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If you need an easy full-screen gaming experience with Linux, perhaps with your main big TV then GamerOS looks to be the next best thing to SteamOS (since Valve aren't currently working on it).

GamerOS, despite the naff naming, is actually genuinely good. An up to date Linux distribution ready out of the box for a somewhat console-like experience. GamerOS 20 was just released, bringing the usual upgrades to things like the Linux Kernel to 5.8.10, Mesa drivers 20.1.8, NVIDIA drivers 450.66 along with updates to their own software and RetroArch 1.9 is included too.

Apart from the usual assortment of newly "certified" Steam games (what they've tested working), it also adds in support for Sega 32X, Sega CD and the Epic Games Store. There's a few issues they noted though like SEGA CD needing a BIOS supplied for it and the EGS doesn't yet have working gamepad support.

How GamerOS works is actually quite interesting as they built a tool called Steam Buddy, which is a web-based management system for installing non-Steam software.

Pictured: Steam Buddy Example

Steam Buddy can handle Flatpaks from Flathub which GamerOS 20 expanded the amount supported, and this Steam Buddy feature is how they're handling the Epic Games Store too. It does this through the use of Legendary, a free and open-source Epic Games Launcher alternative we covered before here. So far, it seems Epic themselves have left Legendary alone which is nice to see. A fun example of open source in action though, with Legendary now enabling a Linux distribution like this to hook into the Epic Games Store which has no official Linux support to run the games through Proton.

You can see their release announcement here. The GamerOS official site is here.

Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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Purple Library Guy Oct 8, 2020
Quoting: nullzero
Quoting: mao_dze_dunGamerOS (that name IS stupid)

About the name, there is huge thread on discord about the dev asking feedback and suggestions for names, but and actually it's really difficult to find a good one. Most are taken by other gaming or semi-gaming related websites / products, or focus on a non-core feature of the OS.

No good one has been found yet (or at least when I looked at it 1-2 months ago)

It's clunky sounding, but I kind of like it. It says what it is. Nobody's going to ask "What's GamerOS?" because the answer obviously is, "It's an OS for Gamers." Truth in advertising. If it's for you, looking at the name will instantly say "This is a clunky name . . . but it might be something I should look into."
Stoney_Fish Oct 9, 2020
I like the name, it says what it is. I have just installed it on an old PC with simple GT 710 Nvidia card with the hdmi hooked a receiver (for the sound) and then to the living room TV.
It Launches to Steam Big Picture Mode.
I have tried a few Steam games (native & proton) and they are working fine with Steam controllers.
14 Oct 10, 2020
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Quoting: FredrikGamerOS still has a game breaking bug for me since forever, when I press mouse button then release it, the mouse pointer warps to a random position. Really anoying.
Do you have a Roccat mouse? I do and I had a problem sort of like that one when it was new long ago. Thankfully, my problem was fixable by calibrating the distance sensor (TCU/DCU?).
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