OK so maybe I can get all my favorite games to run. Not that I've ever tried.

As i said, as soon as Win 10 is on its "last legs" i will try to make a Linux system happen, which is approximately around 2028, which is as well the very last date a Win 10 system could be upgraded, after that it is over... so it will remain a classic-system but nothing new will come.

Linux may work at some point using a combination of "native Linux games", "Wine or Proton emulation", and in some hard cases in which nothing works even by using a VM with Windows running. That way it is not a security risk because it is just running in a sandbox. However... still have to find out what to use for and preferably free.

I will find out if the time comes but i do expect 1-2 years of big work in order to get hundreds of games to run there. Native games are always with lowest issues, yet... if the amount is big enough, even those can take weeks in order to become installed with a new system included. The work is often "underestimated" but those loving it they barely notice how many hours they actually did put into it.

Microsoft can probably charge almost anything they want or making almost any condition they feel pleased with (worst case would be a subscription based system and if someone fails to pay it, they may shut down many functionalities remotely, kinda like a drone handled by their master) because lets face it: The huge majority is still using Windows and it is considered almost foolproof for someone not good with computers... even more foolproof than Apple "iOS" or Android, which both are "out of the box-OS" with limited custom.

There is simply one real threat... nah not GOG, the big mass doesnt care GOG nor is GOG providing a Linux platform: Instead Steam is a real threat there, as the big mass is caring Steam and Valve is already "investing" into a own Linux based build in order to become more self sustainable.

Microsoft is not turned off by it... they are even lurking toward Steam and are providing them almost exclusively with fresh games from their MS platforms. They simply respect "power", if someone got it.

Of course, Sony is as well using a Unix based system (which is in many terms sharing its kernel with Linux... not Windows, the Windows Kernel is very different), but even Sony is respected by Microsoft and may get many of their games from their platforms.

In any term, Linux is just as capable as Windows playing games using Vulkan. It was not the case long time ago when there was only OpenCL available, which was in many terms weaker than DX. This age is over... nowadays Linux is sufficiently mature in a way it can handle any game the same or even better than Windows. The only real issue is the still limited compatibility because of lack of support from the game industry.

Besides: I am not very sure what OS the popular Nintendo Switch is using but most likely it is just as Sony based on a FreeBSD (Unix based) "basic build" which has been strongly customized toward their own needs. Kinda like Apple Nintendo is then trying to find marketing-words for it and if it may not sound to good, it usually is hidden and just called "custom whatever" or "proprietary mikrokernel", but most likely it got some "common grounds" somewhere. In general Nintendo is revealing very little, yet i was rarely impressed by it. The main reason games run more or less well there is because the game devs are putting in so much effort into making it run there... as it may achieve great coins.

The pirates obviously may not care that much, as they simply try to compromise the system, no matter what OS they may "find" there.