Why won’t Steam Machine support HDMI 2.1? Digging in on the display standard drama.
Valve’s recent announcement regarding its upcoming Steam Machine hardware has sparked discussions among gamers, particularly concerning its HDMI output specifications. While the official documentation lists support for HDMI 2.0, the company has clarified that the hardware is actually capable of supporting HDMI 2.1. However, Valve is currently facing challenges in providing full support for this advanced standard due to ongoing issues with Linux drivers. The company stated that these drivers are still in development, which has hindered the implementation of HDMI 2.1 features that could enhance the gaming experience.
The situation is further complicated by the HDMI Forum’s regulations, which prohibit open-source implementations of HDMI 2.1. This restriction directly affects the open-source AMD drivers utilized by SteamOS, preventing them from fully leveraging the benefits of the newer HDMI standard. AMD engineer Alex Deucher highlighted this challenge, indicating that without violating the HDMI Forum’s guidelines, an open-source HDMI 2.1 implementation remains unfeasible. This limitation raises questions about the future of open-source gaming hardware and its ability to keep pace with evolving technology standards, as developers navigate the complexities of proprietary regulations while striving to deliver cutting-edge performance to gamers.
As the gaming community awaits the release of the Steam Machines, the implications of this HDMI output dilemma could influence user experiences and expectations. With HDMI 2.1 offering significant advancements such as higher resolutions, increased refresh rates, and enhanced audio capabilities, the inability to fully utilize these features may impact Valve’s competitive edge in the gaming hardware market. As Valve continues to work on refining its software to support HDMI 2.1, gamers will be keenly watching to see how these developments unfold and what they mean for the future of gaming on Linux-based systems.
When Valve
announced its upcoming Steam Machine hardware last month
, some eagle-eyed gamers may have been surprised to see that
the official spec sheet
lists support for HDMI 2.0 output, rather than the updated, higher-bandwidth HDMI 2.1 standard
introduced in 2017
. Now, Valve tells Ars that, while the hardware itself actually supports HDMI 2.1, the company is struggling to offer full support for that standard due to Linux drivers that are “still a work-in-progress on the software side.”
As
we noted last year
, the HDMI Forum (which manages the official specifications for HDMI standards) has officially blocked any open source implementation of HDMI 2.1. That means the open source AMD drivers used by SteamOS can’t fully implement certain features that are specific to the updated output standard.
“At this time an open source HDMI 2.1 implementation is not possible without running afoul of the HDMI Forum requirements,” AMD engineer Alex Deucher said at the time.
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