There's a lot of blog posts and news articles being written right now centred around Microsoft's plans for updates to Windows 11, and potential kernel changes, with some thinking this means big things for Linux gaming.
Sorry to say, but I'm here to bring a more realistic take and to help keep all your feet on the ground.
This comes from a Microsoft blog post titled "Taking steps that drive resiliency and security for Windows customers", which is as a result of the recent CrowdStrike incident where an update took down millions of Windows PCs due to it running at the kernel-level inside Windows.
One that has been really doing the rounds lately, especially across Reddit and other social media is from Notebookcheck, with a rather sensational article title of "Microsoft paves the way for Linux gaming success with plan that would kill kernel-level anti-cheat".
Here's the thing: Microsoft don't actually say they will kill off kernel-level access, and if they tried that (again - they tried with Vista before), they will no doubt again face some pretty serious push-back from both cybersecurity vendors and regulators across various countries. Something that would likely be more hassle than its actually worth. What Microsoft do actually talk about, is providing additional options that are outside of kernel mode - a whole new platform to "meet the needs of security vendors".
This new security platform, if vendors chose to actually go ahead and use it, could mean the opposite for Linux gaming, and cause a whole bunch of new headaches when it comes to supporting it regardless of it being via Native Linux games, or Windows games through Wine and Proton. So if anything, I would say that rather than paving the way for Linux gaming to get better, it's just going to be another hurdle. As annoying as that is.
Just because some things may move out of the kernel-level, also doesn't mean things will suddenly work on Linux (or get any easier to support via Wine / Proton). There will be various ways for developers to detect Linux, and continue to block it.
Just look at Destiny 2 as the easy and simple example here, they very clearly check for and completely block Linux platforms from playing Destiny 2 via Proton with no way around it. From the official Bungie website:
Steam Deck and Destiny 2
Destiny 2 is not supported for play on the Steam Deck or on any system utilizing Steam Play's Proton unless Windows is installed and running. Players who attempt to launch Destiny 2 on the Steam Deck through SteamOS or Proton will be unable to enter the game and will be returned to their game library after a short time.
Players who are not accessing Destiny 2 through Windows and attempt to bypass the SteamOS/Proton incompatibility will be met with a game ban.
You could expect to see more of that.
Then there's another easy example, Rust from Facepunch. Garry Newman has been pretty outspoken in the past about it, and how when they last had Rust supported on Linux, another Facepunch developer noted it caused more cheating issues for them to have to deal with.
How about Fortnite? That's pretty much a "lol no" event too, it's not like things being client-side will suddenly mean Fortnite would work on Linux, it would absolutely continue to be blocked. At least, not until Linux / Steam Deck has tens of millions of users according to Epic's Tim Sweeney.
Roblox is an additional easy example here to really make the point. Their latest anti-cheat is not kernel level, and completely blocks Linux. Something doesn't need to be in the kernel to block Linux-based systems. This caused projects like Sober to appear to run the Android version.
There's really no easy answer to the anti-cheat problem for Linux / Steam Deck gaming right now, aside from perhaps developers having things done server-side where the platform you're playing on is less of an issue, or cloud gaming where the game isn't even on your machine. That's not to say it will be a problem that will never be solved, just don't expect changes to the way Windows handles things like security, anti-tamper, anti-cheat and so on to be in any way beneficial for Linux.
As usual, over to you in the comments: what are you thinking?
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
Quoting: Mal[...]
Quoting: JosephLinux is still too hard for the non-technical people to use; it’s better than it was, but not quite there yet.
Ugh. I hate it when people parrot this claim.
Many modern Linux-based operating systems are just as easy to use as a typical Microsoft Windows operating system these days (certain distros could probably even claim they're easier to use!), and one can get by without ever touching Terminal or doing anything unusually "technical"... The option is still there of course, and many Linux users (myself included) prefer to use Terminal and things like that; but in 99% of cases, you can get by just fine without ever going down that path.
What needs to happen is that the Linux Community needs to shakes this "It's so technical most everyday users can't use it" reputation, because it's a reputation that's simply not true anymore.
I've been on Linux for few years now, and I've had harder to fix issues on it than on Windows, such as software/OS slowly breaking every few updates - KDE has a list of issues for me that I can't seem to find peolople talk about (for example I cant switch displays without plasmashell completely breaking and needing to be terminated, or kwin just deciding to eat up all CPU power)
Web driver related problems were especially hell,
Modding games is way harder sometimes (thankfully Nexus might be tackling that slowly), dealing with Wine can still be dependency hell if you decide to run .exes off the net, winetricks is great but the average joe wouldnt want to use that.
Not to mention I've had countless liveCDs suddenly crash on me when left on idle when trying to distrohop, no matter the distro/usb drive/port used.
Dont get me wrong I love Linux and would never go back to Windows even though Ive also had to leave good amount of games and software behind, but I'd say the above can really ruin someone's experience, I'm scared to see how pipewire is set up now on my install lol it started giving me issues as well after a certain system update
Last edited by based on 16 September 2024 at 10:49 am UTC
Quoting: Cyba.CowboyQuoting: Mal[...]
Quoting: JosephLinux is still too hard for the non-technical people to use; it’s better than it was, but not quite there yet.
Ugh. I hate it when people parrot this claim.
Many modern Linux-based operating systems are just as easy to use as a typical Microsoft Windows operating system these days (certain distros could probably even claim they're easier to use!), and one can get by without ever touching Terminal or doing anything unusually "technical"... The option is still there of course, and many Linux users (myself included) prefer to use Terminal and things like that; but in 99% of cases, you can get by just fine without ever going down that path.
What needs to happen is that the Linux Community needs to shakes this "It's so technical most everyday users can't use it" reputation, because it's a reputation that's simply not true anymore.
I've been on Linux for few years now, and I've had harder to fix issues on it than on Windows, such as software/OS slowly breaking every few updates - KDE has a list of issues for me that I can't seem to find peolople talk about (for example I cant switch displays without plasmashell completely breaking and needing to be terminated, or kwin just deciding to eat up all CPU power)
Web driver related problems were especially hell,
Modding games is way harder sometimes (thankfully Nexus might be tackling that slowly), dealing with Wine can still be dependency hell if you decide to run .exes off the net, winetricks is great but the average joe wouldnt want to use that.
Not to mention I've had countless liveCDs suddenly crash on me when left on idle when trying to distrohop, no matter the distro/usb drive/port used.
Dont get me wrong I love Linux and would never go back to Windows even though Ive also had to leave good amount of games and software behind, but I'd say the above can really ruin someone's experience, I'm scared to see how pipewire is set up now on my install lol it started giving me issues as well after a certain system update
I wasn't necessarily talking about linux but of the issue of spyware messing up kernel. You can have that on linux as well, you just need to patch the kernel. But on linux today that requires explicit user approval... which is mainly why gaming spyware doesn't like it.
My point is that sooner or later some global incident will happen on windows, and then it will happen again, since on Windows everybody regularly allow all kind of spyware/junk in the kernel with auto updates, without knowing what is coming in, closed source and purely based on the reputation of the vendor. This is in banking, finance, airport, energy grid, hospitals and whatever else. Sometimes it is even required by law.
It should be obvious to everyone that if a system is built by design so that bad things can happen, they will eventually happen. More so if bad actors can profit from that and have interest into make it happen.
And, for all that I know, now that linux starts to be adopted by many EU public administrations, it can even be they will mandate to have the same shit possible there as well by law. So it might even become a linux issue in the long term.
Those handicapped blockers just don't use it.
If your read the wine developers communications about blocking attempts you will find them refer to it.
I think I know which one they mean.
Much like the wine devs I'm not going to name it, because somebody with the intent of blocking wine might read it.
Quoting: tmtvlQuoting: Purple Library GuyI'm starting to see the possibilities here. Can we throw in Pierre Poilievre?
This is looking like a prisoner of war exchange, only instead of prisoners of war you're exchanging war criminals.
Most prisoner of war exchanges contain criminals too.
War criminals and terrorists are most common, but we also have other things.
Quoting: mr-victoryDevs using eBPF on Windows will not be fine using eBPF on Linux because on Linux you can go one level deeper than that: The Linux kernel. On Windows, cheaters punch through vulnerable drivers for kernel level execution, this is why Valorant's Vanguard blocked keyboard drivers and stuff.The answer to that already exists on android.
(android) Secure boot, trust zone, tpms, etc.
Check whether it's running a signed kernel you trust.
Quoting: pleasereadthemanualGrapheneOS has an interesting piece about it(google did it).Quoting: Cyba.Cowboythen the developers just aren't putting in as much effort for the Linux version.(which wouldn't be the first time we've seen this)
Quoting: CatKillerIt's also exactly what you'd say if you couldn't be bothered to do something for a small audience and had necessarily-secret software to use as an excuse.That's certainly true. I don't know enough about how it works to say whether an as-effective solution is feasible.
Check out root detection android.
There're a lot of ways this is fought.
This ofcourse keeps up until someone starts running libreboot and can start editing the values there, but that is even more rare than linux.
Last edited by LoudTechie on 16 September 2024 at 1:21 pm UTC
Quoting: MangojuicedrinkerQuoting: _MarsAt the end of the day, if developers want to block unsupported platforms, they have plenty of methods to do so. And there is no way to prevent this. The only option is to convince companies to consider Linux as a supported platform.Do not give in to the demands of moron corporate overlords like Tim Sweeney. Do not view the world like they do: everything is dark no matter how much money you have.
Which needs:
Enough players
An actual solution to the anti-cheat situation
If the game devs care about their game or are passionate about their craft, they'd be more interested than the player to make their games run on as many platforms as possible.
We have literally game pirates talking about installing Linux and testing their "crack" with Wine to make sure it runs in there as well xD! Literally.
How is this possible that a "cyber criminal" (depending on which region you live) cares more about the player experience than the actual game developers? It absolutely is not the case, it is because morons like Sweeney are in control.
Cyber criminals have no real protection they can hide behind the dmca doesn't count on piracy forums, being doxed is a prison sentence to them and there are no buyouts.
To them happy customers mean the availability of more money and sacrificial meat to hide behind.
Quoting: pilkI kinda wonder, though, if weaning off kernel-level access will help with playing on a VM. If I could run the windows-only games I occasionally play on a VM, I wouldn't be dualbooting.Doubtful. Certain games very specifically disallow and block VMs, as they can be used to help cheating at scale.
mr-victory 2 days ago
Quoting: LoudTechieSecure boot, trust zone, tpmsIf a game demands a signed kernel/OS/whatever then what's the point of using Linux? The freedom is gone.
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