I'm not saying Kirp123 shouldn't switch now, just saying that unlike Microsoft with Win11, there is no pressure to switch to Linux, people can do it when they feel ready.

I hard switched to linux like..6-7 years ago I think, right around when Windows 7 went EoL.

It was not an entirely easy switch, and that first year I was plagued with lots of problems. And thats with a system I hand built with a future linux migration in mind. But i was still able to game with relatively few issues, and what issues there was, was usually fixed in the next version of proton, or in GE Proton. So there were always paths forward and sometimes workarounds. but it took a lot of thought, and research, and effort.

Linux today is astronomically easier compared to back then. I am, for the most part, where I was with Windows 7. What I mean by that is.. I dont even think about my OS (I run Nobara, just fyi) anymore. My OS is completely irrelevant and invisible to my daily life, because I can just do what i want without issue, without thought, without worry.

and thats not me becoming more experienced with linux and knowing how to fix things and solve problems faster, I'm still a mouth breathing fuckwit when it comes to Linux, its just so much more easier to use, so much more stable, with many issues addressed and fixed and no longer the end users problem to work around.

I will ad the caveat though, that my gaming is decidedly not competitive. So I don't generally play games that have invasive rootkit anticheats, which don't work on linux. So if those kinds of games are your bread and butter, then you'd probably resent any attempt to use linux and be blocked from playing them.

Only free in EU. Costs something like $30 for others.

Also, Microsoft quietly extended the ESU program by an extra year.