Crossover Linux worth the money?

Anything related to gaming on Linux Mint including game discussion or questions concerning Steam or Wine.
Forum rules
Before you post read how to get help. Topics in this forum are automatically closed 6 months after creation.
Locked
PanamaRed

Crossover Linux worth the money?

Post by PanamaRed »

I am close to being able to avoid Windows altogether.
The only thing I have left are a few games that I just can't seem to get quite right using Wine or PoL and Wine.

I'm considering either paying for a Crossover license or setting up a Windows VM.

My question: what is your experience with Crossover? Can you get things to run with Crossover more easily than with Wine or PoL and Wine? How is support for Crossover?

Thanks in advance,
PanamaRed
Last edited by LockBot on Wed Dec 28, 2022 7:16 am, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Topic automatically closed 6 months after creation. New replies are no longer allowed.
User avatar
xenopeek
Level 25
Level 25
Posts: 29507
Joined: Wed Jul 06, 2011 3:58 am

Re: Crossover Linux worth the money?

Post by xenopeek »

I think that depends on how many Windows games you intend to run on Linux and for how long. Crossover Linux is based on Wine with user friendly configuration tools and automated installation scripts. They also provide technical support. PlayOnLinux is configuration tool, a wrapper around Wine. Ultimately anything you can get to run on Crossover Linux or PlayOnLinux you should be able to get to run on Wine, but how much (if any) manual configuration it takes depends on the game.

First things first, look up if the Windows games you want to run on Linux are compatible with Crossover and how well they are supported on Linux (after searching for the title of the game, check the star rating in the column with the penguin icon in the column header): https://www.codeweavers.com/compatibility. PlayOnLinux has a similar list you can check: https://www.playonlinux.com/en/supported_apps-1-0.html. And Wine have an "AppDB" that you can look up compatibility reviews (and notes for any manual configuration needed) from other users: https://appdb.winehq.org/.

If your time is more valuable than your money, the games you want to play have a high star rating on Crossover Linux and you intend to continue running Windows software on Linux then it may be worth the money. That's up to you.

Ultimately Windows is best suited to run Windows games, certainly for games that need the highest performance.

Personally, when I got back into gaming I was already on Linux and have stuck to buying Linux games only. There are over 3,300 games for Linux on Steam currently and the summer sale is ongoing. For the cost of the Crossover Linux license you could get a truck load of games for Linux instead :wink: But I get that if you're hooked on some Windows-only games you want to get those up and running.
Image
Hoser Rob
Level 20
Level 20
Posts: 11806
Joined: Sat Dec 15, 2012 8:57 am

Re: Crossover Linux worth the money?

Post by Hoser Rob »

Crossover is a GUI for WIne. This sort of thing ... taking free open source software, writing a GUI for it, and then charging $$$ ... is absolutely routine in the computer world.

All the hits I get from ubuntu support sites on crossover seem to be about 10 years old. So it doesn't look well maintained to me.

PLus, WIne is simply rubbish. Most apps don't work. When they do they often run badly.

I guess you can see where I'm going here. I vote for using a Windows VM.

I don't have any Windows any more but that isn't because I hate MS. It's because I don't need it. My one Windows partition sat there for ages unused so I yanked it and don't miss it.

But I don't need Windows business software, and I'm not a gamer. If I needed these things I would still have some WIndo
ws.
For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong - H. L. Mencken
PanamaRed

Re: Crossover Linux worth the money?

Post by PanamaRed »

Thank you for the replies.

Two of the remaining games I am interested in, Skyrim and Starcraft 2, both appear to run very well on Wine/PoL and Crossover.
I've spent some time on both with PoL, and I can get Skyrim to run, just without sound, even after experimenting with the sound drivers. Starcraft 2 not so much.

I'd like to be in a position where I only play Linux games, but unfortunately most of the A list titles don't directly support Linux yet. I had high hopes for SteamOS...maybe one day.

Best,
PanamaRed
Jim Hauser

Re: Crossover Linux worth the money?

Post by Jim Hauser »

I find that running Windows in Virtual Box is my best bet. I am not a big gamer but there are a few games and fractal programs that I like to visit occasionally. However, Virtual Box may not give you the performance needed for your stuff. I would try it first after backing up your current system.

Jim
Booman

Re: Crossover Linux worth the money?

Post by Booman »

I have never used Crossover because many stubborn Windows games require patched versions of Wine which are not supported by Crossover.
So I have stuck with PlayOnLinux and it has served me really really well.
In fact I have posted step-by-step guides on how to install many AAA, indie, retail, steam, GOG games here at GamersOnLinux

I never used the installers from PlayOnLinux, instead I do manual installations and they work beautifully.
User avatar
kyphi
Level 9
Level 9
Posts: 2735
Joined: Sat Jul 09, 2011 1:14 am
Location: The Hunter Valley, Australia

Re: Crossover Linux worth the money?

Post by kyphi »

I have used Crossover for many years since I found the Wine interface clumsy, to say the least. Crossover has served me well.

Crossover (or Wine) is not omnipotent and will not run all programs written for Windows.

Here is a link to a comparison table that may be of interest:

https://www.codeweavers.com/products/mo ... entiators/

There are enough Linux games available to fill my Winter leisure time.
Linux Mint 21.3 Cinnamon
User avatar
geekomatic
Level 4
Level 4
Posts: 410
Joined: Sun Jun 06, 2010 1:11 am
Location: Awesome Western Australia!

Re: Crossover Linux worth the money?

Post by geekomatic »

It's on special for $19. Worth that, or no?
User avatar
xenopeek
Level 25
Level 25
Posts: 29507
Joined: Wed Jul 06, 2011 3:58 am

Re: Crossover Linux worth the money?

Post by xenopeek »

geekomatic wrote:It's on special for $19. Worth that, or no?
Only you can answer that. How important is that Windows program or game to you? Is it clear CrossOver will let you run it on Linux? Is all that worth $19 of your money, or would you rather spend your time on it to make the Windows software run on Wine or PlayOnLinux (assuming it has platinum or gold rating on Wine, you should be able to get it to run with some effort and perseverance).

I'd rather spend the money on games from developers that support Linux.
Image
User avatar
Pierre
Level 21
Level 21
Posts: 13192
Joined: Fri Sep 05, 2008 5:33 am
Location: Perth, AU.

Re: Crossover Linux worth the money?

Post by Pierre »

geekomatic wrote:It's on special for $19. Worth that, or no?
that'll be the Ghacks Promo:
https://deals.ghacks.net/sales/crossove ... &scsonar=1
and it's only good for Five Days though

it's up to you, if the Deal is worth it, maybe it could save you some Serious Time in getting your Windows Software up N running.
8)
you can also try it out for Free - as well, if you wished to do that.
https://www.codeweavers.com/products/cr ... x/download
Image
Please edit your original post title to include [SOLVED] - when your problem is solved!
and DO LOOK at those Unanswered Topics - - you may be able to answer some!.
User avatar
trytip
Level 14
Level 14
Posts: 5371
Joined: Tue Jul 05, 2016 1:20 pm

Re: Crossover Linux worth the money?

Post by trytip »

IMO crossover is not worth the money. they haven't made any real progress in hardware support for devices such as Garmin GPS and similar or connecting cellphones. having a bunch of software scripts and only being able to handle 15,046 applications in database is hardly the money they ask for

the one major thing with wine is to ALWAYS make a 32 bit profile instead of a 64 bit. this is where most people fail because there is much more configuring if you use the wine64

create a win32 profile (rename your current .wine if you want to go back)
export WINEPREFIX=~/.wine
export WINEARCH=win32
WINEARCH=win32 WINEPREFIX=~/.wine winecfg <<< select windows 7
WINEARCH=win32 WINEPREFIX=~/.wine winetricks -q msxml3 corefonts dotnet40 <<< this will install the basics
Image
Booman

Re: Crossover Linux worth the money?

Post by Booman »

15 thousand games is pretty good... at the same time, how can they guarantee all of those game will run? That is a lot of scripts...

I didn't realize Wine required even more steps for using a 64-bit prefix?

I've used 64-bit Wine in PlayOnLinux with a 64-bit wineprefix for many games and it runs nicely... not to mention its a few simple clicks.
dark

Re: Crossover Linux worth the money?

Post by dark »

If you decide setting up Windows VM, use QEMU so you can get near native performance. You can use QEMU with Gnome Boxes or Virt Manager. And if you GPU passthrough, you can play all Windows games.
flatiron
Level 3
Level 3
Posts: 197
Joined: Fri Nov 24, 2017 2:27 am

Re: Crossover Linux worth the money?

Post by flatiron »

I wouldn't. It installs everything using steam. I will not have that garbage on my system. And if you do put this on yours system it is very hard if impossible to remove.
User avatar
geekomatic
Level 4
Level 4
Posts: 410
Joined: Sun Jun 06, 2010 1:11 am
Location: Awesome Western Australia!

Re: Crossover Linux worth the money?

Post by geekomatic »

Hi all,

Sorry the late reply- I've been in hospital most of Jan.

I asked about crossover not because I don't like open-source alts, I was genuinely asking what I would gain with crossover-- meaning what do people say works/doesn't? No politics involved, thanks.

;)
User avatar
Pierre
Level 21
Level 21
Posts: 13192
Joined: Fri Sep 05, 2008 5:33 am
Location: Perth, AU.

Re: Crossover Linux worth the money?

Post by Pierre »

@geekomatic
- I've always taken this viewpoint:
the company codeweavers does indeed take the ./wine project and then polish it up & sell that as their product.
- however, what they take away & polish up, they then put that back again,
so in effect, their work does make the ./wine project work, that bit better.

the company codeweavers, is also the Main & Principle Supporter for the ./wine project
:o
so, from that viewpoint, and IMHO it's worth the $$$ that they ask for their Commercial Version.
and like the LinuxMint Project - - I'll put my $$$ where my mouth is.
8)
and - so I've done that, many times, for Both Projects, too.

the True Answer to the value of the company codeweavers, is really Your Call,
as to whether it's worth some $$$ to get, or if like xenopeek you can get better value elsewhere.
:mrgreen:

Just try it out - - if it doesn't work for you, then try out the Play On Linux version:
https://www.playonlinux.com/en/
that too, is just a Front End for the ./wine Project and they too, would like some $$$ to help out:
https://www.playonlinux.com/en/donate.html

this Linux Stuff is *not* like the World of Windows,, where you have always have to Pay for some Option,
that is *not* really an Option at all, but really a Necessary item that you need to have.

so with this Linux Stuff, are you going to rely on the generosity of some Good & Kind Developers,
to help you out, in your Crossover adventurers, to do for Nix :?:
- - or - will help out - a little :!:
Image
Please edit your original post title to include [SOLVED] - when your problem is solved!
and DO LOOK at those Unanswered Topics - - you may be able to answer some!.
Appoloin
Level 3
Level 3
Posts: 174
Joined: Sun Apr 28, 2013 3:58 am

Re: Crossover Linux worth the money?

Post by Appoloin »

GamersOnLinux has manual install guides using POL/WINE for

StarCraft
http://www.gamersonlinux.com/forum/thre ... guide.387/

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
http://www.gamersonlinux.com/forum/thre ... guide.331/
User avatar
Pierre
Level 21
Level 21
Posts: 13192
Joined: Fri Sep 05, 2008 5:33 am
Location: Perth, AU.

Re: Crossover Linux worth the money?

Post by Pierre »

@Appoloin
That's a Nice Site
:D

- - Needs Some More Users, though.
8)
Image
Please edit your original post title to include [SOLVED] - when your problem is solved!
and DO LOOK at those Unanswered Topics - - you may be able to answer some!.
Locked

Return to “Gaming”