more Linux users for gaming = more native Linux games

proton = more Linux gamers

Yes. We should want native ports for sure but, that isn't likely going to happen. It increases development costs maintaining two entire ecosystems. Until enough of the market is on Linux that developers start making native releases, proton is the best we got at this time. It's easier to have a compatibility layer that the game devs only have to minorly adhere to, then have to pay for an entire different system on top of the windows environment.

Until developers make and maintain, consistently, linux ports of games I'll take what I can get. This is a huge step up from keeping winehq on hand before purchasing any game disks.

The guarantee by the steam when they list a game as compatible is so far the best linux gaming guarantee I've ever seen.

That said I regularly buy games because they have a working native linux binary.

Microsoft does change its API all the time. And then Proton/Wine just changes with it.

Yes and no.

If the goal is to have the best support for all future games, sure.

But that's not what protons main goal is.

The main goal is to get all the hundreds of thousands of games that have already been made, to work.

Making one game for linux, only produces one game.

Getting proton right, gets every past game that has ever worked on windows, to work on linux.

That a lot of future games will also work thanks to this, and hence require less work to run on linux, is a bonus. Not the main goal.

Hence, proton is ABSOLUTELY worth it. Even if microsoft released directx 13 tomorrow, that wouldn't break any of the games that already work. The alternative is to go back and port each game one at a time. Proton isn't just happening instead of linux ports. It's also happening instead of porting all old games, and enables running games with shuttered studios, unclear IP onwership, lost source code or lost interest.

If you REALLY want appimages for archiving, the best way would be to package an individual game, a proton wrapper with all the dependencies, and compile that up into a neat appimage. Then you'd have a "future proof" executable file for that one game to keep and run in the future.

But that's ignoring the fact that appimages and flatpaks aren't truly that agnostic. Changes in graphics APIs happen on linux, too.

And it makes way more sense to use the same proton for multiple games, instead of bundling an extra copy of it with each game.

i mean if microsoft changed its api linux gaming would halt

so would gaming on windows, as all games (and programs in general) have been built against the same APIs as wine/proton is.

Any time windows changes their gaming stuff they have to inform the industry with plenty of leeway so their games will work with the changes. to boot game vendors will want it to work with older versions as much as possible. this helps get linux as the base for gaming. If linux gets to like 25% then what you are talking about is feasible and definately at 50%.

I mean, ideally, sure. I think native ports will come as Linux market share continues to increase though, and Proton is an amazing tool both to have in the meantime and to drive the growth necessary for comparies to start catering to Linux gamers' needs.