If you’re looking for a better Linux-based gaming experience on your Apple Silicon Mac, you’re going to like this.
The Asahi Linux project has released the first conformant OpenGL ES 3.1 drivers for Apple silicon Macs in a significant update for improved gaming performance on Macs running the Linux operating system.
The project functions as a collaborative effort aimed at bringing the Linux operating system to Macs that contain M1 or M2 chips. The new OpenGL ES 3.1 drivers represent the first time that conformant GPU drivers have been made available for Apple’s newest hardware running on the Linux platform. The drivers meet industry standards, and have apparently undergone extensive testing, including tens of thousands of individual tests, to ensure that they meet the necessary criteria.
The drivers have also been approved/signed off as conformant by Khronos, the organization that currently oversees the standards related to OpenGL.
Apple’s drivers, for its part, function as proprietary software written for the GPUs that have been integrated into the M1 and M2-series chips, and do not conform to standard graphics APIs such as Vulkan, OpenGL, or OpenGL ES.
If you’ve had a chance to try the new drivers, please let us know about your experience in the comments.
Via MacRumors and rosenzweig.io