Proton | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net KitGuru.net - Tech News | Hardware News | Hardware Reviews | IOS | Mobile | Gaming | Graphics Cards Thu, 08 Jun 2023 12:19:22 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://www.kitguru.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/cropped-KITGURU-Light-Background-SQUARE2-32x32.png Proton | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net 32 32 Apple introduces Proton-like emulation for Windows games on Macs https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/apple/matthew-wilson/apple-introduces-proton-like-emulation-for-windows-games-on-macs/ https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/apple/matthew-wilson/apple-introduces-proton-like-emulation-for-windows-games-on-macs/#respond Wed, 07 Jun 2023 16:00:15 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=618781 In recent years, Apple has been focusing more on gaming, particularly on the Mac platform. Its latest chips have powerful, efficient iGPUs, paving the way for games like Death Stranding and No Man's Sky on Mac. Now, Apple is testing new ways to make bringing games to Mac easier for developers.  Valve has championed Linux …

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In recent years, Apple has been focusing more on gaming, particularly on the Mac platform. Its latest chips have powerful, efficient iGPUs, paving the way for games like Death Stranding and No Man's Sky on Mac. Now, Apple is testing new ways to make bringing games to Mac easier for developers. 

Valve has championed Linux gaming for years and has made huge strides in this area recently, The latest versions of Proton allow for most Windows games to run on Linux systems, like the Steam Deck, without much issue. Now, as pointed out by The Verge, Apple is working on a Proton-like environment that can get DX12 Windows games running on Mac.

Some have already tested this tool. In one example, a Redditor got Cyberpunk 2077 running on an Apple M1 MacBook Pro. At 1440×900 resolution and ultra settings, the game didn't run particularly well, delivering sub-15FPS performance. However, more sensible graphics settings, like the low preset, could possibly get the game running at a playable frame rate.

This tool is part of Apple's new Game Porting Toolkit, providing an emulation environment for unmodified Windows games. This gives developers a chance to test the game and identify areas of focus before endeavouring on a true native port. For now, it isn't intended as a catch-all solution for gaming on Macs, like Proton is for the Steam Deck.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: We're not quite at the point where we could start considering Macs as a capable alternative for gaming but if tools like this can increase developer support, then we might get to that point eventually. 

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First independent benchmarks shows Intel Arc A380 losing out to AMD’s RX 6400 https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/joao-silva/first-independent-benchmarks-shows-intel-arc-a380-losing-out-to-amds-rx-6400/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/joao-silva/first-independent-benchmarks-shows-intel-arc-a380-losing-out-to-amds-rx-6400/#respond Thu, 23 Jun 2022 14:50:58 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=565296 This week, the first independent benchmarks for the Intel Arc A380 GPU were published, mostly coming from Chinese media sites. With the desktop graphics card now in the hands of independent reviewers, we have gained some new insight into how the GPU performs, but it isn't entirely good news, as the card seems to lose …

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This week, the first independent benchmarks for the Intel Arc A380 GPU were published, mostly coming from Chinese media sites. With the desktop graphics card now in the hands of independent reviewers, we have gained some new insight into how the GPU performs, but it isn't entirely good news, as the card seems to lose out to the RX 6400 in a number of tests. 

Chinese reviewer Shenmedounengce (via VideoCardz) had the chance to test the Gunnir A380 Photon graphics card, the only A380 custom card we know of at this time. In addition to this card, the system was equipped with an Intel Core i5-12400 on a B660 motherboard with DDR4 memory. In the video published by the reviewer, he compares the A380 with other entry-level cards, including the RX 6400, RX 6500 XT, GTX 1650 and RTX 3050.

As per the data gathered by the reviewer, the A380 beat the GTX 1650 and the two Radeon cards in 3DMark tests (Time Spy and Port Royal), but the RTX 3050 was still considerably better than Intel's GPU. These results were more or less what we've come to expect from this card, but, to our surprise, the gaming benchmarks show a different reality.

The reviewer tested the five cards in various DX11, Vulkan and DX12 games, and there wasn't a single case where the A380 could beat the RX 6400 or the GTX 1650. Forza Horizon 5 is where we see the most significant difference in performance between Intel's new GPU and the entry-level AMD card, where the RX 6400 was 30% faster than the A380.

It is worth noting that we don't know what the driver situation is like. Intel has not shown much of its desktop GPUs in the West as the driver team is still working on the software side. This is also why the rollout of Intel Arc equipped laptops has been slow following Intel's launch earlier this year.

The Intel A380 is currently available in China with an MSRP of ¥1030 (£125). A western release date hasn't been announced yet.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru says: The A380 is an entry-level graphics card with limited availability at this time. Hopefully in the not too distant future we'll be able to put Intel's full Arc Alchemist desktop GPU line-up to the test. 

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Persona 4 Golden is fixed; now playable on Steam Deck https://www.kitguru.net/desktop-pc/mustafa-mahmoud/persona-4-golden-is-fixed-now-playable-on-steam-deck/ https://www.kitguru.net/desktop-pc/mustafa-mahmoud/persona-4-golden-is-fixed-now-playable-on-steam-deck/#respond Wed, 16 Feb 2022 17:50:21 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=550558 Being a Linux-based machine, the Steam Deck has to use its Proton compatibility layer in order to play a large number of PC games – which are typically made for Windows machines. With an older version of Proton, Persona 4 Golden would have been incompatible. Luckily, this has now been fixed. Late last month, Epic …

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Being a Linux-based machine, the Steam Deck has to use its Proton compatibility layer in order to play a large number of PC games – which are typically made for Windows machines. With an older version of Proton, Persona 4 Golden would have been incompatible. Luckily, this has now been fixed.

Late last month, Epic Games released the first list of Steam Deck-compatible games. Unfortunately, while a majority of tested games did in fact work, one of the most exciting – Persona 4 Golden – was wholly incompatible.

This was disappointing due to the fact that Persona 4 Golden lends itself nicely to a handheld format, due to its length and gameplay structure (plus Golden originally released on the PS Vita handheld).

As reported by Valve coder Pierre-Loup Griffais, “Proton 7.0 is now available! Highlights include playable Persona 4 Golden, audio fixes for Skyrim and Fallout games, local H264 decoding support, and the foundation for legacy EAC support. SW: Squadrons and Knockout City are currently playable with EAC, with more on the way soon!”

Considering the fact that the Steam Deck is not officially out yet, seeing support being added pre-launch is encouraging, and may have been one of the reasons as to why the device was delayed from its initial late 2021 launch datethough official word from Valve at the time was that the delay was due to hardware shortages. Whether intentionally or not, this delay also means that even more games will be playable day-one – and that is an exciting prospect.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: Are you excited for the Steam Deck? What game are you looking forward to playing the most on it? When is your Deck meant to arrive? Let us know down below.

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Easy Anti-Cheat and BattlEye confirm support for Steam Deck https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/easy-anti-cheat-and-battleye-confirm-support-for-steam-deck/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/easy-anti-cheat-and-battleye-confirm-support-for-steam-deck/#respond Sun, 26 Sep 2021 15:09:53 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=533166 While Proton will ensure that almost every game available on Steam can run on the upcoming Steam Deck, and PCs running Linux, there has been a big question mark hanging over certain multiplayer titles, as not all anti-cheat solutions support Linux. Fortunately, Valve has managed to solve this issue, and now, both BattlEye and Easy …

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While Proton will ensure that almost every game available on Steam can run on the upcoming Steam Deck, and PCs running Linux, there has been a big question mark hanging over certain multiplayer titles, as not all anti-cheat solutions support Linux. Fortunately, Valve has managed to solve this issue, and now, both BattlEye and Easy Anti-Cheat will work on the Steam Deck. 

BattlEye is used across some of the most popular online games around, including Destiny 2, PUBG and Rainbow Six Siege. Easy Anti-Cheat is also widely used, appearing in Apex Legends, Dead by Daylight, Fortnite, Halo, Rust and more.

This week, BattlEye confirmed that it has rolled out native Linux and Mac support, as has Easy Anti-Cheat, meaning mutliplayer focused games on Steam should have no issues running on the Steam Deck.

Valve announced the Steam Deck earlier this year and while the handheld gaming system is capable of running Windows, it will come pre-installed with SteamOS, all set up for instant gaming. SteamOS is based on Linux, which would normally lead to compatibility issues, but over the years, Valve has been hard at work to provide a custom wrapper, known as Proton, to ensure Windows-only titles can run on Linux systems, something that benefits the Steam Deck and the wider Linux gaming community.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: With this issue now resolved, the Steam Deck is primed for success. Are any of you going to be picking up a Steam Deck at launch? 

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Valve’s Steam for Linux compatibility tool already has 1,000 perfectly playable games https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/operating-systems/matthew-wilson/valves-steam-for-linux-compatibility-tool-already-has-1000-perfectly-playable-games/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/operating-systems/matthew-wilson/valves-steam-for-linux-compatibility-tool-already-has-1000-perfectly-playable-games/#respond Wed, 29 Aug 2018 11:39:38 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=384735 Last week, Valve brought Windows game compatibility to Linux in the form of an official tool for Steam. The team had been working on this new compatibility tool for around two years and now that it is in public beta, the community has been quick to test it. While Valve's initial wave of officially approved …

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Last week, Valve brought Windows game compatibility to Linux in the form of an official tool for Steam. The team had been working on this new compatibility tool for around two years and now that it is in public beta, the community has been quick to test it. While Valve's initial wave of officially approved games was fairly small, community testers have figured out that close to 1,000 games are already perfectly playable on Linux now.

The new Steam Play update for Linux contains a modified version of Wine known as ‘Proton'. This allows Windows games to install and run directly through the Steam client, complete with native support for Steamworks and OpenVR features. Vulkan support is added to improve compatibility and reduce performance impact. Valve also worked to improve multi-thread performance over vanilla Wine and add support for controllers and fullscreen modes.

You can find the initial wave of Valve-approved games HERE. However, according to the Linux community, many major games are already perfectly stable using this new tool. According to Forbes, over 2,134 unique games have been tested already and 971 of them achieved ‘completely stable' status, meaning it works and runs just as well on Linux as it would on Windows.

Jason Evangelho has personally tested titles like Monster Hunter: World, Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus and DiRT 4 with plenty of success. Given the amount of community feedback coming in, Valve's list of officially whitelisted games should begin to grow at a rapid pace.

With all of that said, mileage will vary depending on each user's Linux distro of choice, in addition to their graphics card. Some systems will be more stable and capable than others.

KitGuru Says: While I don't use Linux personally, this is actually very exciting and could open the door for SteamOS to be more widely adopted and usable in the future. Have any of you tried out Steam's new Linux compatibility tool?

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Steam Play update brings Windows games to Linux https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/steam-play-update-brings-windows-games-to-linux/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/steam-play-update-brings-windows-games-to-linux/#respond Wed, 22 Aug 2018 08:57:34 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=384147 Last week, we began hearing that Valve might be planning a Steam update that would bring Windows game compatibility to Linux on a wider scale. Now, the feature has launched in public beta, giving Linux users the chance to test out some new games that were previously only available on Microsoft's OS. Valve made the …

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Last week, we began hearing that Valve might be planning a Steam update that would bring Windows game compatibility to Linux on a wider scale. Now, the feature has launched in public beta, giving Linux users the chance to test out some new games that were previously only available on Microsoft's OS.

Valve made the announcement on the Steam for Linux group last night. This new initiative started out two years ago and aims to “improve the quality and performance of Windows compatibility solutions for Steam games”. The new Steam Play update contains a modified version of Wine called ‘Proton'. This means that Windows games with no Linux version can be installed and run directly from the Steam client, complete with native Steamworks and OpenVR support.

DirectX 11 and DirectX 12 implementations are now based on Vulkan, resulting in improved game compatibility and reducing performance impact.

A few other improvements include fullscreen support, improved game controller support and performance improvements for multi-threaded games. Multi-thread support in particular is said to be “greatly improved” compared to vanilla Wine.

The goal is to eventually support the entire Steam catalogue. For this initial public beta though, there is a selection of recommended games for users to try:

  • Beat Saber
  • Bejeweled 2 Deluxe
  • Doki Doki Literature Club!
  • DOOM
  • DOOM II: Hell on Earth
  • DOOM VFR
  • Fallout Shelter
  • FATE
  • FINAL FANTASY VI
  • Geometry Dash
  • Google Earth VR
  • Into The Breach
  • Magic: The Gathering – Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012
  • Magic: The Gathering – Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013
  • Mount & Blade
  • Mount & Blade: With Fire & Sword
  • NieR: Automata
  • PAYDAY: The Heist
  • QUAKE
  • S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl
  • Star Wars: Battlefront 2
  • Tekken 7
  • The Last Remnant
  • Tropico 4
  • Ultimate Doom
  • Warhammer® 40,000: Dawn of War® – Dark Crusade
  • Warhammer® 40,000: Dawn of War® – Soulstorm

Users will be able to enable the compatibility tool on all games in their Steam library but mileage will vary as not all games will work well.

KitGuru Says: This is the sort of move that Valve needed to make to reignite interest in Linux gaming. It will be interesting to see how games end up performing using the Proton tool.

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