Unified Linux Wine Game Launcher (UMU) from Thomas "GloriousEggroll" Crider version 1.1.1 is out now as the first official release to help improve Linux desktop and Steam Deck gaming.
A refresher on what it is: despite the name, it's not a launcher in the sense of it being an app like Steam, Heroic Games, Lutris, Bottles, Legendary and so on. Instead, it's a tool that various apps can use to run Windows games on Linux, acting as a copy of the Steam Runtime Tools and Steam Linux Runtime that Valve uses for Proton to allow Proton to properly run outside of Steam.
From the release notes:
First official release of UMU launcher!
- Should work inside both flatpak and snap
We do not have official builds for flatpak or snap yet, but instructions are provided on building and using for both:
https://github.com/Open-Wine-Components/umu-launcher/tree/main/packaging/flatpak
https://github.com/Open-Wine-Components/umu-launcher/tree/main/packaging/snap
So what does it actually mean? It means that any app can run games using Proton just like they would from inside Steam so you can get a good experience with Windows games on Linux / Steam Deck from Epic Games, GOG, Amazon and various other stores via apps like Heroic, Lutris and others (when they add in full support for UMU).
This is all part of Open Wine Components, and so all apps will end up using the same online database of game-specific fixes that some games need to run properly via protonfixes. In short: better compatibility overall for gaming — eventually.
More info on the GitHub.
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
fenglengshun Oct 4
Umu! That is some good news. Looking forward to integration in Heroic, Lutris, and Bottles.
Quoting: fenglengshunLooking forward to integration in Heroic
It's already in Heroic (experimental flag) :)
Nateman1000 Oct 4
It took me several minutes of research just to understand what this code is supposed to do.
Will they fallback to wine-GE or something, if I try to start them in Lutris or heroic?
Quoting: Tevurwhat about games not on steam?The last time I looked, you had to manually specify a fitting profile. If there is nothing for the game then it would be mostly like running wine-ge.
Last edited by Cato-the-younger on 4 October 2024 at 2:56 pm UTC
Quoting: KlaasIf a non-Steam game needs "protonfixes" to run, they can be submitted to the umu-protonfixes repository and the respective ID to the umu-database. The game can be in any store or in no store at all.Quoting: Tevurwhat about games not on steam?The last time I looked, you had to manually specify a fitting profile. If there is nothing for the game then it would be mostly like running wine-ge.
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