Jason Evangelho 🐧🎒

I'd love to chat with someone (on or off camera) who's been following the #VR space for the last couple years about the Steam Frame. Specifically the implications it might have for Linux VR support going forward. (Not to mention what it could do for wider adoption of ARM and compatibility for that architecture...)

If you're interested please DM me.

#Linux #VR #Valve

Nov 13 at 4:49pmWeb
Show threadCampbell JonesNov 13
@killyourfm I can't speak to the VR implications, but the implications for ARM are substantial. I see this as similar to what Valve did with the Deck. Valve does the majority of the work to get games working, and provides a large enough userbase that game devs start putting in effort themselves. Previously it was for games on Linux x64, now it's for games on Linux ARM *and* Linux VR. This could also lead to distros taking ARM support more seriously.
Show threadJason Evangelho 🐧🎒Nov 13

@serebit This aspect is RIDICULOUSLY exciting to me. As I mentioned in another post, it feels like Valve has managed to accomplish something that still eludes Microsoft on their OWN operating system.

Better game compatibility on ARM is such a win for consumers too, especially given the power efficiency of that architecture. Imagine an ARM-powered Steam Deck 2 with 50% more performance and 50% LESS power consumption. Not to mention the knock-on effect for other ARM-based distros, as you said.

Show threadCampbell JonesNov 14

@killyourfm I do think it's important to temper expectations—while most ARM processors available to consumers are more efficient than their x86 counterparts, that's not an innate advantage of ARM, it's just a difference in design targets. ISA doesn't matter much anymore.

That being said, x86 vendors aren't likely to make super low-power chips anytime soon, so making gaming viable on Linux ARM *will* have a big impact on getting Linux on more devices.

https://chipsandcheese.com/p/arm-or-x86-isa-doesnt-matter

ARM or x86? ISA Doesn’t Matter

For the past decade, ARM CPU makers have made repeated attempts to break into the high performance CPU market so it’s no surprise that we’ve seen plenty of articles, videos and discussions about ARM’s effort, and many of these pieces focus on differences between the two instruction set architectures (ISAs).

Chips and Cheese
Show threadShattered HeartNov 13
@killyourfm have you reached out to SadlyItsBradly? He's been data mining project "Deckard"(Frame VR) for years now.
Show threadNick BisbyNov 13

@killyourfm How deeply "following" would one need to be? Ive been (very) casually using VR on Linux lately and had quite the journey to get it working over time, but my VR use goes all the way back to Oculus Rift DK1.

Not sure I have any valuable insights, but I do love to speculate and ramble.

Show threadRik ShawNov 14
@killyourfm I suggest seeing if @degville may be able to chat with you, I've heard several comments on @latenightlinux regarding his VR forays over the years 🙂
Show threadGraham MorrisonNov 14
Thanks for the CC @rikshaw. I'd be very happy to do this. It's such an interesting development with similar potential for Linux VR as the Steam Deck showed for Linux gaming. And that's ignoring the fact you can potentially switch to KDE in VR natively! I'll likely be boring the LNL folks about this on Monday. @killyourfm @latenightlinux
Show threadJason Evangelho 🐧🎒Nov 16

@degville @rikshaw @latenightlinux I will tune into that discussion enthusiastically! Graham, thank you. Maybe late November or early December we can jump on a chat? In the meantime, I'll shoot you a DM.

(Rik, thanks a bunch for tagging him in)