You Won’t Believe How Easy it is to Install Openrazer on Linux and Revolutionize Your Gaming Set-Up!

As Linux continues to gain popularity as a gaming platform, more and more gamers are looking for ways to optimize their gaming experience on this operating system. One such way is by installing Openrazer, a software that enhances the functionality of gaming peripherals on Linux.

If you’re intimidated by the idea of installing a new software, don’t worry. Installing Openrazer is easy and straightforward. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to do it:

Step 1: Add the Openrazer repository

Open a terminal window and add the Openrazer repository to your system by entering the following command:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:openrazer/stable

Step 2: Update your system

Run the following command to update your system’s package list:

sudo apt-get update

Step 3: Install the Openrazer driver and utility

Enter the following command to install the Openrazer driver and utility:

sudo apt-get install openrazer-meta

Step 4: Install Openrazer’s graphical interface

If you prefer a graphical user interface for Openrazer, you can install Polychromatic, a third-party tool that makes it easy to configure your gaming peripherals on Linux.

To install Polychromatic, enter the following commands:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:polychromatic/stable
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install polychromatic

That’s it! You have successfully installed Openrazer on your Linux system. Now, it’s time to configure your gaming peripherals to make the most out of your gaming experience. Here are some of the features and functions that Openrazer offers:

Customization: You can customize the lighting effects, macros, and key-bindings of your gaming peripherals using Openrazer.

Compatibility: Openrazer supports a wide range of gaming peripherals, including mice, keyboards, and headphones.

Community: Openrazer has an active community of users and developers who regularly contribute to its development and share their knowledge and experience.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, Openrazer is an excellent tool for gamers who use Linux as their primary gaming platform. With its easy installation process and feature-packed functionality, Openrazer can enhance your overall gaming experience by giving you full control over your gaming peripherals. So what are you waiting for? Give Openrazer a try and revolutionize your gaming set-up today!

One of the things that’s most frustrating about building a new computer for Linux is peripherals, especially for gamers who are looking for lots of functionality out of their peripherals. If you have Razer peripherals, you may be in luck, because the OpenRazer project has a solution for you. Here we go over how to install OpenRazer on Linux.

Getting Started

The first place you should go is the project’s Github.io page. You can see what devices are supported and learn more about the installation process. It’s fairly simple, but it does take a bit of time and planning.

Note: I have a Razer Basilisk Essential, which is in the process of being supported, but I’ll still demonstrate the process.

Installing OpenRazer

First, add the user you log in as to the plugdev group. This ensures you will have control over pluggable devices, like mice and keyboards. To do that, simply run the following command:

After that, you can follow the specific instructions for your distro that are listed on the page.

Arch Linux

For Arch users, openrazer is in the AUR, which is quite convenient. They suggest using pacaur to install in order to avoid dependency loops.

All Other Officially Supported Distros

All other officially supported distros should get their packages from the OpenSUSE build service. There are commands available for you to use, and they vary based on your distro. For Fedora, I’ll be running these commands:

For Ubuntu, run these commands:

For OpenSuse, which seems to be the best supported, run these commands:

You can find the commands for your distro there.

For Community-Supported Distros

There are various communities that have stepped up and worked out different ways to support OpenRazer on their distros. You can reference the installation instructions on their website. Some distros like Solus and Void Linux have made it very simple.

Once you have OpenRazer installed, restart your computer, and you should be able to then install one of the graphical front ends listed on their website, which are Polychromatic, RazerGenie, razerCommander, and Snake.

Troubleshooting

General

Make sure you add your user to the plugdev group. Some distros might not have it, but it’s a really important step that allows your user to control those devices.

Also, if you’re having trouble with a device, make sure it’s on the supported devices list. It sounds simple, but if your particular variation of a device is not supported, the device won’t work. OpenRazer will pick up that it’s a Razer device, but it won’t know how to talk to it. Take my Basilisk Essential, for example. The Basilisk is supported, and I bought the Basilisk Essential thinking it would be the same thing. Big mistake.

Fedora

There is a bug specifically with Fedora that makes it install the wrong kernel headers. To counteract that, install the kernel-devel package before you do anything else by running this command:

Hopefully, with the help of OpenRazer, you can get the best out of your Razer peripherals on your Linux system. If your Linux system is running slow, find the cause here. Also, learn how to use the Hosts file to access websites in Linux.

John is a young technical professional with a passion for educating users on the best ways to use their technology. He holds technical certifications covering topics ranging from computer hardware to cybersecurity to Linux system administration.

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