In this bi-weekly open gaming roundup, we take a look at Nintendo’s NES Classic Edition running Linux, SDL support for Unity 5.6, 0 A.D. Ulysses, and more gaming news.

Open gaming roundup for November 6-19, 2016

NES Classic Edition runs Linux

Nintendo launched the NES Classic Edition on November 11. This tiny console comes with 30 NES games preloaded. And you know what? It runs Linux. As a single-board computer, it is packed with an Allwinner R16 System on a Chip, SKHynix 256MB RAM, and Spansion 512MB flash.

In a video by GameXplain, evidence of this single-board console running Linux is shown at 16 minutes 35 seconds. It shows the open source software license and also references Linux kernel.

Steam Dev Days videos on YouTube

Steam Dev Days took place October 12-13. Presentations of this year’s event have been made available on YouTube. Two interesting videos from the event are Building Unity Games for SteamOS/Linux and the Vulkan Graphics video.

Unity 5.6 will have SDL for Linux

According to a Tweet by Na’Tosha Bard, tech director of R&D at Unity Technologies, the next release of Unity for Linux will be the first to get SDL.

SDL, or Simple DirectMedia Layer, is a cross-platform development library designed to provide low level access to audio, keyboard, mouse, joystick, and graphics hardware via OpenGL and Direct3D.

With the Unity 5.6 beta release, Unity will be able to remove its X11 implementation and also use Mir and Wayland in the future. More details in the article over at gamingonlinux.com.

New games on Linux

0 A.D. Alpha 21 Ulysses

Wildfire Games, creators of the open source game of ancient warfare, have announced 0 A.D. Alpha 21 “Ulysses”. This releases includes new game modes, 11 new maps, and lots more.

One of the new gameplay modes is Last Man Standing, where only one player can win the game. There’s also Herocide/Regicide, where you start with a hero and are defeated when he or she dies.

Other new features include a new upgrade system for buildings. The user interface got lots of attention, the Javascript engine was updated to Spider Monkey 38, and more. For a full list of changes, check out the announcement. You can download the game here.

Space Merchants: Arena

In Space Merchants: Arena, a cross-platform online multiplayer RPG, you engage in intense dogfights with futuristic spaceships. The game includes three game modes: Free for all, Team battle (red vs. blue), and Capture the Artifact. It’s available on Steam for Linux.

Candle

 

 

Candle, an adventure with challenging puzzles, is now available on Steam for Linux. Play as Teku, a young novice on a dangerous journey to rescue his tribe’s shaman from the evil tribe of the Wakcha.

Make sure check out the video, Candle, the making of. It shows some amazing art used in the game.