ProtonDB, a community resource for the compatibility of Windows games run on Linux through Valve's Proton layer, is celebrating one year of life and over 60,000 reports! Proton enabled me to move...
ProtonDB, a community resource for the compatibility of Windows games run on Linux through Valve's Proton layer, is celebrating one year of life and over 60,000 reports!
Proton enabled me to move to Linux full-time, and ProtonDB is an invaluable resource. I've contributed a ton of my own reports, and I check it before any new game purchase.
The post says they're revamping the report system to be more robust, which is nice (but hopefully not too overwhelming -- the simplicity of the original system makes it really easy to contribute). I'd also love for there to be filters added that let you find games that are lacking in new reports. With how fast Proton is advancing, a game that has 20 reports from eight months ago won't show up in the "lack reports" filter despite none of them being current. Even being able to sort by "last report filed" would be useful, though a metric like "average age of last five reports" would be better.
Nevertheless, the site is a fantastic resource and also a showcase of just how great Proton is. A full 32% of rated games on the site have a Platinum (flawless) rating (more if we include games with provisional ratings). 31% are Gold (playable after some tweaks are applied). That means 63% of Windows games tested through ProtonDB are playable on Linux with little to no issues. Simply incredible. My own experience mirrors this. It's actually surprising to me when a game doesn't run perfectly, given how many do.
It's also useful for some Linux native games with bad builds. I have a couple games where the Linux version is non-functional or outdated (looking at you, Borderlands 2), and forcing Steam to run the Windows version with Proton is a surprisingly perfect solution.
Anyway, I'm excited that we're at a year of ProtonDB (I remember when it was just a Google Form that dumped to a shared spreadsheet), and I can't wait to see what the next year will bring for Linux gaming.
Meta:
I considered posting this in ~games but figured it was more about tech that enables gaming than games specifically. Nevertheless, if it needs to be moved, feel free!
ProtonDB, a community resource for the compatibility of Windows games run on Linux through Valve's Proton layer, is celebrating one year of life and over 60,000 reports!
Proton enabled me to move to Linux full-time, and ProtonDB is an invaluable resource. I've contributed a ton of my own reports, and I check it before any new game purchase.
The post says they're revamping the report system to be more robust, which is nice (but hopefully not too overwhelming -- the simplicity of the original system makes it really easy to contribute). I'd also love for there to be filters added that let you find games that are lacking in new reports. With how fast Proton is advancing, a game that has 20 reports from eight months ago won't show up in the "lack reports" filter despite none of them being current. Even being able to sort by "last report filed" would be useful, though a metric like "average age of last five reports" would be better.
Nevertheless, the site is a fantastic resource and also a showcase of just how great Proton is. A full 32% of rated games on the site have a Platinum (flawless) rating (more if we include games with provisional ratings). 31% are Gold (playable after some tweaks are applied). That means 63% of Windows games tested through ProtonDB are playable on Linux with little to no issues. Simply incredible. My own experience mirrors this. It's actually surprising to me when a game doesn't run perfectly, given how many do.
It's also useful for some Linux native games with bad builds. I have a couple games where the Linux version is non-functional or outdated (looking at you, Borderlands 2), and forcing Steam to run the Windows version with Proton is a surprisingly perfect solution.
Anyway, I'm excited that we're at a year of ProtonDB (I remember when it was just a Google Form that dumped to a shared spreadsheet), and I can't wait to see what the next year will bring for Linux gaming.
Meta:
I considered posting this in ~games but figured it was more about tech that enables gaming than games specifically. Nevertheless, if it needs to be moved, feel free!