I just saw this thread in the nVidia driver section, and it peaked my interest...
After reading the article and the replies, I think it would be fantastic if Linux had a native implementation of Direct3D - at the end of the day, it's the most popular gaming API in use, and it would mean
a) not having to use a separate Windows machine for gaming
b) not having to put up with crap framerates in WINE due to the data structure conversions.
The process chain would now be Windows Game->WINE(d3d9.dll)->libDirect3D.so.xxx->kernel_module.ko
c) not having to wait until 3000AD for a native implementation of a mainstream title - think Crysis, World of Warcraft, Age of Conan. I don't live in a perfect world where the major titles are on every platform, so I'm looking at realistic options.
I posted this in this driver section because
a) if anyone is gonna be in a position to produce such software, it's gonna be a graphics card manufacturer, and that's basically AMD/ATI and nVidia. Their business is selling hardware, and they shouldn't care to whom they sell it, so a project like this would be an investment for them, not an expense.
b) Having read the article on Crossfire X under Linux, it is plain that the scaling under Linux is far superior than the nVidia SLI equivalent, and this has gotten my interest with regard to my next upgrade.
Of course the other way could be to install Windows under Xen and run the game that way, assuming the Linux video drivers are made Xen-aware - it would probably result in a smoother gaming experience than under WINE, but it would mean having to install Windows.
I know AMD are in in the early days of support for GNU/Linux, compared to their Windows software, but I'd be interested to know their vision for GNU/Linux in the gaming market, and since we have an AMD/ATI rep here...
After reading the article and the replies, I think it would be fantastic if Linux had a native implementation of Direct3D - at the end of the day, it's the most popular gaming API in use, and it would mean
a) not having to use a separate Windows machine for gaming
b) not having to put up with crap framerates in WINE due to the data structure conversions.
The process chain would now be Windows Game->WINE(d3d9.dll)->libDirect3D.so.xxx->kernel_module.ko
c) not having to wait until 3000AD for a native implementation of a mainstream title - think Crysis, World of Warcraft, Age of Conan. I don't live in a perfect world where the major titles are on every platform, so I'm looking at realistic options.
I posted this in this driver section because
a) if anyone is gonna be in a position to produce such software, it's gonna be a graphics card manufacturer, and that's basically AMD/ATI and nVidia. Their business is selling hardware, and they shouldn't care to whom they sell it, so a project like this would be an investment for them, not an expense.
b) Having read the article on Crossfire X under Linux, it is plain that the scaling under Linux is far superior than the nVidia SLI equivalent, and this has gotten my interest with regard to my next upgrade.
Of course the other way could be to install Windows under Xen and run the game that way, assuming the Linux video drivers are made Xen-aware - it would probably result in a smoother gaming experience than under WINE, but it would mean having to install Windows.
I know AMD are in in the early days of support for GNU/Linux, compared to their Windows software, but I'd be interested to know their vision for GNU/Linux in the gaming market, and since we have an AMD/ATI rep here...
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