this post was submitted on 07 Aug 2023
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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).
Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.
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As the other comment says, what you're referring to is running a Windows VM (virtual machine) inside of your Linux machine. It's a great asset for a lot of things, but gaming is not it's strong point. A VM shares resources with it's host machine, meaning it can only access so many of your CPU cores, utilize only so much of your RAM, and take advantage of CPU powered graphics -- unless, as was pointed out in another comment, you happen to have a spare graphics card laying around. The set up for GPU passthrough is more trouble than it's worth, IMO, especially for gaming. And you still have the other bottlenecks to contend with.
Gaming on Linux is best enjoyed by using a combination of Wine and Proton (Wine suped up for the express purpose of gaming by the fine folks behind Steam) paired with a launcher of some kind, usually Steam. For non-Steam games, Lutris is a fantastic second choice. These platforms make gaming on Linux easier than ever, and are actually the technologies powering the SteamDeck. If you decide to go this route and need any help setting up, please reach out! The community is here and (usually) quite helpful, lol.
If you decide to try the VM anyway, you should look into a software called VirtualBox. You will need to install a few packages to make your system a suitable host, and you'll need the Windows installation ISO image to get it up and running. You can usually acquire it directly from Microsoft by running a search for "Windows XX ISO" where the XX is the version number you're looking for. If you need help getting any of that together, I'd be glad to assist as well. ☺️
All this comes from years of running Linux and only Linux, on a PC I almost exclusively game on. I've had great success, especially with all the headway Valve has made into making the ecosystem viable and accessable.
However you decide to proceed, best of luck to you!
EDIT: As has been pointed out, if you want to virtualize a gaming setup, you should look into KVM, not VirtualBox! It sounds like it's a much more performant option, I am just not very familiar with it myself.
> If you decide to try the VM anyway, you should look into a software called VirtualBox.
God, please, no. Why do people insist on using subpar virtualization when KVM is far superior and built into the kernel? I will never understand.
Please, I beg of you, stop this madness.
Because it's accessable, and is also the extent of my knowledge in running a VM. I won't speak about KVM because I am not intimately familiar with KVM, nor will I ever be. I'm certain it's a better solution than VirtualBox, just as running games in Linux with Wine/Proton is a better solution than setting up a VM to game in.
I'd be happy to hear about the details of why KVM is so superior, if you'd care to enlighten me! I'm always looking to learn new things.
The real question is why we're down voting people who are adding to the discussion just because we disagree with them, instead of just having a conversation?
> Because it's accessable
Here, enjoy: https://virt-manager.org/
> I'd be happy to hear about the details of why KVM is so superior
Essentially type 1 hypervisors, like KVM/Qemu, make direct use of the CPU's virtualization technology (VT-d and VT-x) while type 2 hypervisors run all the calls through the kernel which is significantly slower. In a way type 2 hypervisors are closer to an emulator.
Thanks for the link! And for the info. I'll give KVM an honest try, and maybe I'll get motivated enough to spin up a VM for CaptureOne. A 1080 should be decent enough for light photo editing, and I was recently given one as-is. It may or may not work, neither I or the person who gave it to me had time to test it.
thank you for the lengthy reply! I think I'll go with alternative options and not to virtualize windows, because I don't have a separate GPU that I can pass in, nor a second monitor.