Accurate?

Honestly gaming hasn't been a problem for me on Linux. It is a bit more work in some games to get them up and running, but windows 11 started waking up without any reason so I abandoned it and think the extra work is worth it.

But I understand why someone wouldn't want to go through it.

I think it is because there is a setting about faster wakeup from sleep or something. I think it also keeps the wifi connected or awake on laptops.
- No I checked before I went to Linux. There was no obvious reason anywhere and nothing in the logs. It just decided to wake up every afternoon. Whatever, I'm done with the OS.
  
  You are on Linux, obviously that fixed your problem. But yeah, the setting for faster wakeup from sleep is hidden somewhere, and Microsoft does not want that to be toggled off and may even ignore it, lol
  Windows keeps the computer awake and does not do sleep like it used to anymore. S3 sleep, that is. Keeps wifi connected and all that jazz. Battery drain is significantly worse now.

https://www.protondb.com/

Not perfect but Linux is getting there! Certainly much better than before.

Only if you play CoD, Fortnite, or Destiny 2. If you're technically inclined and don't mind working around some issues, gaming on Linux has come a long way and can be used for pretty much anything else. I used to dual-boot Windows for games, then I went to booting Windows in a VM and gaming with a spare, passed-through GPU. But I haven't booted my VM in months, and I play lots of games.

See, that's the thing: I very much mind "working around some issues" in gaming and in gaming alone. I'm as much of a tinkerer when it comes to software as the next guy, but now with a child and all of those pesky responsibilities that slowly pile up as you age, gaming time is
a) scarce and
b) the only real "wind down" time I get
I have time for other things that make me happy mind you, but gaming time needs to be different you cannot dive into an RPG and do subtle story Sidequests and whatnot if you can't dive into the game fully, switch off everything else for a time. Whenever I can do that, any "small issue" I'd need to work around would make me MAD.
Gaming is the one thing where I don't want the super customizable OS that works exactly as I want that I can get with Linux. I want to press play and be taken to a place where peasants will task any random stranger to bring their child somewhere and any Lord will entrust his kingdom into some random dipshit he just.met.
- And not wanting to do that makes perfect sense. I don't really want to either, of course, but I've decided that if I as a person who can do it actually switch to Linux that must mean that some others of similar minds are going to do it as well.
  When it reaches critical mass it'll just become easier and easier. It already is much easier than it has been, but not having time is a totally valid reason not to do it yet.
- I hear you and mostly agree.
  But at least for my personal experience the kinds of issues I encounter gaming on Linux are typically less frustrating than the ones I encountered gaming in Windows.
  To pretend that either experience is pain-free would be dishonest but I've had less difficulties since switching fully to Linux and actually seen a noticeable improvement in performance on many games as well.
  I think in reality if stability and never having to "fix" issues or bugs is your biggest concern you are probably more suited to console gaming
So my options are install OS, install GPU drivers, install games, and then play games, or install OS, read 50 different guides, fight iommu or some other configuration, eventually get it working enough to install another OS in a VM, fight getting that performing well, install games, and then play games with potential for worse performance.
I love Linux, but claiming these two things are comparable is ridiculous. I work with Linux all day at work, I don't want to work with it at home when I just want to relax.
- The point I'm making is that you don't have to read 50+ guides anymore. Install a distro with a good gaming track record (Nobara, Garuda, Pop_OS, Bazzite) and play games. Linux gaming has come a long way.
  That said, I understand where you're coming from. I'm just trying to say it's easier now than it's ever been before.
- Personally I just installed PopOS and Lutris+Steam and everything works fine.

I made the switch to daily driving Linux on my laptop for work and play a few months back with a dual boot setup with Windows, and changed over mine and my partner's gaming desktops to do the same, and they recently got a Steam Deck OLED as well. Honestly I can't say this is true. It depends on the distro, but I went with Pop OS, and it has been ridiculously pain free to game on. I play a large variety of weird, old, indie games, and I've encountered a single game that didn't work on Pop OS that I needed to play on Windows (WRC 4) and that particular game BARELY worked on Windows as well and took lots of setting up and fixing. More often than not I'm finding things work better on Pop OS (GTA IV doesn't crash when changing multiple graphics options like on Windows, and GTA IV and 2013's Tomb Raider both get better frame rates) than Windows.

This is all particularly notable because I didn't go in as some Linux expert touting the superiority of it (I chose Pop OS because I'm a noob, and it's easy to use), and fully expected to have all sorts of issues. My biggest complaint is that I should have set my dual boot partition for Pop OS way bigger because I barely need to use Windows anymore! My absolute #1 annoying niche issue that I can't figure out is that the VPN I need to use to remote into my work 1) will work on Windows, 2) DID work on Pop OS when connected to my phone's data but not my home wifi (???), 3) no longer works on either my phones data or wifi. Gaming though, has been a cakewalk, you should give it a go. Install proton, maybe grab a glorious eggroll, and you're set, they're support for NVIDIA cards make it equally pain free (across the 3 systems I mentioned we're gaming on Intel, AMD, and NVIDIA gpus, and all are equally pain free).

Even controllers are no problem, but I haven't messed around much with my wheel, or VR headset though, so we'll so how that goes.

I use Garuda for a gaming pc with no problems

Is it possible to play games that are only available on Microsoft store or through Game Pass? Like Forza Horizon or Starfield?
- I’m pretty sure stardield is available on steam
  Also this looks available https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2022/11/microsoft-upgrades-xbox-cloud-gaming-for-linux-and-chromeos/
  That said I have no experience with any of it as game pass sounds very unappealing to me as someone who prefers to own her games and not buy subscription services

This community has a hard time accepting how little the average person is aware Linux exists let alone how few people consider it an option for gaming

Quest Link or Virtual Desktop for PCVR? Windows.

Wake me up when Linux can do that reliably

Now that steam link is launched and working well, it should be a good option?
- Valve Index is $$$$
  
  Sorry I meant steam link is launched on quest. So you can connect wireless with the quest headsets. At least on Windows, not sure how well that works on Linux.