System76 COSMIC Desktop Plans Vulkan Renderer for Enhanced Gaming
System76 has exciting advancements planned for its COSMIC desktop environment. This open-source platform, which operates on Rust, is gearing up for significant updates with the upcoming COSMIC Epoch 2 and Epoch 3 releases. Following the introduction of COSMIC Epoch 1 and Pop!_OS 24.04 in December, the company has outlined future features aimed at enhancing user experience.
Key Features of COSMIC Epoch 2
The upcoming COSMIC Epoch 2 update will introduce several performance optimizations and new enhancements:
- Performance Optimizations: The update aims to reduce CPU usage by 60-80% through reactive rendering, alongside multi-threaded image decoding and parallel GPU image uploads.
- Window Effects: Window drop shadows will be added to improve the aesthetic appeal of libcosmic.
- Applet Settings: Enhanced configuration options for applets will be introduced.
- Vulkan Renderer: A Vulkan renderer for the COSMIC Wayland compositor will enhance graphical performance, particularly benefiting high dynamic range (HDR) and night light functionalities.
- Gaming Enhancements: Specific improvements are being designed to elevate the gaming experience on the desktop.
- Visual Effects: A new blur or frosted glass effect will be featured on windows using the COSMIC compositor.
- Wacom Tablet Support: Compatibility with Wacom tablets will be integrated.
Anticipated Features for COSMIC Epoch 3
The forthcoming COSMIC Epoch 3 will feature additional enhancements aimed at further improving user interaction:
- COSMIC Greeter: A new greeter interface will welcome users upon login.
- Workspace Animations: Users will experience dynamic and engaging workspace animations.
- HDR and Night Light Features: Support retention for HDR and night light capabilities will be maintained with the COSMIC compositor.
- Gamepad/Controller Support: Improved compatibility for game controllers will be included.
- Session Restoration: The ability to restore sessions will allow users to retain window sizes and locations after logging in.
- SVG Cursor Support: Support for SVG format cursors will be added.
- Hotloading Applets: Users will benefit from the ability to hotload applets for COSMIC panels.
- Per-app Volume Controls: COSMIC Settings will introduce controls for individual application volumes.
- COSMIC Edit Enhancements: The COSMIC Edit editor will gain features such as language server protocol (LSP) support, spell checking, and split view options.
Although System76 has shared these feature plans, no specific release timeline for COSMIC Epoch 2 and Epoch 3 has been announced. Updates and further information can be found on the Filmogaz.com blog.
