That's right, with the new CRYENGINE 3.8.1 release you will be able to make games using that engine which will run on Linux machines. In theory any game which is moved to the new version should also offer Linux support although neither the Slashdot post nor the links within make it clear how much work would need to be done by the developers but the support now exists. As well, support for Oculus Rift and games on Android TV have also been added, products which may help make Linux far more attractive for gamers and HTPC enthusiasts especially considering the coming demise of Microsoft's Media Centre in Windows 10.
"CRYENGINE, the video game engine from Crytek, will run natively on Linux starting from version 3.8.1. Other improvements include the ability to run on the Oculus Rift, support for OpenGL, 8-weight GPU vertex skinning, and improved POM self-shadowing. Here are the full release notes. They've also added Game Zero, a full blown example game that demonstrates how various features of the engine can work."
Here is some more Tech News from around the web:
- Microsoft U-turns on 'free' Windows 10 upgrade promise for ALL previewers @ The Register
- Going deep with the Radeon Fury X @ The Tech Report
- Linux 4.1 Kernel Released With EXT4 Encryption, Performance Improvements @ Slashdot
- AVM FRITZ!Box 7490 AC1300 Gigabit Modem Router Review @ NikKTech
- Win a £2000 Cyberpower Infinity Xtreme Cube PC!
Always good to see Linux
Always good to see Linux getting more support. Avoiding Microsoft’s monopoly seems more and more important given the direction they are taking for new versions of Windows.
I understand the concerns
I understand the concerns with monopolies and I share many of them, but I think certain products are made better by being in such a commanding market position. I think Windows is one of them. I have dabbled in Linux on occasion, but I enjoy the versatility, compatibility, performance, support, and relative security of Windows too much to leave.
I don’t think the qualities
I don’t think the qualities of Windows are from its monopoly, rather, the more usable Linux becomes, the more Microsoft will be forced to improve Windows. Just look at what happened to IE with the rise of Firefox.
Still, I don’t trust Microsoft and their vision of the ‘future of computing’.
“Future of computing”, what
“Future of computing”, what do you mean?
I’m going to tell you right
I’m going to tell you right now that this is not true here. MS made DX12 not out of the goodness of their monopoly heart but because of the threat of Linux finding a place in the gaming market with products like the Steam machine. If they hit the streets with a competitive- let alone superior product- MS could well have seen gamers start abandoning their expensive paradigm. It would have been a major- no- game changing(pun intended)- hit.
Look, there is nothing MS can do with a PC that Linux can’t do- and in many cases- do better. The ONLY difference is that MS has the $$$ and Linux, by intent, does not.
The MAIN reason why you are seeing a big movement to gain corporate-control-by-government of the internet is because the network is a great equalizer. MS’s advantages in distribution and deployment is disappearing with download and upload. Why should I buy and rent from MS at a price based on their corporate cost structure when I can pay what I want to a group of talented programmers- many of whom are professionals themselves.
No- I think you missed the free market meeting on this one.
No you most definitely do not
No you most definitely do not understand the drawbacks of having a monopoly position in any market! Monopolies stifle innovation and slow progress with monopoly interests purposefully slowing down any meaningful technological progress in order to slowly milk for profits the gains over a longer period of time. Competition(Fair) drives innovation and pushes the competing interests to as quickly as possible innovate or loose sales to the competition. M$ has foisted its TIFKAM/Tiles UI on the marketplace and its attendant App Store ecosystem onto users of its OSs, and because of windows’ OS market share, and the M$ Tax, via the preinstalled windows OS on most new PC/Laptop hardware, computer users do not have much choice in the matter. Now that Steam OS is going to be released to market, the gaming industry and device OEMs have a way to counter the M$ Tax, and avoid the additional 30% off of the top on gaming purchases, that do not have to come through the M$ store. Avoiding the M$ closed ecosystem is the primary motivation behind Steam OS, that and giving gaming an open OS that can be optimized for gaming.
In addition gaming engine makers and the gaming companies will have in Steam OS an open sourced Debian derived OS distro where the source code will be available to developers for tweaking in order to best work for gaming, and this includes a specifically designed gaming OS that has no unnecessary CPU processing cycles stealing services and added spyware. The gaming system manufacturers as well as the gaming engine developers, games developers, and the community, will be able to actively contribute to Steam OS’s continued support, and Steam OS will become part of the overall gaming software infrastructure that will benefit all concerned parties, at little or no costs relative to the M$ ecosystem, including the users’ personal metrics.
Welcome to Steam OS, and Linux gaming, where the OS has become an open infrastructure developed and supported by all parties, and under control of no single interest.
Intel seems to be in the milk
Intel seems to be in the milk the customers for maximum profit monopoly phase. I recently have seen reports of their upcomming Xeon devices. They look like they will perform great, but they also look like they will be ridiculously expensive. I suspect that interposer based chips will perform just as well, if not better, for a much cheaper price. I hope we start seeing some APU and/or server chips on interposers soon to provide good competition.
Well there will be Zen based
Well there will be Zen based HPC/Server APU SKUs with lots of full fat Zen cores, HBM memory, and Greenland graphics with plenty of CUs on the GPU(firepro) side. But also now that the third party open power licensees are in the market, expect some competition against x86 from the open power power8 processors made by Tyan, and other third party power8 licensees. There is definitely going to be some downward pricing pressures on the server SKUs market, and by definition on the consumer SKUs market, especially if the some of AMD server/HPC SKUs are priced around the cost of an Intel high end enthusiast’s SKU. Those Xeon break the bank prices are going to become a thing of the past.
Unfortunately, its not just
Unfortunately, its not just Microsoft’s vision, but many Linux distros, such as Ubuntu which is trying to make its Distro fit on the Server, Desktop, Phone and Tablet. While pushing closed source software on a Ubuntu Application Store.
so will this be using OpenGL
so will this be using OpenGL (pre-Vulcan) for rendering or will it be using Vulcan?
or is Vulcan even in a ‘release ready’ state yet for games to even be coming out with it?
Vulcan could make it easier
Vulcan could make it easier for games written for DX12 to pass to Linux.
Oh what is that I hear? oh
Oh what is that I hear? oh yes it’s the 150 people nation wide that care…
Tell that to the upcoming
Tell that to the upcoming Steam Box users, and those that already have Steam OS testing distro up and running on their gaming rigs, you’ll get a lot more than 150 replies, try adding more digits, a lot more extra digits on the right of that 150 in people and dollars saved by not having to give M$ 30% off of the top on gaming sales. No more giant sucking sound from the direction of Redmond, to vacuum up computer user’s dollars, or giant sucking of the UI, and user experience.