Running a VM gives the parent the ability to read/write arbitrary memory without [even rootkit] anticheat being able to detect, which can facilitate cheating, and therefore can earn you bans. The whole point of the rootkit is that the game can confirm that you don’t have any way to read/write arbitrary memory.

If you've already put a piece of hardware into your computer made by nvidia, installing a kernel driver also made by nvidia does not increase your risk at all.

Installing some random anti-cheat kernel driver is not the same thing, at all.

> Most people do install Nvidia’s out‐of‐tree graphics driver

Most people that use Nvidia. I specifically don't buy Nvidia graphics cards or laptops that use them in my Linux computers because they're not in-tree.

I am not using Nvidia since 2011. Last nvidia device was bought in 2007.

Back then I migrated to Archlinux and in all these years I only had problems with nvidia. Since then they are dead to me :)

A few things to consider here:

- This is an abnormal case. Most hardware will work with in-tree drivers. Indeed, few vendors provide out-of-tree drivers for Linux.

- Nvidia is an established and reputable source. We aren't talking about some small hardware developer who doesn't have the resources to create secure drivers.

- Most Nvidia cards have in-tree drivers. There is a loss in performance, but the option usually exists.

It's a risk, but a very minor additional one - if you trust their hardware with direct access to your PCIe bus, you have already given them the metaphorical keys to the vault.

Approximately no one with a Steam Deck installs Nvidia's out of tree graphics driver (because the Steam Deck is built on AMD).