GamerOS 21

It's been awhile since I posted anything. There's been a lot of things going on lately. I wanted to finally do a final review of GamerOS. 

GamerOS: Verdict

Pros: GamerOS is meant for a dedicated machine. All the drivers and operating system files updated in the background automatically. Hardware detection and installation of graphics drivers are smooth. Windows games that are whitelisted by Valve or by GamerOS will be installable out of the box. GamerOS ships with RetroArch and a ton of retro console emulators.

Cons: GamerOS is meant for a dedicated machine. There’s no dual booting between Windows or other Linux distros. At this time there is no way to easily use forks of protons. No way to install Lutris. 

Test system..

CPU: Ryzen™ 7 2700 

GPU: Powercolor Red Dragon RX 5700

RAM: 16GB (2 x 8GB) (PC4 19200)

MOTHERBOARD: ASRock AB350M Pro4 (BIOS 5.90 2019/7/5)

STORAGE: Intel 545s Series 2.5" 256GB +WB Blue 1TB 7200 RPM 

HORI Fighting Commander for Xbox One wired USB controller.

Microsoft Xbox One wired USB controller.

Black Web wireless keyboard.

Zelotes T-90 USB wired Gaming Mouse.

GamerOS 21 uses..

- linux 5.9.9

- mesa 20.2.2

- nvidia 455.38

Over the past few months I've had a lot of time to look over the ends and outs of GamerOS. In fact I have played through its various updates. I started out on version 17 and now it has been upgraded to the latest version 21. All the drivers and operating system files were updated in the background automatically.

For those who don't know GamerOS is an Arch based operating system that provides an out of the box couch gaming experience. It runs SOME windows exclusive games. This is possible due to the Proton compatibility layer that helps translate Direct-X windows-only games to Vulcan on Linux. Many Windows exclusive games that don’t work are due to various anti-cheat software bulit into them. To know how well a Windows exclusive game will run under proton you need to go over to the website ProtonDB. They hosts an extensive database of user-submitted reports on the compatibility of various games and hardware that you can use to check beforehand. So depending on your system setup your mileage may vary. 

After installation, boot directly into Steam Big Picture. It is not all open source software. It ships with valves Steam Client program, which is proprietary software, in addition to proprietary 3rd party drivers like for NVIDIA graphics cards. It is not a replacement for a desktop operating system. GamerOS is being designed and optimized for a standard high definition television. 

Final conclusion

GarmerOS just works. However depending on your graphics card certain Linux native games will not work on GamerOS. One notable example is Divinity: Original Sin - Enhanced Edition. It does not work with AMD cards. Runs perfectly with Nvidia cards.

A dedicated physical computer is needed because dual booting and virtual machines are not supported. GarmerOS focuses solely on making AAA games on Steam available GNU-Linux. It cannot be used as general usage PC. All you can do is gaming. 

At this time there is no way to easily use forks of protons. No way to install Lutris. One benefit of using Proton forks? In some cases custom proton can do things Valve can't. It's just another option to get your games running directly in the Steam client on GNU+Linux. 

If you want to play some classic games from classic systems retroarch is pre-installed. RetroArch is a front-end for emulators, game engines and media players. You can install classic games through its graphical interface. Settings are also unified so configuration is done once and for all. Ever wanted to know how bad E.T. for the Atari 2600 really was? You can now with RetroArch. 

In an update since this summer. Streets of Rage 4 is now officially a GNU/Linux game, and has Vulkan support in FNA. In other words it's guaranteed to work on GamerOS. Also Deep Silver and developer 4A Games are working on bringing Metro Exodus to Linux in 2021. It's not surprising since the two previous Metro games are GNU+Linux native.