Valve nabs critical video developer from Apple Silicon Linux project

Valve is working to improve gaming on Linux platforms, and recently hired a developer who was crucial to bringing Linux to Apple Silicon.

Alyssa Rosenzweig has recently made an update to their resume, mentioning their current work at Valve as a contractor. In their role, Rosenzweig was focused on enhancing Linux gaming by developing graphics drivers for upstream integration.

They will be doing similar work for Valve by working on open-source graphics drivers for the company.

Asahi Linux is an open-source project that aims to bring support for Apple Silicon to the Linux operating system. It focuses on developing and maintaining the necessary software components, such as device drivers and kernel support, to enable Linux distributions to run on Apple Silicon-based devices.

Rosenzweig is among several contractors hired by Valve, contributing to various aspects of Linux gaming, including kernel development, graphics drivers, and Proton. This compatibility layer allows SteamOS to run Windows games on the Steam Deck.

The collective efforts of Valve's developers have significantly enhanced the gaming experience on desktop Linux and played a crucial role in shaping the foundation for the Steam Deck, as reported by GamingOnLinux.

Playing games on Asahi Linux running on an Apple Silicon Mac would be interesting. However, Apple is also developing a technology comparable to Proton for the Mac platform.

In the forthcoming macOS Sonoma release later in 2023, Apple's Game Porting Toolkit will enable Windows games that rely on DirectX 12 to be played on macOS.