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Ultrawide support in Linux games?
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GustyGhost Oct 2, 2016
Those of you running ultrawide, 21:9 or similar aspect ratio, what has your Linux gaming experience been like? Do many games even have ultrawide display options? The ones that don't will happily run with black bars on the sides? Or what about the desktop environment for that matter?

Background:
Lately, I've found that I consistently have tons of browser tabs open, several open programs on my panel, text editors with 7+ tabs and several terminal emulators for projects of mine. Normally, I am a purist and wouldn't even consider a "non-standard" display but those ultrawides really have me thinking I could use the real estate. And multimonitor is out of the question as I hate bezels and all the work-arounds that go with multi setups.
Ehvis Oct 2, 2016
I'm curious about that as well. I'm still undecided between 21:9 and 4k.
catskinsox Oct 3, 2016
Hello to both of you.

I have found a good number of games support 21:9. Here are some that come to mind: Tomb Raider, Stardew Valley, Rocket League, Divinity: Original Sin, ARK, Civ V (assume Civ VI will, then), I think Borderlands 2, but I'm not certain about that one. I know there are more, but the only one that I specifically remember it NOT working was Trine 3. It actually has the option for 3440x1440, but it still goes to 16:9. And yes, the 16:9 works fine, with black bars on the side.

Of course, a lot of those games DO have some UI issues where menus and static images are cut off to 16:9, since they weren't actually designed with 21:9 in mind. But those games I listed all do 21:9 when in the actual game play.

Overall, I am very happy with the LG monitor I have. If you go 1440p, just make sure you have a good card to push it. I have a GTX 1070.

Anyway, I hope that helps. If there's a specific game you want to know about, let me know. I might have it in my library. I have quite a few games.

Carl
GustyGhost Oct 3, 2016
You must be one of the seventeen people on this site that uses ultrawide. I am just being cautious going in as I recall some UHD monitors "tiling" their display as several virtual monitors. Or the possibility that having a 21:9 aspect ratio makes you user agent string extremely identifiable?
catskinsox Oct 3, 2016
Yeah, I'm one of those. You would have to explain to me what the "tiling" into virtual monitors. Mine is just a big 34 inch 3440x1440. No different than any other monitor... just big and wide.

I don't know about the user agent string either. If you can tell me what to do to verify what you need to know, I'd be glad to help you out.

Carl

Edit: Just tried Limbo, but no 21:9 support. It's 16:9 with black bars on the sides.

This is a good site to look for general 21:9 support. Granted, I'm sure most of the testing is done on Windows, but it's a good place to look anyway. http://www.wsgf.org/
GustyGhost Oct 3, 2016
After some research, I seems some early 4K monitors were treated as multiple "tiled format" monitors in software. I'm guessing recent ultrawides don't do this. And try out this EFF tool Panopticlick to see what I mean about user agents. I feel like having a 21:9 would be a dead giveaway to trackers.
catskinsox Oct 3, 2016
Ok, thanks. I checked out that site. Quite eye opening. Thanks for the info. I took their advice and installed the NoScript add-on for firefox. I'll look at it in more detail later, though.
GustyGhost Oct 4, 2016
I would just like to update that there is an ultrawide that provides "multiple virtual monitors" as an option, but not as a requirement. "The LG 34UM67 does have a trick up its sleeve with a picture-by-picture mode that allows users to run a pair of independent 1,280x1,080 displays."
libgradev Oct 6, 2016
Quoting: EhvisI'm curious about that as well. I'm still undecided between 21:9 and 4k.

I was in this boat recently, and, I went 21:9 for both productivity (no scaling) and gaming reasons.

Having used it for a month or so now - it was the right decision :)
Ehvis Oct 7, 2016
Good to know that it will add black bars for 2560x1440 instead of a weird scaling option. It sounds like the sane solution, but that doesn't always stop manufacturers from doing something else. Can it also show lower resolutions (like 1920x1080) unscaled? Just in case performance won't allow the higher one.
Ne0 Oct 7, 2016
Quoting: AnxiousInfusionThose of you running ultrawide, 21:9 or similar aspect ratio, what has your Linux gaming experience been like? Do many games even have ultrawide display options? The ones that don't will happily run with black bars on the sides? Or what about the desktop environment for that matter?

Background:
Lately, I've found that I consistently have tons of browser tabs open, several open programs on my panel, text editors with 7+ tabs and several terminal emulators for projects of mine. Normally, I am a purist and wouldn't even consider a "non-standard" display but those ultrawides really have me thinking I could use the real estate. And multimonitor is out of the question as I hate bezels and all the work-arounds that go with multi setups.

Perfect for browsing Internet & watching ultrawide movies.
Chrome & other Linux Desktop Environments adapts to 21:9
21:9 usually gives you an extra advantage in games, if it is compatible & your Graphics processor can handle the extra pixels.
21:9 is also good for Audio/Video editing, as it shows you more of the timeline.
You can choose whether to stretch to full screen or keep original ratio with black bars, on the monitor.


Currently using 25" 2560x1080p LG monitor, looking forward to buying a bigger one with 4800x2000p or 5120x2160p resolution.
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