Short Bytes: Gaming on Linux is going to get better, thanks to the upcoming Steam support on Intel’s Clear Linux distribution. Currently focused on workstation and server performance, this OS already ships with latest Mesa stack. While Clear Linux doesn’t offer dedicated graphics support, it can surely help one build a good Steam gaming box with Intel hardware.
A couple of years ago, whenever someone talked about gaming on PC, I imagined a Windows-based system with tons of RAM and high-end graphics. If you’re an open source and Linux enthusiasts, I don’t think I need to give any explanation.
But, today, the overall picture is changing. Due to the combined efforts of hardware makers, Linux kernel devs, and gaming studios, more and more games are being released on Linux. In 2016 alone, 1,000+ games were released on Steam with Linux support.
For past couple of years, Intel’s Open Source Technology Center has been working on its Clear Linux distro to bring the best Linux support for Intel hardware in cloud-based deployments. While Clear Linux is mostly focused on workstation/server performance, its developers are working to bring the support for Steam.
As spotted by Phoronix, Intel developer Arjan van de Ven has tweeted a picture that shows Steam running on Clear Linux:
A slight tease of this mornings work @michaellarabel pic.twitter.com/cVZj4h6igK
— Arjan van de Ven (@fenruspdx) December 29, 2016
Clear Linux already ships with latest Mesa stack, which includes Vulkan drivers. Recently, it also added a games bundle. As this Linux distro is fine tuned for performance on Intel hardware, it’ll be interesting to try out gaming on Clear Linux in future.
However, at the moment, Clear Linux only offers accelerated graphics, and the open source Radeon or NVIDIA proprietary drivers don’t work. As a result, Clear Linux can become a good contender to play Steam OpenGL/Vulkan games that don’t ship with high-end graphics.
In the near future, I hope that Clear Linux also ships with support for dedicated graphics and becomes a gaming Linux distro in the true sense.
Are you excited about the latest developments in Clear Linux? Don’t forget to share your views and feedback.
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