The Mesa 24.1 open-source graphics stack for Linux-based operating systems is now ready for download. It’s a significant update which includes new features for supported drivers and numerous enhancements for many games.
The major highlight in the Mesa 24.1 graphics stack release is the establishment of explicit sync for Vulkan X11 WSI. This feature has been introduced just in time for the recently rolled out Xwayland implementation of explicit GPU synchronization into the XOrg Server. This is especially impactful for NVIDIA graphics card users, who have been dealing with various graphical glitches and other issues.
From this release onwards, the NVIDIA Vulkan driver NVK is deemed to be prepared for mainstream use. Distro maintainers are now advised to include nouveau in the vulkan-drivers list. This gives their users the alternative of using NVK instead of the proprietary NVIDIA graphic driver.
Moreover, the Intel ANV Vulkan driver has migrated to completely asynchronous VM bind. Intel Xe support has been integrated for error dumping to debug GPU hangs. Broadcom Vulkan driver V3DV now supports the VK_KHR_dynamic_rendering Vulkan extension. Furthermore, all Vulkan drivers now support explicit GPU synchronization on both Wayland and X11.
The Radeon Vulkan Driver (RADV) graphics driver has been enhanced with several new Vulkan extensions such as VK_EXT_map_memory_placed, VK_KHR_shader_subgroup_rotate, VK_KHR_load_store_op_none, VK_KHR_line_rasterization, VK_KHR_index_type_uint8, VK_KHR_shader_maximal_reconvergence, VK_KHR_shader_quad_control, VK_EXT_shader_object, VK_EXT_nested_command_buffer, and VK_EXT_device_address_binding_report.
On the other hand, Collabora’s NVK Vulkan driver tailored for NVIDIA GPUs also has been updated to support new Vulkan extensions, namely VK_EXT_map_memory_placed, VK_KHR_shader_subgroup_rotate, VK_KHR_load_store_op_none, VK_KHR_line_rasterization, VK_KHR_index_type_uint8, VK_KHR_shader_maximal_reconvergence, VK_KHR_shader_subgroup_uniform_control_flow, VK_EXT_nested_command_buffer, VK_EXT_queue_family_foreign, and VK_EXT_image_drm_format_modifier.
Further, Mesa 24.1 introduces support for new Vulkan extensions to the Intel ANV Vulkan driver including VK_EXT_map_memory_placed, VK_KHR_shader_subgroup_rotate, VK_KHR_load_store_op_none, VK_KHR_line_rasterization, VK_KHR_index_type_uint8, and VK_KHR_shader_maximal_reconvergence.
Mesa 24.1 introduces support for the VK_KHR_shader_expect_assume Vulkan extension across all Vulkan drivers. Additional support for lavapipe includes VK_EXT_external_memory_dma_buf and VK_EXT_queue_family_foreign. Turnip will also have support for VK_KHR_load_store_op_none, VK_KHR_line_rasterization, and VK_KHR_index_type_uint8.
Several updates have been received by Collabora’s Panfrost graphics driver, including support for Mali G610, Mali G310, and Mali T600 GPUs. The RADV AMD Vulkan driver is now enabled for alphaToOne/extendedDynamicState3AlphaToOneEnable, and support for OpenGL 4.6 and OpenGL ES 3.2 has been added to the Asahi graphics driver.
In terms of gaming, Mesa 24.1 enhances support for a wide array of games. These include THE FINALS, Enshrouded, Valheim, Oxygen Not Included, Sid Meier’s Civilization VI, Red Dead Redemption 2, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Dota 2, WWE 2K24, DIRT 5, SuperTux Kart, Half-Life: Alyx, Helldivers 2, RAGE 2, RoboCop: Rogue City, Resident Evil 4, Selaco, Dying Light, Amnesia: The Dark Descent, Age of Empires IV, Palworld, and Assassin’s Creed Odyssey.
Mesa 24.1 is available for download right now from the official website, but only as a source tarball that you must compile on your GNU/Linux distribution, so it’s best to wait for the new Mesa graphics stack to land in the stable software repositories of your favorite distro. Don’t hesitate to check out the full release notes for extra details.
Last updated 2 hours ago