How can you play windows games on Linux ? Is wine emulator that allows this
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I personally think that a favorite game qualifies as a "killer app" that justifies the purchase of a Windows license ... and maybe a computer. Virtual-machine technology in Intel compatible microprocessors is now very advanced these days, such that you can probably obtain satisfactory performance for your game by running it in a virtual machine. (Or, if you prefer, running Linux in a virtual machine under ... (ick...) ... Windows. But, if "the game" is what you really want to play, find the shortest and most direct path that will get you there. Monkeying around with API-mapping software, impressive though the results of Wine are, is probably not worth the hassle (IMHO).
(Yes, Wine is an impressive product and I use it a lot. It also stresses why I have no desire to work for Microsoft Corporation on the Windows teams!)
I personally think that a favorite game qualifies as a "killer app" that justifies the purchase of a Windows license
Absolutely.
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Virtual-machine technology in Intel compatible microprocessors is now very advanced these days, such that you can probably obtain satisfactory performance for your game by running it in a virtual machine.
The problem with gaming in a VM is not the available CPU power, but the lack of features and 3d performance of the virtual videocard. Gaming in a VM is currently no option, this may become better when PCI-passthrough works (and you have hardware capable of that).
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But, if "the game" is what you really want to play, find the shortest and most direct path that will get you there. Monkeying around with API-mapping software, impressive though the results of Wine are, is probably not worth the hassle (IMHO).
If you only run a few games you may have the luck that the games you run are supported well by Wine. If you are somewhat more into gaming, Wine is not really an option. I fiddled around with it with several games (many work, but many don't or do only partially) about half a year until I decided to give up and install Windows again, just for gaming. If I want to play a game I don't want to fight with Wine first, just to get to a point where a game works but crashes exactly in that moment when you want to save your progress.
The best way to play Windows games is to play them on Windows. Hopefully, now that Steam comes to Linux and some major engine developers make their engines Linux compatible we will see some AAA games on Linux.
Yep... and so, if I was "somewhat more into gaming," I would save up my pennies (or buy gently-used equipment) and buy a computer (and a separate, fully-licensed consumer copy of Windows which I would use to reformat-and-reinstall onto this and/or future boxes) expressly for this purpose. My addiction to gaming would be sufficient justification for me to buy what was for me the right tool for the job.
Hardware, you know, really is cheap. If I wanted the machine mostly "just for gaming" and I also wanted to run Linux on it ... no problem ... Windows would be the host, and Linux would be a guest under VMWare. "Problem solved."
Even if you're just doing things "for yourself," time is money ... and, if you are a male of the human species, hair-follicles are a precious resource.
Last edited by sundialsvcs; 07-10-2012 at 09:12 AM.
DirectX is not compatible with Linux. Also, for that reason, there are no DirectX drivers for Linux. If you run a game that uses DirectX (or better Direct3D) the calls to that API have to be translated to OpenGL. This always will cause a performance loss.
But anyways, it is simple as that: You wouldn't buy a game for the PlayStation 3 and then demand that it also should run on the XBox360 wouldn't you?
If you want to play Skyrim you can try it on Linux. According to Wine's AppDB it has a bronze status for the Steam version, which means that it will run at least partially and you have to fiddle with it. In comparison, I play it on Windows and it runs perfectly fine, without any fiddling with any libraries.
If Linux use DLL files or DirectX you will not need wine and crossover.
These answers say it all.
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TobiSGD
You wouldn't buy a game for the PlayStation 3 and then demand that it also should run on the XBox360 wouldn't you?
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sundialsvcs
My addiction to gaming would be sufficient justification for me to buy what was for me the right tool for the job.
Linux is not Microsoft. If you want a free MS clone, you will be disappointed.
If the primary purpose of a computer is to play games, Microsoft is the obvious answer. If the computer is to be used for practical purposes, but playing games is also "a must", then put Linux on the computer and buy a game machine: Xbox, Nintendo or whatever is vogue these days.
Because DX is meant to be windows only. If more games used openGL there would be more games that run on windows, linux and macOS.
I remember when you were more likely to have glide (3DFX) or openGL support over DX. Even when DX started getting more popular, for a long time glide or openGL were better.
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Originally Posted by Randicus Draco Albus
If the computer is to be used for practical purposes, but playing games is also "a must", then put Linux on the computer and buy a game machine: Xbox, Nintendo or whatever is vogue these days.
I disagree. Its not clear cut, and consoles do have some use and advantages (main advantage is that there isnt any setting up required), but a decent computer with a decent video card can be much better overall. You can get better quality video from a computer, and more control over the video output. Mouse and keyboard is better than console controls for many games, and you can get console style controller for computers as well (if you dont use an actual console controller, LOL).
For setting up a computer for gaming vs a consoles the cost would be similar.
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