Over half a year after its previous 39 version, Nobara, a Fedora-based Linux distribution designed for gaming and content creation, has announced the release of its latest version, Nobara 40.
After some hiccups in earlier updates, the new release promises a smoother, more stable experience, loaded with enhancements geared toward performance and usability.
Key Features in Nobara 40
Nobara 40 features a completely remade Update System app. Gone are the days of the monolithic bash script; welcome a sleek Python GUI application seamlessly integrated with the Nobara Package Manager.
Of course, this integration is not just about aestheticsโit enhances functionality, allowing users to manage updates effortlessly from a system tray app.
The distro is powered by Linux kernel 6.8.12, which comes patched with enhancements tailored for various devices, from Surface tablets to T2 MacBooks.
On the desktop side, updates to KDE and GNOME bring these environments up to their latest iterations, respectively, 6.1 and 46.
Moreover, graphics drivers, including the latest NVIDIA offerings and regularly updated Mesa Vulkan drivers, are fine-tuned to offer robust performance across various hardware setups.
As we said at the beginning, Nobara is designed primarily for gamers and content creators.
In light of this, the new release strengthens its gaming credentials with improved support for Gamescope and refined integration with the Steam platform, enhancing the experience on devices like the Steam Deck.
At the same time, updates to OBS Studio introduce new capabilities for content creators, such as the Media Playlist Source plugin and enhanced HDR capture support.
Regarding hardware compatibility, introducing the brand-new Nobara Driver Manager app is a novelty that all distribution users will warmly welcome. Whether itโs gaming rigs or professional workstations, managing third-party drivers is now more straightforward.
And lastly, it is worth mentioning that Nobara 40 returns to its roots with Firefox as the default browser and LibreOffice for productivity tasks, ensuring users have reliable and familiar tools.
The release announcement provides the technical details and a complete list of changes in Nobara 40. Upgrading from version 39 to 40 is described here.
The distro is available for download from the project website in five variants:
- Official: Nobara’s custom-themed version of KDE.
- GNOME: Vanilla GNOME.
- KDE: Vanilla KDE.
- Steam-HTPC: Customized to look/feel like Steam Deck, built for HTPCs, uses KDE.
- Steam-Handheld: Customized to look/feel like Steam Deck, built for handheld devices, uses KDE.
Just pick the version closest to your needs, and happy gaming!
