If there's one thing Steam desperately needs on Linux, it's a settings menu that shows Linux specific options (depending on what dependencies are installed). Ideally, things like forcing games globally to use the discrete GPU on a laptop, forcing gamemode globally (which has CPU scheduler changes and inhibits sleep mode), using Mangohud as a performance overlay (like how the Steam Deck game mode functions) instead of Steam's own internal FPS overlay, and per-game gamescope resolution and scaling options (on desktop mode where it's not accessible without launch parameters, rather than game mode on the Deck where it's forced).
I have a discrete GPU on my laptop, and I'm tired of having to remember to adjust the launch parameters for every game I play to DRI_PRIME=1 gamemoderun %command%, so I can have the correct GPU being used by the game and to inhibit sleep mode from occurring on KDE Plasma when I use a controller.
The problem is if I attempt to run steam with the DRI_PRIME=1 parameter beforehand (so I don't have to adjust this on a per-game basis), that causes crashing issues with the Steam Web Helper that runs the client's UI, but it doesn't crash when it's handled on a per-game basis.
Your average person probably wouldn't know how to fix these issues, and then get frustrated at playing games on Linux as a result, when third-party game launchers (Like Heroic and Lutris) already have these options available. Assuming the discrete GPU thing is made a simple toggle, it would work more consistently than Windows (Where I often have to adjust per-executable GPU settings to get it on the right GPU). This kind of settings menu would be such a massive quality of life change for Steam and gaming on Linux.
If there's one thing Steam desperately needs on Linux, it's a settings menu that shows Linux specific options (depending on what dependencies are installed). Ideally, things like forcing games globally to use the discrete GPU on a laptop, forcing gamemode globally (which has CPU scheduler changes and inhibits sleep mode), using Mangohud as a performance overlay (like how the Steam Deck game mode functions) instead of Steam's own internal FPS overlay, and per-game gamescope resolution and scaling options (on desktop mode where it's not accessible without launch parameters, rather than game mode on the Deck where it's forced).
I have a discrete GPU on my laptop, and I'm tired of having to remember to adjust the launch parameters for every game I play to
DRI_PRIME=1 gamemoderun %command%, so I can have the correct GPU being used by the game and to inhibit sleep mode from occurring on KDE Plasma when I use a controller.The problem is if I attempt to run steam with the DRI_PRIME=1 parameter beforehand (so I don't have to adjust this on a per-game basis), that causes crashing issues with the Steam Web Helper that runs the client's UI, but it doesn't crash when it's handled on a per-game basis.
Your average person probably wouldn't know how to fix these issues, and then get frustrated at playing games on Linux as a result, when third-party game launchers (Like Heroic and Lutris) already have these options available. Assuming the discrete GPU thing is made a simple toggle, it would work more consistently than Windows (Where I often have to adjust per-executable GPU settings to get it on the right GPU). This kind of settings menu would be such a massive quality of life change for Steam and gaming on Linux.