Vulkan1.3 on the M1 in one month

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

A new Vulkan 1.3 driver for Apple’s M1 GPUs on Asahi Linux is being hailed as a major technical achievement and a potential turning point for gaming on Apple hardware outside macOS. Commenters debate whether Vulkan support plus Proton‑style translation can make ARM Macs viable for modern PC games, contrasting this open, cross‑platform approach with Apple’s Metal API and Game Porting Toolkit. The conversation broadens into whether Apple’s long‑standing neglect of Vulkan and frequent platform breakage have permanently discouraged AAA developers, even as Linux gaming and the Steam Deck demonstrate what robust Vulkan support can enable.

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.