Zathalus
Member
OpenGL isn't locked down on Windows. Rather Windows ships with the basic 1.1 support (in a DX3D wrapper) and the latest version of OpenGl installs via your GPU driver. My PC has the latest version of 4.6 on it. Doom 2016 uses OpenGl 4.5.Microsoft and Nvidia have been hand-in-glove partners since 3dfx was foreclosed two decades ago by Nvidia with help from massive loans from Microsoft killing the number 1 Windows gaming API (glide) overnight, and through Microsoft locking Opengl to version 1.1(1.4 now) on Windows, unless using extensions from 1.1, they made DirectX the default graphics API for games on Windows, taking it from third to first courtesy of Nvidia being the developer and partner. So I'd argue it has been obvious for decades - along with Nvidia's treatment of Drivers on linux - that both Nvidia and Microsoft share a vision of Nvidia DirectX and Microsoft Windows as the defacto OS for all of Cloud, even beyond gaming, and Nvidia as the monopoly supplier of the graphics cards for the serving..
Nvidia supposedly being the independent pushback of current ATVI just wouldn't ever happen, and would have the ability to work with Microsoft to work around the monitoring, just like whipping boy Ubisoft represents none of the operational independence that a current ATVI exercises in the market.
Just consider that Nvidia's technical, cadence and price issues with Cloud game serving on Windows Server licenses should mirror those the CMA listed of Stadia, and yet Nvidia as DirectX API developer for Windows probably pay nothing like the same for Windows licenses, and can fix any issues they have immediately because they are on the inside of the deal with Microsoft.
Nvidia don't even do native driver support for opengl and vulkan in Windows AFAIK and just do a reverse-proton on their DirectX solution, causing throttled performance for Opengl and Vulkan on Windows compared to linux, and you only need see Nvidia's attitude to linux drivers over the years to be concerned if they are the authority to advocate for CoD on linux using vulkan for the whole cloud gaming market. That's basically everyone, except for hand-in-glove Microsoft and Nvidia
For Nvidia and AMD there is little to no performance difference between Windows and Linux native games running on the same API, as has been benchmarked extensively. It's a few percentage point either way. Just check Phoronix.