sp6

Update: the 64bit_linux_test branch is now public! Go test it! It can't connect to public servers yet, but it's there.

To opt in, right click on TF2 in your Steam library, then go to properties -> betas -> select x64_linux_test from the dropdown.

Some people are reporting a 25%-30% FPS increase, which is just crazy.

Considering the CS:GO -> CS2 upgrade completely dropped Mac support, I wouldn't get my hopes up

I'm perpetually playing Deep Rock Galactic, Halo MCC, and Team Fortress 2, but besides those, here are some other games I played in the last 30 days:

Desktop (Pop!_OS)

• CarX Drift Racing Online (2017) - way more difficult than I expected, but fun once you get the hang of it
• Hylics 2 (2020) - incredible art and soundtrack
• Landfall Archives (free - 2023) - nice collection of demos from one of my favorite indie dev studios
• Left 4 Dead 2 (2009) - went back and played with some friends, still awesome
• MUCK (free - 2021) - tried this out with a few friends, very fun
• Outlast (2013) - finally completed this classic and loved it
• POSTAL 2 (2003) - not a game I'd recommend to everyone, but if you're the type of person who would enjoy this type of humor, then you'll really enjoy it

Steam Deck

• American Truck Simulator (2016) - nice game to chill out to
• Finding Paradise (2017) - incredible story
• Totally Accurate Battle Simulator (2021) - also a nice game to chill out to, but some levels are a lot more difficult than expected (not a bad thing)
• Vampire Survivors (2022) - I am so addicted please help

If you need Android Auto, the closest thing you'll get is LineageOS with some sort of GApps, but those are far from the "privacy and security first" goals of GrapheneOS.

If you are looking for something private/"FOSS-focused" and don't need Android Auto, I like CalyxOS a lot, and have heard good things about DivestOS.

As far as I know, no one has ever gotten their account banned store-wide.

Like you mentioned, sometimes games with anti-cheats like Apex Legends or Overwatch will falsely ban linux users (from that specific game - not the whole Battle.net or EA store), but they usually undo those bans within a week or so for most users.

I was hit with one of the Apex bans, and it was overturned within a week or two. But there were a few people who I am pretty convinced did not cheat and are still banned, so maybe be cautious with that particular game.

For anyone curious, here's the link to the modlog for this user

I strongly dislike Epic as a company, but at least Heroic Games Launcher makes the experience tolerable. And free is free, but for anything paid, I'm always willing to pay extra to own on Steam/GOG instead

Christmas morning my phone broke (shutoff at >50% and wouldn't turn on at all). The day before a flight. When all of the stores to get a quick replacement were closed. And the only way I could get any info about my flight was by having my email's 2FA keys, which were on my broken phone, and the only backup was on my desktop, which was 500km+ away.

Had to walk our catsitter through sending me the backup, and then rush to a retailer this morning to buy a replacement before my flight. Was not a fun experience, or a fun way to spend all of my Christmas money 😅

Well-reviewed games you can 100% in less than 10hrs:

• Portal
• The Henry Stickmin Collection
• OneShot
• Stray
• Grimm's Hollow
• Any of The Room games
• Pineapple on Pizza
• There Is No Game: Wrong Dimension
• Doki Doki Literature Club
• TOEM
• Finding Paradise
• The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog
• CULTIC
• Gorogoa
• The Case of the Golden Idol

Well-reviewed games you can probably beat in around 10hrs, but not quite 100%:

• Portal 2
• Vampire Survivors
• Pizza Tower
• Katana ZERO
• A Hat in Time
• Resident Evil 2
• Hotline Miami
• The Wolf Among Us
• Undertale
• Papers, Please
• Baba Is You
• DUSK
• POSTAL 2
• Outlast

Edit: formatting is pain

Edit 2: I missed the part about low-end hardware, but it sounds like the only ones of these you may not be able to run are Stray and Resident Evil 2

Approval voting has a special place in my heart because it is such an easy transition from first-past-the-post (what the U.S. uses). You literally just change the ballot from "select the candidate you like" to select the candidates (plural) you like" and you're done, and it's such a significant upgrade from FPTP.

It's certainly still better than the US's current first-past-the-post system, but it has a critical flaw where a candidate who would have won can end up losing by becoming more popular, which could be abused by people trying to "game" the voting system. In reality, something like approval or score voting would be more representative of voter's desires.

See Nicky Case's excellent write-up on how that can happen: https://ncase.me/ballot/

I will always upvote that ncase ballot link, it's so well-written.

Lots of people here are arguing for Ranked Choice, but Nicky's write-up shows that even though it's still better than the US's first-past-the-post system, something like Approval or Score voting are much better options.