Getting AAA games working in Linux sometimes requires concealing your GPU
arstechnica.com
Linux gaming's march toward being a real, actual thing has taken serious strides lately, due in large part to Valve's Proton-powered Steam Play efforts. Being Linux, there are still some quirks to figure out. One of them involves games trying to make use of Intel's upscaling tools. Intel developers
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Linux gaming has made significant progress thanks to Valve's Proton-powered Steam Play, but there are still quirks to overcome. One issue involves games trying to use Intel's upscaling tools, which can lead to crashes. To address this, Intel developers added the ability to hide an Intel GPU from the Vulkan Linux driver. This feature prevents games from detecting the Intel GPU and seeking to utilize its specific version of upscaling. The compatibility of upscaling systems may become a priority for Linux gaming, as they are likely to play a crucial role in PC gaming in the future.
Top Highlights
- Linux gaming's march toward being a real, actual thing has taken serious strides lately, due in large part to Valve's Proton-powered Steam Play efforts. Being Linux, there are still some quirks to figure out. One of them involves games trying to make use of Intel's upscaling tools.
- Intel developers contributing to the open source Mesa graphics project added the ability to hide an Intel GPU from the Vulkan Linux driver.
- The "force_vk_vendor" system was needed to prevent games like Cyberpunk 2077 from detecting an Intel GPU and seeking to utilize its specific version of XeSS, which led to crashes. A commit earlier this week adds Hogwart's Legacy to the list of games that need to act like they don't know about an ARC GPU, joining Cyberpunk 2077 and Spider-Man Remast...
- That kind of easy-swap function is not the case when a game is running on a customized version of the WINE Windows-on-Linux, translating Direct3D graphics calls to Vulkan and prodding to see whether it, too, can make use of Intel's graphics boost
- Upscaling systems are likely to be an important part of PC gaming going forward, possibly making their compatibility a priority for Steam Play, Mesa, and Linux gaming as a whole.
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