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Unified Linux Wine Game Launcher (UMU) from Thomas "GloriousEggroll" Crider version 1.1.1 is out now as the first official release to help improve Linux desktop and Steam Deck gaming.

A refresher on what it is: despite the name, it's not a launcher in the sense of it being an app like Steam, Heroic Games, Lutris, Bottles, Legendary and so on. Instead, it's a tool that various apps can use to run Windows games on Linux, acting as a copy of the Steam Runtime Tools and Steam Linux Runtime that Valve uses for Proton to allow Proton to properly run outside of Steam.

From the release notes:

First official release of UMU launcher!

  • Should work inside both flatpak and snap

We do not have official builds for flatpak or snap yet, but instructions are provided on building and using for both:

https://github.com/Open-Wine-Components/umu-launcher/tree/main/packaging/flatpak
https://github.com/Open-Wine-Components/umu-launcher/tree/main/packaging/snap

So what does it actually mean? It means that any app can run games using Proton just like they would from inside Steam so you can get a good experience with Windows games on Linux / Steam Deck from Epic Games, GOG, Amazon and various other stores via apps like Heroic, Lutris and others (when they add in full support for UMU).

This is all part of Open Wine Components, and so all apps will end up using the same online database of game-specific fixes that some games need to run properly via protonfixes. In short: better compatibility overall for gaming — eventually.

More info on the GitHub.

Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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26 comments
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Umu! That is some good news. Looking forward to integration in Heroic, Lutris, and Bottles.
shimmy Oct 4
Quoting: fenglengshunLooking forward to integration in Heroic

It's already in Heroic (experimental flag) :)
If there’s UMU why not OMO /s
Wow.
It took me several minutes of research just to understand what this code is supposed to do.
Lanz Oct 4
GloriousEggroll is really doing a lot for Linux gaming. Glad we have a guy like that in our community.
Tevur Oct 4
Just a question: what about games not on steam? My understanding is, they can't be run in umu, because the database entry is missing for them.
Will they fallback to wine-GE or something, if I try to start them in Lutris or heroic?
jordicoma Oct 4
Also, can it be used to run native games? On steam you can choose a linux runtime that will solve possible future compatibility problems (I think). Like for example, new versions of libraries no compatible with the game.
Klaas Oct 4
Quoting: Tevurwhat about games not on steam?
The last time I looked, you had to manually specify a fitting profile. If there is nothing for the game then it would be mostly like running wine-ge.
Dont see the point of this. PortProton has been doing this for ages - I can use it to run proton, TKG builds, etc and download it all right from the app. It even let you run Ragnorok on day 1. It has alot of game specific fixes and configurations too


Last edited by Cato-the-younger on 4 October 2024 at 2:56 pm UTC
tuubi Oct 4
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Quoting: Klaas
Quoting: Tevurwhat about games not on steam?
The last time I looked, you had to manually specify a fitting profile. If there is nothing for the game then it would be mostly like running wine-ge.
If a non-Steam game needs "protonfixes" to run, they can be submitted to the umu-protonfixes repository and the respective ID to the umu-database. The game can be in any store or in no store at all.
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