Vulkan1.3 on the M1 in one month

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Vulkan 1.3 on M1 / Asahi Linux

  • Native Vulkan 1.3 on Asahi Linux is seen as a major milestone; it removes the need for Metal-based layers like MoltenVK on this stack.
  • This unlocks DXVK and Proton-style translation, enabling many DirectX Windows games on Apple Silicon under Linux, with some users reporting 60+ FPS on non-DXVK titles already.
  • Some note this effectively turns Asahi into “the new Boot Camp” for gaming on Macs.

Impact on Mac Gaming vs Linux / Asahi

  • Many argue this could make gaming on Asahi easier and better than on macOS, highlighting Apple’s long neglect of Vulkan and weak OpenGL support.
  • Others counter that Vulkan alone doesn’t fix gaming: the main drivers are market share, long-term compatibility, and business decisions, not just APIs.
  • There’s debate over whether native ports matter; several insist Proton/DXVK-level quality makes “native vs translated” mostly irrelevant for players.

Apple, Metal, and Game Porting Toolkit

  • One camp calls Apple’s refusal to support Vulkan “political” and user-hostile; another says Apple’s priorities (tight Metal integration, unified memory, developer tools) justify it.
  • Game Porting Toolkit (D3D12-on-Metal) is compared to Proton:
    • Pro: targets the dominant DirectX ecosystem.
    • Con: restrictive licensing, can’t be shipped with games, and Apple doesn’t guarantee long-term support.
  • Some think Apple mainly wants AAA titles inside the App Store, not via Steam, which undermines adoption.

State of Vulkan and Competing APIs

  • Several posts stress that relatively few games are natively Vulkan; most AAA titles target DirectX or console APIs.
  • Others point out Vulkan’s importance as a substrate for translation layers (DXVK, VKD3D) and cross-platform engines (Unreal, Unity, Godot).
  • Mixed views on Vulkan’s ergonomics: praised in 1.3 form with dynamic state, but also called verbose, complex, and “for professionals,” unlike Metal’s perceived friendliness.

Technical and Cultural Notes

  • Discussion touches on shader edge cases, compiler bugs, quirky GPU instructions, and CTS conformance as real issues driver authors face.
  • Many express awe at the pace and depth of the driver work, but others remind that it builds on years of prior GPU and reverse-engineering experience.