Khronos Group Is Working on EXT Extension to Assist Linux Gaming Translation Layers

[cageymaru]

Piers Daniell is an Nvidia Principal engineer of 11 years, C/C++ expert specializing in OpenGL and Vulkan. He has confirmed that "members of the Vulkan working group are developing a multi-vendor EXT extension for transform feedback with the primary goal of satisfying the needs of the DXVK, vkd3d and ANGLE translation layers." The Vulkan working group is developing it, but not officially promoting it, as there are better "ways of processing and capturing vertex data with the GPU."

This is being done to assist Valve Software in bolstering Steam Play for Linux gaming. The tools listed above and others like Proton, Wine, Lutris, etc have been instrumental in getting Windows games to run on the Linux OS. One of the toughest translation layer jobs has been implementing Stream Output into Wine to fix games like The Witcher 3 according to Linux gamers.

Some members of the Vulkan working group are developing a multi-vendor EXT extension for transform feedback with the primary goal of satisfying the needs of the DXVK, vkd3d and ANGLE translation layers. The Vulkan working group does not plan to promote this functionality as a KHR extension or as core functionality because it believes there are better, more forward-looking ways of processing and capturing vertex data with the GPU. The multi-vendor EXT extension should be available soon and is likely to be implemented on those platforms where DXVK, vkd3d and ANGLE translation is required.

 

[Vercinaigh]

This is quickly moving me in the direction of ditching windows, I've been close a few times, I'm just waiting to get G-sync working on my monitor in one form or another and remove the limitation of game FPS in v-sync modes due to second monitor being 60 hz. That's literally it, everything I play works native or works perfectly acceptably, even brand new titles. It's worth it to get away from this junk OS, I can't wait. Manjaro, Solus or OpenSuse for me. KDE I think just got a long standing Nvidia bug fixed too which is awesome, I love KDE, but Budgie looks awesome and the Rewrite off GTK core in Gnome to Qt is awesome, certainly up there on my list of DE's.

 

[glutto]

Please please please do not allow vendor-specific bullshit to enter into this.

I want off of Windows in the worst way, but a lack of gaming software/compatibility is a full roadblock.

 

[Nobu]

Please please please do not allow vendor-specific bullshit to enter into this.

I want off of Windows in the worst way, but a lack of gaming software/compatibility is a full roadblock.

Well, it is a "multi-vendor" extension (meaning, not single-vendor/vendor-specific) according to tfa. The only reason it's not supported by the working group (who defines the standard) is because they believe there's a better way than this to do what they're doing. That could mean more efficient, or less complicated, or whatever. I imagine if there is a better way, steam will switch as soon as it's standardized if it's not too difficult to change the code.

 

[Private_Ops]

Games are literally the only thing holding me to windows on the desktop. My laptop(s) always have linux on them (generally an ubuntu distrubution but currently Debian (MATE)).


I've been stuck on War Thunder lately and their linux client has horrible performance even on great hardware.

 

[DukenukemX]

CD Project Red could just port Witcher 3 to Linux like they said they would. Of course they won't cause, hey guys look at the new game CyberPunk 2077. It's like Witcher 3, but in the future. Probably wont' get ported to Linux either.

 

[shpankey]

We would all love to be on Linux, and probably every person on this forum has tried various flavors of Linux many multiples of times, saying to ourselves "ok this is really it, I'm going to go there and stay there" only to end back up on Windows inevitably, after some new hot game comes out and the myriad of tweaking/tuning/customizing/problem solving gives way and hating Wine solutions.

I'm sorry, but it's never ever going to ever be a viable solution to a gamer. Even games that do run, end up running way worse on Linux. But sure, we can dual-boot and run side systems w/ Linux, which is what I do, but our main rig is going to be Windows for the next decade, at least.... probably forever. Everything else is wishful thinking.

 

[ChadD]

We would all love to be on Linux, and probably every person on this forum has tried various flavors of Linux many multiples of times, saying to ourselves "ok this is really it, I'm going to go there and stay there" only to end back up on Windows inevitably, after some new hot game comes out and the myriad of tweaking/tuning/customizing/problem solving gives way and hating Wine solutions.

I'm sorry, but it's never ever going to ever be a viable solution to a gamer. Even games that do run, end up running way worse on Linux. But sure, we can dual-boot and run side systems w/ Linux, which is what I do, but our main rig is going to be Windows for the next decade, at least.... probably forever. Everything else is wishful thinking.

Well the simple truth is... if everyone reading [H] that built their own PC along with every other PC nerd that built their own PC switched to Linux today. Linux would go up a fraction of 1%.

The bottom line as has always been the main stumbling block of Linux adoption, from either the end user or developer side. Has always been the OEM issue. What Linux needs to really see adoption rates go up is solid OEM push. (not one off netbook crap... or some fly by night vendor pushing cheapo machines with some terrible distro installed) Google may lead the charge if gaming comes to chomeos it will come in the form of Linux+Vulkan, with potential involvement of Valve or google using their open source work themselves. Ubuntu has gotten a few wins with Dell... but Dells offerings are squarely aimed at developers not consumers.

I have learned to never say MS is solid and can't be touched. I have heard it too many times over the years. I remember a friend saying to me, "iphone ??? lol good luck with that Windows Mobile has been around forever." I also remember not even that long ago hearing "Internet explorer is entrenched in the corp world no one is giving it up for nothing," now I can't remember the last time I went into a new clients office and seen anyone using IE. The last market MS really has themselves wedged into is gaming... but I would hardly go as far as calling it a safe position. Between Valve and Sony... the entire "windows" gaming ecosystem is sitting on code that can be ported very quickly if game publishers wanted to support some new hottness device... or have $ thrown at them to provide launch titles for some gaming chromebook or something. Many of the DX 10/11 titles have pssl ports (or more likely where coded using pssl first) for PS4, converting pssl calls to Vulkan calls is easier then converting them to DX.

We'll see you may be right and windows may be the king of high end PC gaming for years to come... still I'm not so sure that is an easy bet anymore.

 

[dyzophoria]

It is indeed as a good start, but I just wish to say that I don't think "this is the death of windows". honestly, I don't think that is primarily valve's direction, they just want more people in steam. they seldom develop games nowadays, your only income generating model is via the steam distribution. Instead of saying that linux is the future drop everything else, I think it's more okay to add some variety, heck I wish steam on ios would finally push through (from my last account it did not).

 

[techie81]

Well, this is the longest and most active I have had Linux working on my backup computer. I have been tinkering and testing it for months now. I know it's fun to say, "this is it!" but really - I am very close to moving off windows. Projects like this are really awesome and are making it possible.

 

[motomonkey]

Please please please do not allow vendor-specific bullshit to enter into this.

I want off of Windows in the worst way, but a lack of gaming software/compatibility is a full roadblock.

That,

and a really good photo workflow/editing program. But at the rate Adobe keeps going, I won't be able to get Lightroom as a standalone in a few years anyway (I refuse to "subscribe" to software), so. there goes that to.

 

[Hatriot]

. The last market MS really has themselves wedged into is gaming... but I would hardly go as far as calling it a safe position. Between Valve and Sony... the entire "windows" gaming ecosystem is sitting on code that can be ported very quickly if game publishers wanted to support some new hottness device... or have $ thrown at them to provide launch titles for some gaming chromebook or something. Many of the DX 10/11 titles have pssl ports (or more likely where coded using pssl first) for PS4, converting pssl calls to Vulkan calls is easier then converting them to DX.

We'll see you may be right and windows may be the king of high end PC gaming for years to come... still I'm not so sure that is an easy bet anymore.

I agree to a certain extent, but doubt MS sees that market as their bread and butter. Their Enterprise market share is still booming, and their cloud and hosted solutions have been a huge hit for the company. So much so they are considering offering Windows as a SaaS now which is what many predicted was the ultimate goal. I think they see gaming as a necessary evil sort of market they need to continue to support for now, until they can move everyone to consoles.

 

[Icon_Charlie]

Games are literally the only thing holding me to windows on the desktop. My laptop(s) always have linux on them (generally an ubuntu distrubution but currently Debian (MATE)).


I've been stuck on War Thunder lately and their linux client has horrible performance even on great hardware.

It's Tongue and Cheek time

I am like you waiting to fully integrate into a Linux environment until then I am running 3 OS's on 3 separate SSD's on my set up and considering it takes less then 30 seconds to switch between OS's I at the moment have the best of 3 worlds.

I absolutely hate Windows 10... it is bloatware extreme that you have to reset every time it has a major update.
I am liking Zorin 12.4 as I am really a Nub... Yes I am a scrub, a monkey boy, a rug rat in the realm of the Penguin. I admit it (sobs in a corner somewhere) and if I was a few years younger I go and learn, but when you get to my age... being old as dirt and knowing that your brain cells are revolting on how much they want to learn, you have to choose which battles to die on.

So I'll face plant on the Linux front bowing down my unworthiness to the techno gods and go beat up on a few larger corporations which by the way I'm pretty good at. Its nice to smile when they have to pay me for the location their business resides on my land.

Yup I'm a Pirate-ninga-gun-toting-republican-jesus-freak that rides Harley's and votes democratic. But I will punch you in the face if you try to give me a SOY BOI drink... nope... the last time I look my nuts are still dangling and Jeager in the Morning is my mouthwash. Goes great with Captain Crunch Too.

And Zorin 12.4 has a win 7 interface for this dumb ass to use and of course my third OS is Win7... for my old legacy devices.

Storage is provided by a 2 GB hot swappable hard drive.

The concept of my rig was on a friendly bet in a private forum. To build the best bang for the buck that is fully upgradeable. Not obsolete within 2 years, and be a fully multimedia machine. And do it for under $909 bucks... Tax and shipping included.

So I did. With New parts with one exception my Case. A Corsair Carbide 400r which was open box. So yes it was new-ish and with everything there but I can't honestly claim it to be new even though it looks new. But for 40 bucks (and effing loving the case) I'm not complaining one bit.

Maybe this old fart in his life time will see one day all types of games being played on Linux. But like Nvidia and their bullshit attitude with their choke hold of the video card market, Micro$haft has theirs with WinDoZe 10. The whole irony is that if you strip all of the useless shit out of Windows 10 (win 10 lite), and give it back its basic GUI its actually very fast.

Micro$shaft can do this but of course they won't and in the near future I firmly believe it will be just like Word 365... Subscription based.

Also you have to have a some humor when you get old. I certainly don't want to look like my dad who is still alive with his bushy mono brow that reaches his ears. I swear there must be some Neanderthal in my family. If I don't keep myself clean, trim and proper, I'm going to look like Bluto (Popeye cartoons) with ear hair you can braid... Horrible thought indeed.

But that's where the Jeager comes in With a few shots in I can become...

THE TRON GUY.... HEH HEH HEH....

ANYWAY... HAVE FUN AND PEACE OUT