Dankpods used 12 computers with different hardware to test the performance of 5 games in 1080p and 4K, comparing the average fps results of the games’ built in benchmarks to determine which OS ran the game better across the same hardware: Windows or Bazzite.
Some notes on methodolgy under this spoiler
Each game uses the same in game graphics settings in Windows and in Linux. The Linux distro used was Bazzite, using the version specific for the graphics card hardware fpr each individual machine. To be clear, this means that he installed the Bazzite version for (legacy) nVidia as appropriate.
Each bazzite install was fresh, no copying installs or swapping around a drive with it pre-installed. After install, it was updated using system update and rebooted, repeated until no updates remained.
Screenshots of some of Dankpods’s comments to this effect:
There are many comments under the youtube video pointing out that in many of the Linux runs, it was not actually using the correct driver, comments about the experience using other distros, and comments about various potential fixes and workarounds.
This misses the point. Dankpods intentionally tested this way, and used Bazzite, to try and show what this would be like for the average gamer schmuck without a ton of technical skill interested in switching to Linux. Out of box experience matters in this situation, even though it’s not quite fair to compare that between free opens source distros and an OS created by a megacorp. To the average end user, it won’t matter. They just want it to work.
Prepare to be upset. With this particular testing methodology, Linux doesn’t really win overall.
I’m interested to hear the community’s thoughts on this.
No it isn’t. Wade specifically admitted that he didn’t do any “setup” beyond installing and updating the system. If he had done a minimum amount of superficial research, like googling “how do I install driver”, the numbers wouldn’t have been held back by NVK or llvmpipe. The video is not representative of Linux gaming, or Bazzite even. He half-assed his way to some kind of result.
One of the main selling points of Bazzite is that it works out of the box. They even advertise this on their website:
On Bazzite, one should not need to look up how to install drivers.
Exactly.
But there is a very small minority of people who just get irrational and hostile to anything done wrong on linux, especially if its not the end users fault.
Yeah, the video’s length is absurd. I enjoy his content, but an hour of watching clips of the same damn benchmarks isn’t particularly interesting. Definitely should have been cut down further, imo.
Anyway.
I think as people with technical background, we need to understand that for Linux to eventually overtake Windows it needs to work for the average knuckledragger.
Wade didn’t have to google how to install the driver on Windows in advance (as far as we know, that’s some important clarification that’s needed).
Bazzite is supposed to be the distro for minimum hassle gaming, and they even have specific distro releases for these old nVidia cards, which he used.
What is the point of having a specific release for that hardware if it doesn’t work? If users have to take extra steps after the install, there should be something that pops up on first boot to direct them to it, or a warning about this when you download the iso.
It shouldn’t be on the user to have an issue first, then guess at what they need to search to get useful info.
I get that Linux maintainers are loathe to turn the experience into “Windows Lite” where it reminds you to wipe your own ass with their proprietary paper, but at some point I think we need to accept a bare minimum level of hand holding can be useful for user experience.
How hard would it be for a message box to pop up: You’re using NVM/llvmpipe and you may not be getting the full support for your GPU. Click here for more info. Click here to never show this again.
This.
The only point of brazzite is that you don’t have to spend hours setting up, configuring and debugging. If that doesn’t work, there is no point in using brazzite.
That was the entire point of the video, which was even mentioned by the guy making it. It’s supposed to show it from the point of view of your average person who heard “Linux games just work” and decided to try it out. They won’t spend the next hour figuring out what’s wrong when their system is broken OOTB. They will just leave.
I know. I was responding to the comment, not the video.