Valve has released a brand new update for Portal 2 that adds support for the Vulkan API. According to the team, the Vulkan render backend is currently accessible exclusively through the “-vulkan” command line parameter. In other words, there isn’t any in-game setting for it.
As said, this latest update also resolves a number of bugs and glitches. For instance, it fixes a memory leak that could occur when changing levels. It also fixes a bug where you could no longer ping/taunt via mouse/keyboard if you have ever used a controller.
As always, Steam will download this update the next time you launch its client. Below you can also find its complete changelog.
Portal 2 February 18th Patch Notes
Improvements:
- Implemented a Vulkan render backend (currently accessible through the -vulkan command line parameter).
- Improved compile time for Perpetual Training Initiative puzzles.
- Improved advanced video settings descriptions.
- Made the game Hi-DPI aware.
- Smarter default video settings.
- Improved resolution of player avatars throughout the game.
- Players can now be invited to play co-op on controller.
- Button text contrast and padding has been improved when using a controller.
- Implemented a 360° Spin action.
- The portalgun is now correctly affected by dynamic lights (projected textures) in the scene.
- Improved client-side prediction for coop play.
- Added the ability for workshop levels to pack particles into their map with a particles/map_manifest.txt
- Misc. rendering optimizations.
- Added an icon to the game on Linux.
- Removed the “Trading Coming Soon” button.
Bug Fixes:
- Fixed a crash on startup that could happen on Linux.
- Fixed a crash that could occur in some community test chambers using BEEMod on Linux.
- Also fixed the credits being corrupted on Linux.
- Fixed the intro videos for acts 2 and 3 not playing on Linux.
- Fixed the game starting in the top left corner of the screen on Linux.
- Also fixed a crash in the PeTI if you placed a light strip above a laser catcher on the floor and linked it to a fizzler.
- Fixed the fizzler not playing the retract animation when turned off in new PeTI maps.
- Fixed being able to copy ‘uncopyable’ items in the PeTI leading to invalid/broken levels.
- Also fixed some items in PeTI not maintaining their portalability state when expanding the chamber boundaries.
- Fixed a crash if PeTI avatars could not be retrieved.
- Fixed Cave Johnson’s lines not progressing when playing queued workshop levels.
- Also fixed a memory leak that could occur when changing levels.
- Fixed a bug where you could no longer ping/taunt via mouse/keyboard if you have ever used a controller.
- Fixed the ping menu being visible when quick pinging on controller.
- Also fixed the game instructor not respecting input types for respective players in split-screen mode.
- Fixed rumble not being respected for respective players in split-screen mode.
- Fixed the wrong avatar being used if playing coop after playing a workshop level.
- Also fixed the OnFiredPortal2 output not firing.
- Fixed some text being duplicated on the screen multiple times.
John is the founder and Editor in Chief at DSOGaming. He is a PC gaming fan and highly supports the modding and indie communities. Before creating DSOGaming, John worked on numerous gaming websites. While he is a die-hard PC gamer, his gaming roots can be found on consoles. John loved – and still does – the 16-bit consoles, and considers SNES to be one of the best consoles. Still, the PC platform won him over consoles. That was mainly due to 3DFX and its iconic dedicated 3D accelerator graphics card, Voodoo 2. John has also written a higher degree thesis on the “The Evolution of PC graphics cards.”
Contact: Email
10 years old game receives an update, noice
Great game and I highly recommend it for anyone who hasn’t played it. I would say it’s the second best Valve game next to the Half Life games.
Every time I tried to play this game it crashed near the beginning.
Lots of linux fixes. Valve is really serious about making linux a first class gaming platform.
Maybe hey want release SteamOS machines 2.0?
A lot of time passed since 2014 when they released own hardware with Steam OS. OpenGL was replaced by Vulkan, Unix drivers are a lot better. Soon MS will release WDDM 3.0 (windows driver model) which allow common graphics drivers between Windows and Linux as part of Linux subsystem in Windows. This will allow Nvdia and AMD for single drivers for Windows and Linux which give a Linux community very solid graphics drivers. Even DirectX shader model is now open sourced by MS and most of commits from open source community are focused there to help migrate HLSL shaders code into Spir-V for Vulkan.
It is easier than ever to create Linux gaming PC form technical point of view. Valve just need create good hardware at low price. Something like Xbox Series X for 499 or cheaper. Their biggest mistake in 2014 was releasing Steam Machines at crazy prices, sometimes 2-3x more expensive than PS4/X1
Some good info there. I’ve shamefully not used Unix/Xenix since SCO, back when Novell was a thing.
A lot of interesting things had happen since MS allowed full Linux kernels inside Windows. New Windows 10 2021 with WDDM 2.9 use Linux Mesa drivers to execute OpenGL and OpenCL code faster by translating calls to DX12. It is very easy to run linux programs in Windows. You just need to enable wsl2 and install standard Linux Kernel inside Windows for example Ubuntu 2020 LTS
Official Vulkan support, nice.
And it sux.
I mean, it’s Vulkan with background shader warming for the first few minutes, so it stutters (it’s based on DXVK).
You can drop in actual DXVK 1.8 Async files and you’ll get Vulkan with no stuttering.
And you can actually do that in here?
You can do that with most (but not all) DX9/10/11 games. Portal 2 works just fine.
Valve’s implementation is actually a bit more performant than drop in DXVK, but Portal 2 is so light, it doesn’t really matter.
Great stuff. Now just add ray tracing and DLSS support, thanks.
DLSS? This game runs on a toaster. A GT 1010 c? do 4K120, lmao. For RT, use ReShade + Pascal Glitcher
Had to doublecheck what year it is after this title….
I get the joke is that John usually just posts those as though they’re even news anymore, but what in Portal 2 would be worth making one for?