Nvidia has made Linux GPU kernel drivers open-source, what does it mean for the Steam Deck?

In an unprecedented move, Silicon Titan Nvidia has made the GPU kernel drivers for Linux open-source, paving the way for wider adoption of team green’s hardware beyond Windows.

Nvidia is undoubtedly the market leader in both consumer-grade and enterprise-grade GPUs. from the GTX and RTX series focused on gaming to the Titan and Quadro series developed for highly functional tasks, including machine learning and Artificial Intelligence training, the company has developed hardware across the spectrum.

The Linux operating system is known for its open-source nature and deep kernel-level customization. This has opened up the opportunity for a variety of companies to develop their own distro, such as Ubuntu, Fedora, Red Hat, Mint, and Pop OS to name a few.

Making GPU kernel-level drivers open-source will allow the community to develop their own homebrew versions, thus leading to wider accessibility across all of the Linux distros.

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How an open-source Kernel on Linux will make Nvidia’s GPUs more accessible to a wider audience

While Nvidia’s GPU offerings range across the market, one major area in which team green had a shortcoming was supporting drivers beyond Microsoft’s Windows OS. While Windows OS does occupy a significant chunk of the personal computer marketplace, it isn’t the only popular choice for OS.

A large section of the consumer base opt-in for Apple’s macOS for its convenience and tight integration with its ecosystem, while many people chose Linux for its deep kernel-level control and open-source nature.

Before switching over to their in-house arm-based M series processor, Apple chose to go with team red’s Radeon lineup of GPUs to pair with their Itel lineup of Macs.

As Apple controls the tightly closed software ecosystem across their devices, this also means a lack of drivers. This meant Mac users couldn’t use Nvidia GPUs, even as external.

However, for Linux, it is a different case. Due to the vast number of Linux distros and their open-source nature, Nvidia required a lot of resources to properly support them with regular driver updates. However, with Nvidia bringing in open-source kernel-level drivers, that is about to change.

Its open-source nature will allow community members to step in and create homebrew versions that will take full advantage of the hardware and tune it in accordance with their needs. Interested developers can access and download the drivers from the Github repository at this link: https://github.com/NVIDIA/open-gpu-kernel-modules

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Could an open-source driver lead to external GPU support on the Steam Deck?

The biggest revolution to happen to the Linux gaming community over the last decade is the launch of Steam Deck. Due to its relatively-niche market and variety of distros, often, video game developers skip to port titles to Linux.

However, Valve’s recent Steam Deck overcame that issue with Proton. A standard developed by Valve runs Windows-native games on Steam OS 3.0, which is based on Arch Linux.

The Steam Deck is a fantastic piece of hardware in its own right, and Valve is facing issues keeping up with the demands, even in the handful of countries and regions it has launched. However, one of the critical areas where the Steam Deck does fall behind other consoles is its sheer horsepower.

The handheld device packs in quite a punch and delivers a fantastic gameplay experience on its seven-inch screen at 800p resolution. It falls short when connected to a more prominent display.

With open-source kernel-level drivers, Valve can quickly adapt it for Steam OS 3.0 and officially bring external GPU support to the Steam Deck. With external GPU support, the Steam Deck can be as much of a home console beast as it is in the handheld market.