Half-Life 2 running natively on HaikuOS

https://discuss.haiku-os.org/t/haiku-nvidia-porting-nvidia-driver-for-turing-gpus/16520?page=18

Comments

smallstepformanJul 24, 2026, 6:26 PM
X512 is an amazing treasure in the Haiku community. Other than nVidia hardware accelerated drivers, he ported Haiku to RiscV, got sound through HDMI and DisplayPort working, he got AMD Vulkan drivers for Southern Islands chipsets also working, made break throughs in dozens of other porting projects, he’s an amazing Hacker par excellance virtually unknown outside the Haiku community.
itsbczurstupidJul 25, 2026, 6:57 PM
[flagged]
LorenDBJul 24, 2026, 3:12 PM
Looks like this may have been based on the nillerusr Source engine, which is based on a 2020 leak of the Source sources. nillerusr's engine has also been used to port some Valve games to Android.
MisterTeaJul 24, 2026, 6:02 PM
I wish Valve would take a cue from id and release the source code to Source and/or at least GoldSrc under an open license. Though I have a hard time imagining them opening up code to more lucrative games like Team Fortress Classic or Counter-Strike classic. Nice dream though...
lunar_roverJul 24, 2026, 6:12 PM
Source uses licenced middleware such as Havok so SDKs are likely all we're going to get officially. Source 2 might be a different story if HL3 releases one day since Valve replaced audio and physics with in-house technologies.
kidfijiJul 25, 2026, 2:44 AM
That’s kind of the goal of S&Box, no?

https://sbox.game

inigyouJul 25, 2026, 11:58 AM
I thought the point of s&box was to make a very profitable micro transaction marketplace.
throwaway27448Jul 25, 2026, 11:28 AM
Is literally invoking the havok api protected by licensing?
ouchqtJul 25, 2026, 2:59 PM
Yep, IIRC Havok’s licensing explicitly disallows redistribution of their technology, including headers and pre-compiled binaries.

Source 1 is a good example here, where licensees of source need to also obtain a havok license before Valve can give them any code.

throwaway27448Jul 26, 2026, 12:37 AM
Surely this works against Havoc's best interest, right? Unless their actual value is simply decent api design....
bombcarJul 25, 2026, 12:54 PM
[dead]
wvbdmpJul 24, 2026, 7:41 PM
Old-ish Source has a pretty generous license, no? https://github.com/ValveSoftware/source-sdk-2013/blob/master... GoldSrc is there somewhere as well. I’m definitely grateful for it. I’ve read some of it myself and watched a bunch of Youtube about it.
mepianJul 24, 2026, 9:19 PM
That repository is not the engine, it's just the code for the client.dll/server.dll binaries that contain game-specific logic and some other tools.
TazeTSchnitzelJul 25, 2026, 12:10 AM
https://github.com/ValveSoftware/halflife on the other hand is the full Half-Life (GoldSrc) engine, but it's not quite an open license.
jwitthuhnJul 25, 2026, 1:10 AM
That is just the SDK, but there is an unofficial open source implementation of goldsrc.

https://github.com/fwgs/xash3d-fwgs

manytimesawayJul 25, 2026, 2:02 AM
Also based on leaks/reverse-engineering.
mepianJul 25, 2026, 12:18 AM
I'm pretty sure this is just the mod SDK as well.
mghackerladyJul 25, 2026, 12:32 PM
I always thought it'd be hilarious if they released an engine called "open source" (or, someone made a source replacement called that)
charcircuitJul 24, 2026, 6:56 PM
Why should Valve give up their leverage. They actively pick and choose who they license the engine to.
tweetle_beetleJul 24, 2026, 7:56 PM
Realistically there isn't really any commercial value left in it though. While there were some notable unique games made with it (Titanfall 1 & 2, E.Y.E, The Stanley Parable, etc), these were made over a decade ago and the majority of games made with it are reworks/mods/adaptations of Half-Life related material.

https://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/List_of_third-party...

matheusmoreiraJul 25, 2026, 8:13 AM
> there isn't really any commercial value left in it though

I wonder why it never went mainstream. The Unreal engine went on to power a massive number of games. The Half-Life engines birthed a lot of mods, but wasn't used by many full games.

throwaway27448Jul 25, 2026, 11:30 AM
Unreal won because they invested in a whole ecosystem of tools to build interactive media and the community to support it. Only unity really compares (and I'm not sure how true even that is these days).
inigyouJul 25, 2026, 11:59 AM
The Source engine isn't a blank slate engine like Unity. It's more like having unlimited power and permission to mod HL2. They just give you the HL2 code and say go nuts.
grishkaJul 25, 2026, 12:36 AM
I half-jokingly thought to myself, "of course it's all software rendering, Haiku doesn't have GPU drivers", so imagine my amazement when I saw that this thread is about porting an NVidia GPU driver from Linux, and HL2 does, in fact, run with hardware acceleration.
graemepJul 25, 2026, 10:43 AM
The title is heavily editorialised and misleading.

When I see how much progress has been made on Haiku I wonder whether it can be used as a daily driver.

mghackerladyJul 25, 2026, 12:34 PM
It's about as daily driveable as BeOS was in its heyday
tracker1Jul 24, 2026, 5:02 PM
Nifty to see... I always liked BeOS/Haiku from a tech perspective, but really don't care nearly as much for the UX or ergonomics... I really like a lot of the Windows 10 start menu and taskbar, but I do hate the MS search results/ads,etc so I switched to Linux for non-work and mostly Cosmic since later alphas.
bluedinoJul 24, 2026, 6:23 PM
The UX has always been my favorite part. It's like some mixup of OS/2 and Classic Mac OS
tracker1Jul 24, 2026, 8:56 PM
Reminds me a bit more of Amiga... that said, I just don't like the "handle" on the windows, and the launcher is a bit odd imo.
throwaway27448Jul 25, 2026, 11:32 AM
Haiku will always be my favorite UX just for the ability to universally modify gui modifier keys distinct from changing the actual key mappings. Ie you can choose whether to use control or command as the main modifier—very slick, makes linux and windows feel like some creaky eighties remnant.
m0do1Jul 24, 2026, 6:57 PM
As a long time BeOS fan (and user back in the day) I really enjoy reading about progress on Haiku. Similarly cool as the Half-Life 2 port is the work on the ARM platform. With early support for M1 Macs (https://discuss.haiku-os.org/t/my-haiku-arm64-progress/19044...) and Raspberry Pi 500+ (https://discuss.haiku-os.org/t/my-haiku-arm64-progress/19044...).
bullenJul 24, 2026, 4:10 PM
I think HL2 on portable 5W ARM linux is more interesting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fl1nrDvmiII
andaiJul 24, 2026, 4:24 PM
I wanted to say, 5 watts, doesn't HL2 already run on Raspberry Pi? But then I realized, this thing seems to be powered by some kind of rpi?

https://www.clockworkpi.com/product-page/uconsole-kit-rpi-cm...

That's pretty cool though, do you have a video of it running on the device itself?

bullenJul 24, 2026, 8:40 PM
This is captured+streamed on the device with ffmpeg, but mobile phone video no.

Got a short of my own engine though: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/LKYX7E3A0Dk

andaiJul 25, 2026, 9:47 AM
Damn this is so cool. In the future, a computer may even fit in your coat pocket!
RohansiJul 24, 2026, 5:07 PM
I know it's not as cool but the Steam Deck can run HL2 at just as low power consumption with its AMD APU.
bullenJul 24, 2026, 8:44 PM
"A normal Steam Deck consumes about 4 to 7 watts of total system power when idling on the home screen with low screen brightness."

Maybe HL2 brings zero overhead to idle then?

Anyway X86 is the past, risc-v is so completely lost into eternal future... only ARM really works right now.

RohansiJul 24, 2026, 10:36 PM
You can do less on the OLED with a few tweaks in the quick menu. Specifically the OLED because it has a more efficient APU. Limit APU to 3W, disable radio, maybe more.

> Anyway X86 is the past, risc-v is so completely lost into eternal future... only ARM really works right now.

I don't disagree but all of the recent Raspberry Pis have worse performance, cost more than x86, and barely use less power. There are so much better examples to showcase ARM.

ErroneousBoshJul 24, 2026, 11:21 PM
> Maybe HL2 brings zero overhead to idle then?

It went like particularly dry shit off a teflon shovel on my Duron 700 when it was new so I can't imagine it would tax a nice modern chip much.

potwinkleJul 24, 2026, 9:28 PM
You can run HL2 at 1080p 60fps in 5W on Armada on the AYN Thor (on the Eco performance profile). That includes a screen and speakers.
yakk0Jul 24, 2026, 3:16 PM
looking forward to see Action Retro's shenanigans on YouTube with this.
jordandJul 24, 2026, 3:41 PM
I've watched his previous videos on Haiku and haven't been impressed with him. He doesn't seem to have in-depth knowledge of how software and drivers work, which is especially important given how work-in-progress it all is, and that the lineage of Haiku goes back to BeOS. The community has done a lot of good work, and he doesn't grasp it fully.
kaladin-jasnahJul 24, 2026, 5:51 PM
> He doesn't seem to have in-depth knowledge of how software and drivers work

I don't really think the point of his videos is to go into that level of detail. I think I'm someone who could understand that level of detail but I still watch his videos anyway since they're fun and engaging (same with others like Michael MJD), and have other YouTube channels that I might watch for more technical dives.

jordandJul 24, 2026, 6:04 PM
It's genuinely possible to do informative, fun and engaging videos on a niche OS; it does require a lot of skill and effort to pull off he does not have. His content has been way too shallow. There's a lot more to an OS than just the Desktop Environment being different, and 'Can it run Minecraft' (with missing/broken drivers he doesn't understand).
ApocryphonJul 24, 2026, 8:33 PM
Perhaps it’s too much of a reoccurring gimmick but his videos are squarely in the “tech-aware consumer” user profile, not a pro developer or editor. It’s like how LGR does retrospectives and deep-dives on hardware from a purely hobbyist-enthusiast customer perspective.
prmoustacheJul 24, 2026, 4:03 PM
Yes, you have seen a video and you have seen them all. It can be resumed to "will it run minecrafts (or one of its clones)".

I guess he figured out the short 10-15min format is better for engagement bevause people brains have been destroyed by tiktok and instagram reels and barely anyone can concentrate for 30min on a subject but really it makes for very uninformative vids.

paulryanrogersJul 25, 2026, 12:17 AM
Sometimes there's just not more than 10-15min of content that even a (significant) niche audience would find interesting. There's also only so much time in a day / week to produce. The machine demands novelty.
prmoustacheJul 25, 2026, 5:24 AM
At some point your channel can only collapse when your content is resumed to:

And today's sponsor is a brand I will lie about for 2 minutes...thank you for watching, please click and subscribe!

It is only a matter of time.

paulryanrogersJul 25, 2026, 4:36 PM
Is that inevitable?

I personally welcome creators moving to rely more on patronage systems (Patreon, Supporting Cast) from consumers, to gain/retain their independence from sponsors and platforms alike.

Full disclosure, I work for Supporting Cast ;)

prmoustacheJul 26, 2026, 9:47 AM
I never joined patreon (nor ever heard of supporting cast) because most youtubers are either very unspecific about what do they really offer or the value doesn't seem to be there. Some do not seem to offer much more than early access which seem like a really silly offer. I mean, we don't need to see everything the day of their launch. Sometimes they offer bonus videos but since you don't really know what they are, you aren't really missing them. Ignorance is bliss.

Plus these are additional accounts to setup/manage + payment to setup so it is a bit annoying. I hate subscriptions.

limsungkeeJul 24, 2026, 4:52 PM
Dang. Half-Life 2 ruled my high school life. it is still insane.
jocularJul 24, 2026, 7:05 PM
But can it run Crysis?
anthkJul 24, 2026, 8:23 PM
Under Wine? Yes.
GreedJul 24, 2026, 7:31 PM
Hats off to the folks behind this for keeping such a cool project alive! This, ReactOS, and TempleOS have been my answer to the question of: "what should I install if I'm looking for something interesting?" for at least a decade. Obviously for vastly different reasons.
MomsAVoxellJul 24, 2026, 4:47 PM
This is great, but can we get a port to BeBox please. ;)
AshamedCaptainJul 24, 2026, 4:36 PM
What I find depressing is because of idiotic Linux policies, it turns out nvidia hardware is easier to run on a 3rd party OS than hardware with otherwise fully open source drivers like Radeon.

This is just yet another example that you may think things in the hardware world have changed now that Linux "rules", but they have not.

GreenVulpineJul 25, 2026, 12:02 AM
Nvidia drivers being crap has nothing to do with Linux policies. It's entirely up to Nvidia to invest and improve their drivers but it's clearly not a priority. Their focus is AI. If you need a CUDA accelerator, they're great. Graphics or even display output? Better have a second AMD or Intel card for that.
cherryteastainJul 24, 2026, 6:27 PM
What do you mean? BSDs have tons of code lifted from the Linux amdgpu driver.
AshamedCaptainJul 24, 2026, 8:41 PM
They are literally the only one who has managed to do it,, and they do so by having a huge layer of compatibility that takes years to update to new versions and support newer generations. We do not know if it would be easier for BSD to support nvidia either ... because they already have nvidia drivers (released by nvidia itself).

On the other hand here we have a random guy that adds support for nvidia gpus, by himself, on a non-linux, non-bsd kernel. And specifically claims he will not do the radeon one because he finds it too much work.

cherryteastainJul 24, 2026, 9:37 PM
Right, I thought you meant there was some GPL-caused license issue.
tadfisherJul 24, 2026, 4:53 PM
Are you talking about driver ABIs or something else?
QuitschquatJul 24, 2026, 6:01 PM
What makes it easier?
AshamedCaptainJul 24, 2026, 8:45 PM
See the first message of TFA. The author complains that amdgpu has way too many linuxisms that make it impractical to port it to non-Linux ( unless you are already emulating Linux). On the other hand, the nv kernel driver is portable, up to the point that it is easier to port that to Haiku and then change the entire Mesa to use it than it is to port amdgpu (which wouldn't need Mesa changes).
hnlmorgJul 24, 2026, 11:34 PM
Of course a Linux driver is going to make use of Linuxims. That’s literally the point of a Linux device driver.

Given how performance-sensitive device like a graphics card is, you’d naturally want as few abstractions between your OS and your hardware as possible.

AshamedCaptainJul 25, 2026, 1:24 PM
But there is no evidence whatsoever for what you are saying (in fact the nvidia drivers are portable and may perform comparably or even better than the free ones).

On the other hand here we have evidence of how this has made it impossible for any OS other than Linux to provide support for amdgpu (except if you rip a huge chunk of Linux code, which only works if your OS is extremely UNIX-like to begin with), while other OSes support NVidia cards just fine (which do not really have a complete free driver to begin with!).

hnlmorgJul 25, 2026, 4:47 PM
> But there is no evidence whatsoever

No evidence that a Linux driver targets Linux? Isn’t that what you’re moan about?

parisiansamJul 24, 2026, 4:21 PM
i wonder how many people are using haikuos enough to make frontpage of video game on that os ?
nemomarxJul 24, 2026, 4:25 PM
When people get doom running on a toaster, do you also ask how many people game on a toaster? It's more about the technical challenge of the whole deal.
InsideOutSantaJul 24, 2026, 5:00 PM
I wonder how many people are flying to space in rockets for rocket launches to make the frontpage? It's just interesting. Haiku is cool, and getting relatively complex games to run on it is a good signal that it is making progress.
nharadaJul 24, 2026, 4:40 PM
I love it, this is OG hacker news
paisawallaJul 24, 2026, 6:30 PM
Add in the number of people who have fond memories of BeOS
ErroneousBoshJul 24, 2026, 6:32 PM
.o/

But then what did you expect?