess I shouldn't feel that bad though - the Subnautica devs haven't raised a finger to support the platform, it's just a quirk of Valve's continuing push to support it. But still. Yeah, feels weird.
Even if you give "nothing" to the devs, they save taxes from each sell in humble bundle. In the end they got something from giving nothing.
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