- Discord has released a major update for Linux users
- Game and screen sharing has been improved with hardware-accelerated video encoding now supported on Nvidia, AMD, and Intel GPUs.
- It comes as users remain frustrated by global age verification plans.
Discord on Linux, particularly on Steam Deck or SteamOS laptops, has been plagued with functionality issues, and a new update finally fixed them, but users don’t believe it.
As reported by TweakTown, Discord announced a major new update for Linux in a video titled ‘Year of the Linux Desktop’, providing significant improvements to game (or screen) capture capabilities, including smaller updates to notifications and game detection.
Notably, hardware-accelerated video encoding is now supported on Nvidia, AMD, and Intel GPUs for Discord, for better video quality without affecting game performance.
Discord will also capture games using Vulkan or Valve’s Gamescope, and that’s great news for devices like the Steam Deck or Lenovo Legion Go S SteamOS, as more system resources can be used in games, ultimately improving performance and battery life while streaming to friends.
Look
That’s all well and good in the eyes of Discord users on Linux, and it’s even joined the year of the Linux desktop meme (essentially the hope that Linux will overtake Windows), and sure, this update has definitely brought it one step closer to that, but it’s not enough to win over fans.
Instead, the comments on the video are consistent with users claiming it’s the “year of age verification,” criticizing Discord for its global age verification plans, which are still scheduled for the end of 2026.
This major Linux update arrives around the same time as Discord and Xbox’s collaboration, giving Nitro users access to an initial edition of Xbox Game Pass. It seems like Discord is doing everything it can to soften the blow of its controversial move, but it’s pretty clear that users aren’t willing to let age verification issues slide.
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