3 ms·

If you mean "I have a mac, is it better to run linux to game?" Then there's a case for it, since you can run AAA games that apple + macos doesn't support / all

by m463 2y ago

If you mean "I have a mac, is it better to run linux to game?" Then there's a case for it, since you can run AAA games that apple + macos doesn't support / allow.

GeekyBear 2y ago
Nothing prevents you from running games under emulation on MacOS. Apple and Wine provide the tools, and apps like Whisky make them easy to use. > Essentially, this app combines multiple translation layers into a single translation tool. It uses Wine, a translation layer that allows Windows apps and games to run on POSIX-based operating systems, like macOS and Linux. It also uses Rosetta and the Game Porting Toolkit, which are two official Apple tools that allow x86 programs to run on Apple Silicon and serve as a framework for porting Windows games to macOS, respectively. Normally, this sort of process would require users to manually port games to Mac. But by combining Wine, Rosetta, and the Game Porting Toolkit, this can all happen automatically. https://www.xda-developers.com/hands-on-whisky-macos-gaming/ https://www.xda-developers.com/hands-on-whisky-macos-gaming/ However, as aleays, running games under emulation has a performance cost.
kergonath 2y ago
You’d need to compare with what can be done on macOS including with things like crossover and the GPT. AFAICT, the Linux side is making progress, but still more games can be run from macOS.
- talldayo 2y ago
  > AFAICT, the Linux side is making progress, but still more games can be run from macOS. I don't believe that's true. According to ProtonDB, 80% of the top-1000 most-played games on Steam are confirmed working on Linux: https://www.protondb.com/dashboard https://www.protondb.com/dashboard I haven't seen any source documenting nearly similar success rates with Mac but I also haven't seriously tried gaming on Apple Silicon.
  - whimsicalism 2y ago
    steam deck is x86
    - talldayo 2y ago
      What a coincidence! So are a variety of Macs that shipped with hardware supporting Linux and Vulkan on day 1.
      - russelg 2y ago
        Yes, but this thread is about Asahi Linux, which is for M series Macbooks. Not x86.
- achandlerwhite 2y ago
  The Mac efforts rely on MoltenVK for and Vulkan needs which itself relies on the underlying Metal API. As I understand it Asahi/Honeykrisp driver for Vulkan does not rely on the Metal API so it actually can do more conformant Vulkan than Crossover/Whisky can. For example tranform feedback and other geometry shader stuff will work on Asahi. MoltenVK is working on it, but not there yet.
  - dagmx 2y ago
    You’re ignoring D3DMetal which is what is most commonly going to be used and equivalent to what Proton is doing to convert D3D to VK. Most games are D3D. A very small minority are Vulkan from the get go.
    - achandlerwhite 2y ago
      On many games I have tried DX => DXVK => MoltenVk => Metal is significantly faster than DX => D3DMetal. For example XCOM2 is about twice the frames per second (yeah it has an official Mac version but it is even slower).

by m463 2y ago

If you mean "I have a mac, is it better to run linux to game?" Then there's a case for it, since you can run AAA games that apple + macos doesn't support / allow.

GeekyBear 2y ago

Nothing prevents you from running games under emulation on MacOS. Apple and Wine provide the tools, and apps like Whisky make them easy to use. > Essentially, this app combines multiple translation layers into a single translation tool. It uses Wine, a translation layer that allows Windows apps and games to run on POSIX-based operating systems, like macOS and Linux. It also uses Rosetta and the Game Porting Toolkit, which are two official Apple tools that allow x86 programs to run on Apple Silicon and serve as a framework for porting Windows games to macOS, respectively. Normally, this sort of process would require users to manually port games to Mac. But by combining Wine, Rosetta, and the Game Porting Toolkit, this can all happen automatically. https://www.xda-developers.com/hands-on-whisky-macos-gaming/ https://www.xda-developers.com/hands-on-whisky-macos-gaming/ However, as aleays, running games under emulation has a performance cost.

kergonath 2y ago

You’d need to compare with what can be done on macOS including with things like crossover and the GPT. AFAICT, the Linux side is making progress, but still more games can be run from macOS.

talldayo 2y ago
> AFAICT, the Linux side is making progress, but still more games can be run from macOS. I don't believe that's true. According to ProtonDB, 80% of the top-1000 most-played games on Steam are confirmed working on Linux: https://www.protondb.com/dashboard https://www.protondb.com/dashboard I haven't seen any source documenting nearly similar success rates with Mac but I also haven't seriously tried gaming on Apple Silicon.
- whimsicalism 2y ago
  steam deck is x86
  - talldayo 2y ago
    What a coincidence! So are a variety of Macs that shipped with hardware supporting Linux and Vulkan on day 1.
    - russelg 2y ago
      Yes, but this thread is about Asahi Linux, which is for M series Macbooks. Not x86.
achandlerwhite 2y ago
The Mac efforts rely on MoltenVK for and Vulkan needs which itself relies on the underlying Metal API. As I understand it Asahi/Honeykrisp driver for Vulkan does not rely on the Metal API so it actually can do more conformant Vulkan than Crossover/Whisky can. For example tranform feedback and other geometry shader stuff will work on Asahi. MoltenVK is working on it, but not there yet.
- dagmx 2y ago
  You’re ignoring D3DMetal which is what is most commonly going to be used and equivalent to what Proton is doing to convert D3D to VK. Most games are D3D. A very small minority are Vulkan from the get go.
  - achandlerwhite 2y ago
    On many games I have tried DX => DXVK => MoltenVk => Metal is significantly faster than DX => D3DMetal. For example XCOM2 is about twice the frames per second (yeah it has an official Mac version but it is even slower).