Yeah but most games will still be made for windows, and last time i checked DX 11 was way above and beyond anything that OpenGL had, so... I do like that valve is branching out, but I dont see people switching over to linux for gaming or anything else any time soon.
What this guy doesn't mention, is that even with all of the problems with windows 8 UI (and people will always, and always have, bitch and moan about UI changes), Linux has massive driver issues with a huge variety of hardware - and the last thing anyone wants to do is to spend 4 hours on wikis trying to figure out why the OS goes into a kernel panic everytime they load up the linux version of Skyrim.
1) Most games currently being released to multiple platforms are based upon DX9. Consoles, at least current generation, don't have DX11 support.
2) The XBOX and PS3 are basically just crappy computers. They stream media, play games, and have limited internet access. PCs do all of this, and can be used for productivity. The fact that the next XBOX is going (if rumors and patent applications can be believed) to have hardware expandability kinda seems to agree with this theory.
3) Skyrim has enough problems on Windows. Console to PC changeovers are always rough, whether they be to Windows or Linux is little indication of how smooth the experience will be. Monthly and weekly patches of games proves out this point.
4) Serious? Most developers use a packaged engine, with their own graphical models, textures, and relative physics. If somebody created an Unreal engine for OpenGL there's no reason that developers couldn't utilize it. There needs to be a market for Linux games first though...
So... sorry Gabe, I dont see a linux distro challenging windows in gaming anytime soon.
And in any case, what will happen is that 8 will come out, bomb like vista, and then 9 will come out by the end of 2013 and everyone will pretend like it never happened, just like Win ME.
Fair point. Linux might not challenge MS for average consumers in the next five years. How about ten? Fifteen? Linux is getting better, and the lack of a cost to entry is a boon in the parts (read: most) of the world that could use computers but can't afford Windows.
As far as the Windows 9 idea, I'm on that band wagon. Every other OS from MS sucks the chrome off of bumpers. I'm hoping that 9 is a worth while upgrade.