Compatibility for AAA games on Macs equipped with Apple M-Series chips is now a reality thanks to Asahi Linux. Despite the lack of official support from Apple, the team behind this OS managed to accomplish the impossible, paving the way for users to play demanding titles on these machines.
Adapting games to M-Series chips
The Linux community’s hard work to make Windows games and applications compatible with other platforms is nothing new. However, the real breakthrough comes from Asahi Linux being able to run natively on Apple’s M-Series chips, a feat made possible by months of development and reverse engineering. Although not all AAA licenses run with smooth frame rates yet, games like Fallout 4, The Witcher 3and even Cyberpunk 2077 are now playable, with acceptable performance in most cases.
The Asahi team explains that their priority is compatibility first and foremost, leaving optimization for a later step. This means that some games will offer a less fluid experience, while others will be less demanding, such as Hollow Knight or Portal 2will work without difficulty.
The engineering behind Asahi Linux
One of the great features of Asahi Linux is its ability to run directly on Apple hardware, without emulation. This required the team to develop its own drivers OpenGL, OpenCLet Vulkanas well as other low-level features. This process was particularly laborious, with Apple providing no support to make this task easier.
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Interestingly, despite the closed nature of Apple products, the brand did not block the bootloader, allowing the installation of an alternative operating system. Asahi takes advantage of this, although each feature must be perfected individually, such as audio, the incorrect adjustment of which can lead to hardware damage such as destroyed speakers.
Simplified installation and active community
Installing Asahi Linux on a Mac is, surprisingly, simpler than on a traditional PC. A single command line in MacOS is enough to start the installation, after which the system is configured in dual bootallowing you to keep MacOS while benefiting from a native version of Asahi Linux on an M-Series chip.
It should be noted that this project is not only the fruit of the work of the Asahi team, but that of a large open-source community. In addition to direct contributions, several other open-source projects have also contributed, demonstrating once again the strength and collaborative ingenuity of this community.
Prerequisites and caveats
If the Asahi Linux adventure tempts you, keep in mind that it is recommended to have at least 16 Go to RAM to compensate for the resource requirements of emulation. Additionally, as this is still an alpha release, it is advised to exercise caution during installation as bugs may result in data loss. In short, Asahi Linux allows Mac M-Series owners to dream of new video game experiences, but not without some precautions.
