Valve developers have done a lot of work over the years to improve AMD GPUs on Linux, and continue to do so with the Steam Deck using AMD and it seems like they're now getting stuck into NVIDIA too.
Specifically for NVK, the open source Vulkan NVIDIA driver in Mesa which has seen a lot of focus recently on bringing up performance. Now though it's getting improved so that Gamescope can properly run on it too, which will be really useful.
Posting on X (formerly Twitter) Valve developer Pierre-Loup Griffais mentioned:
The two patches noted from developer Mohamed Ahmed are a Mesa Merge Request for get the Vulkan extensions VK_EXT_image_drm_format_modifier support hooked up. And then a change for Nouveau that notes it "Allows PTE kind and tile mode on BO create with VM_BIND, as well as adds a GETPARAM to indicate this change. This is needed to support modifiers in NVK and ensure correctness when dealing with the nouveau GL driver."
Bigger version of the attached image from the post above:
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pleasereadthemanual May 6, 2024
Awesome.
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I don't plan to use a Nvidia GPU anytime soon but this is very cool. Open source drivers, no matter the manufacturer getting some love is always a good thing.
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Wait. Why? Is valve...? Why are they doing this? Is something with nvidia in the works or is it steamos?
They do fix things up for Intel and Nvidia also, the main focus originally was on AMd hardware for obvious reasons but it makes sense to get it working on as much hardware as possible, especially if they eventually release SteamOS for general use. I think I read recently Nvidia are looking to support NVK more going forward.
Last edited by lejimster on 6 May 2024 at 1:58 pm UTC
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Wait. Why? Is valve...? Why are they doing this? Is something with nvidia in the works or is it steamos?Flirting with Nvidia to keep AMD on their toes?
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Wait. Why? Is valve...? Why are they doing this? Is something with nvidia in the works or is it steamos?
I'm guessing since steam has become one of the defacto game store platforms and the steamdeck is working at some point they will want to expand their footprint. If they release an open source OS that can run on a ton of hardware they can become the Google + Android bundle of the gaming community. I mean think about it, almost every game ends up on steam now unless it's console only. On top of that every sale nets valve a commission, the more hardware their software works with the more cash they make.
As a boon everyone is sick of advertisements and M$ now wants to put junk on their os so people are switching to Linux or contemplating it. First guy to the party with the solution usually wins unless they get greedy and anger the people using it.
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Wait. Why? Is valve...? Why are they doing this? Is something with nvidia in the works or is it steamos?Flirting with Nvidia to keep AMD on their toes?
Could be. I'm sure Valve would like to have options for any future hardware developments.
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Wait. Why? Is valve...? Why are they doing this? Is something with nvidia in the works or is it steamos?Why not? They want Linux to be a viable platform, and most Steam users have an Nvidia GPU by a huge margin. Open source allows them to improve things directly. They poached Pierre-Loup Griffais from the Nvidia Linux driver team, so it's not like they don't have the expertise.
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It will definitely help with a general SteamOS release.
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Pleasd never stop using "formely known as Twitter" :D
Man i hope you are right, that would be great...
I think I read recently Nvidia are looking to support NVK more going forward.
Man i hope you are right, that would be great...
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Wait. Why? Is valve...? Why are they doing this? Is something with nvidia in the works or is it steamos?
I've been strongly suspecting the reason SteamOS 3 has not seen a general release is that you can't exactly have a consistent and reliable gamescope session on Nvidia cards yet so they're playing it safe and trying to get this kind of stuff sorted first so that 3 doesn't come out, have dealbreaker problems, and have a bunch of new people who've never used linux before go "SEE? I KNEW LINUX WAS BAD!"
This could also be copium I'm huffing however and valve isn't gonna release SteamOS 3 except to hardware devs, as in people who make handheld PCs that aren't Steam Deck.
Would roll my eyes if the real reason is that they were trying to update SteamOS 3 enough that the one that releases is 4, cause, you know, valve and that number 3.
Last edited by WMan22 on 7 May 2024 at 7:08 am UTC
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Wait. Why? Is valve...? Why are they doing this? Is something with nvidia in the works or is it steamos?
I've been strongly suspecting the reason SteamOS 3 has not seen a general release is that you can't exactly have a consistent and reliable gamescope session on Nvidia cards yet so they're playing it safe and trying to get this kind of stuff sorted first so that 3 doesn't come out, have dealbreaker problems, and have a bunch of new people who've never used linux before go "SEE? I KNEW LINUX WAS BAD!"
This could also be copium I'm huffing however and valve isn't gonna release SteamOS 3 except to hardware devs, as in people who make handheld PCs that aren't Steam Deck.
Would roll my eyes if the real reason is that they were trying to update SteamOS 3 enough that the one that releases is 4, cause, you know, valve and that number 3.
This makes perfect sense to me. Releasing a gaming focused OS without anything but stellar support for the GPU brand that 80% of gaming PC's use would be a colossal mistake. I actually think SteamOS is nowhere near ready for a general release. It needs more driver support for a lot of different devices, better support for screen sharing (with sound), recording and streaming etc. I myself switched to Linux on my gaming PC earlier this year and from my point of view I would say that the experience, the quality and the features are not there for a large gaming audience. Remember that most PC gamers are not that tech savvy. They think they are because they (some of them) download drivers from the internet, install some monitor software and actually look at the settings in the graphics panel. They have a better understanding of their computer than "the average user" but not enough to switch to Linux today without a lot of friction.
I think Valve is serious about Steam OS but have the failure of SteamOS 2.0 and Steam Machines in the back of their heads. I imagine they will want to do better this time. Wild guess; we won't see a general release of SteamOS until 4.0 which probably won't be until 2026 judging by the frequency of updates. 3.5 took 9 months and 3.6 looks to be the same if it lands in June. Which means we get 1-2 big updates per year. In 2025 we could get 3.7 in March and 3.8 in December. Hopefully by then SteamOS will be in shape for a PC's release later in 2026. I would be surprised if we don't get SteamOS for other handheld devices earlier, sometime next year.
Of course this is just speculation. I'm just trying to predict future behavior based on past behavior which is always difficult when it comes to Valve :)
Last edited by Brokatt on 7 May 2024 at 9:35 am UTC
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Remember that most PC gamers are not that tech savvy.This still seems weird to me. I can accept that it's true, but it's weird.
I was around for the start of PC gaming, and learning what you could configure, what it did, experimenting, personalising, tweaking, overclocking, and all of that... was PC gaming. When I switched to Linux 20 years ago, nothing particular changed; I carried on gaming, I carried on learning, and I carried on personalising - I just had a broader palette to work with.
That there are generations of PC gamers since that do gaming like cubicle work, with none of that knowledge or variety, always strikes me as a bit odd... and a little bit sad.
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ElectricPrism May 7, 2024
Mega props, I'm not a user but I'm sure many people will benefit from this work.
Diversity and options are strength, it's great to see techies reach new milestones no matter which banner it's under.
Diversity and options are strength, it's great to see techies reach new milestones no matter which banner it's under.
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Remember that most PC gamers are not that tech savvy.This still seems weird to me. I can accept that it's true, but it's weird.
I blame the crypto mining boom making prebuilt PCs a cheaper way to upgrade than building your own stuff for a while, the lack of dedicated server options for a lot of games meaning that you don't need to learn how to port forward anymore, how much is automated in Windows (often against your will), and the lack of manual modding support for games (most stuff is automated through things like R2Modman, Steam Workshop, Mod Organizer 2, and Mod.io nowadays) and search bars like the one in the taskbar on windows and even stuff on Linux like Rofi/Pop Launcher meaning you don't have to really understand filesystems as much as you used to, either.
To be clear, I think having a mod manager is a good thing, things SHOULD work that way instead of manually replacing files in my opinion, though that leads to lost skills obviously, plus I have strong disdain for matchmaking based multiplayer cause it removes the social "town square" element of servers that specialized in specific kinds of gameplay with specific regulars of people you could meet and become fast friends with.
When a skill is no longer needed, it atrophies in people.
Last edited by WMan22 on 7 May 2024 at 8:26 pm UTC
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