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In my case it wasn't a total freeze but rather just a massive slowdown. It would happen at random, especially in Desktop mode when I had too many things open. My device is a ROG Ally Z1 Extreme (16 GB of unified memory), Bazzite in gaming mode.
I permanently solved the issue by simply adding a bit of swap memory.
Others have basically already pointed out how you should go about diagnosing the problem. Which, by itself, is already very valuable.
Below, I will try to touch upon some tips and tricks that are worth noting in this context, assuming Bazzite*.
brh for more information. With this (and some effort), you can literally pinpoint the exact date from which you started to have problems with gamescope/game mode.rpm-ostree db diff command to see what has changed between the two deployments. Note two things on this:
Wish ya good luck fam 😉!
Yeah, they have. The problem is that I don't know understand anything they're talking about. And I'm not interested in starting a new career. So I guess I should have known better.
I already wiped Bazzite. But the only communities they support are Reddit, Github, and Discord. None of which I have any interest in participating in. The top pinned thread in their Discourse says no one looks at issues there, and to go to the corporate platforms for support.
I appreciate the effort though.
You can access those past images/snapshots even from a new install ;) .
As it seems to have been some time since it started, I'd suggest trying out the oldest still accessible snapshot/image.
TL;DR
Install an archival version of Bazzite or whatever else that corresponds to a date when you know it worked correctly.
Bazzite in particular makes this fairly easy. They have straight forward instructions on how to roll back to a given version.
If that fixes it, just use that version and don't update.
If you want to stick with Cachy, you can use the Arch Archive to downgrade your entire system to an earlier date, or just Gamescope.
Step one for me whenever I run into an issue, is to load up an earlier system snapshot and see if that fixes it.
If it does, it was an update that changed something. If it doesn't, it's likely a hardware issue.
How is a snapshot going to help me identify an issue with Gamescope vs. Plasma? And would persist across entirely different distros?
By going back in time to a version that you know worked.
If that doesn't fix it, then you can be sure the problem is hardware related, because it still happens on the exact same software that used to work.
And if it does work on older software, then you can go forward one update/snapshot at a time, until you find the change that causes the problem.
Different distros still run the same software. Gamescope isn't going to be different on Cachy vs Bazzite. Why would it be?
What you need to do is compare different points in TIME (older versions), not the same software just installed differently.
because it still happens on the exact same software that used to work.
It also doesn't happen on different software, which suggests it's not a hardware issue.
I don't have the slightest clue how to do anything with snapshots and it's been months since it began anyway so I wouldn't even know where to start. And even if I did know which version caused the problem, I wouldn't know where to go from there.
I don't have the slightest clue how to do anything with snapshots and it's been months since it began anyway so I wouldn't even know where to start
Well, if you didn't create any, you can't go back to them.
My suggestion is to find the archival ISOs of older versions and try them WITHOUT updating after installing them offline.
Though, if you end up having to install gamescope from the internet, then you're likely getting the exact same latest version no matter what distro you use.
Hence, maybe just easier to learn how to install older versions of packages on cachy. The Arch archive repo makes that quite doable.
And even if I did know which version caused the problem, I wouldn't know where to go from there.
You pin the package/system and prevent it from updating so it keeps working for you. And report the bug so it can be fixed.
A different distro is not different software.
Gamescope on Bazzite is the same as Gamescope on Cachy. Same for Plasma/KDE.
Why would they be different?
A different distro is not different software.
...what!? LOL
Gamescope on Bazzite is the same as Gamescope on Cachy. Same for Plasma/KDE.
Gamescope on either is also not the same as Plasma.
Yes.
A distro or distribution is just a collection of software packages, and usually a package manager.
The actual software itself is the same. The list can be different, but where the items overlap, they are the same. How up to date they are can vary, but Plasma 6 on Bazzite is the exact same as Plasma 6 on Cachy.
Systemd is the same systemd across arch, ubuntu, mint, endeavour, fedora, and any others that use it.
Is this not obvius?
Changing the distro does not tell you much. Especially as you're running the exact same program in the exact same DE, you should absolutely expect the same result.
Is this not obvius?
Not only is it not obvious, it's not accurate.
A distro or distribution is just a collection of software packages
Software packages that are different . That's what makes one distro different from another. Is that not obvious?
Software packages that are different.
No? The same software is the same software, regardless what distro you install it on.
Gamescope running on top of KDE/Plasma in one distro will not be different from Gamescope running on top of KDE/Plasma in another distro.
Distros are just presets. They have far more similarities than differences.
What makes one distro different from another, is that it might come with gnome instead of KDE, pacman instead of apt, initd instead of systemd, systemd-boot instead of grub.
Or any other litany of alternative packages that do the same thing.
But you use the same spftware, the there is little difference between one distro and the next. The main difference is going to be that you installed the same code from a different distributor.
That's literally where the name "distro" comes from.
Software packages that are different
No?
What makes one distro different from another, is that it might come with gnome instead of KDE, pacman instead of apt, initd instead of systemd, systemd-boot instead of grub.
So...different software? Those are all software.
That’s literally where the name of “distro” comes from.
The name comes from different distributions of Linux that come packaged with different software .
I don't know what semantics game you're trying to play here or how it's supposed to help me fix my machine but I'm out.
No.
We use the word distro because they're not really a fully separate OS. Just a different preset with either a lot or almost nothing swapped out as compared to the next.
You are so hung up being correct here you're missing what I'm actually trying to teach you.
You need to be comparing different versions, not distros. Because the same version of the same software is going to have the same problem, no matter what distro you use.
You don't even know how to access system logs, and you expect to understand enough about this stuff to successfully correct me on why trying a different distro isn't that helpful for troubleshooting?
I'm not missing anything. What you're missing is that there are 2 different graphical compositors (AKA software). One works, and one doesn't. On the same hardware. So it's not a hardware issue.
AND I AM TELLING YOU TO DOWNGRADE THEM SO YOU CAN SEE IF AN EARLIER VERSION WORKS CORRECTLY, INSTEAD OF SWAPPING OUT THE ENTIRE DISTRO
ONLY TO TRY THE EXACT SAME COMPOSITOR AS IF THAT WOULD FIX IT
So instead of that, try earlier versions! Different distros from the same date are obviously likely to be running similar versions of Gamescope or whatever else might be the cause.
Are you saying games work fine without invoking the third-party tools?
This sounds more like a general hardware or hearing issue. Monitor your temps, and run a memory test at a minimum. Make sure you don't have a bunch of stuff stacked on your machine or vents clogged.
I don't know what "third party tools" you speak of. If it was a hardware issue, surely it would persist in Plasma?
Gamescope is an extra tool.
If it's heat or hardware it may not show up until CPU, Mem, or GPU are under heavy utilization. That's why I said monitor your temps and test your memory.
I haven't used either, so I don't have any firsthand help to give. But if you want useful help, you'll need more specific details. Crash logs, hardware info, etc.
I don't know how to get crash logs
Start with googling how to use journalctl, filter it based on time, errors, or specific processes.
What does BIOS say about your hardware?
What do you mean?