Valve software developer Pierre-Loup Griffais confirmed that the company has enabled Nvidia drivers within the main SteamOS development branch. This integration allows certain Nvidia GPU models to initialize and display images under the operating system, marking the first step in hardware support.
The company has prioritized Nvidia driver development, treating it as a primary task alongside ongoing work on FEX and Qualcomm drivers. Griffais noted that this development process is expected to span several years as the team works to build out the necessary software stack.
Valve has established a dedicated internal team to focus on Nvidia support, which continues to grow in size. The company is currently collaborating closely with Nvidia to bridge the existing performance gap between its current implementation and the advanced driver stacks available elsewhere.
While the current progress allows for basic hardware functionality, Griffais acknowledged that there is still a significant performance difference. The development team is working daily to improve the situation and refine the driver performance for better compatibility.
