[OS X/macOS] OpenGL issues.

[hzlph]

So, I already read the blog entry on Dolphin's Blog, stating "If you see this message, there is nothing we can do to improve your device's performance, it just doesn't support critical features that Dolphin needs. Please ask your device manufacturer for updated drivers with Buffer Storage enabled."

Well, for the most part they are right, but I'm wondering if they're using the right profile, with the right framework.
You see, Apple is terrible at updating their Video Backends (outside of Metal), Seeing how Their latest drivers (including Nvidia's) only still support OpenGL 4.1 (and partially 4.2).

So, because Dolphin (and most 3D games really) in macOS do not use Metal at all, and instead use OpenGL, I find myself wondering if they're using the Core profile for OpenGL, or defaulting to Compatibility, because Compatibility for some reason always throws driver support to OpenGL 2.1, and for what I've read here, and here, in order to support those new features, they have to use Cocoa, which seems to be a framework of some sorts, allowing for these new features to work.

I'm writing mainly to understand this, because this is the same issue in macOS, with other cross-platform games like Minecraft, unable to use OpenGL 4.1 because they're tied to compatibility mode.

A conversation on how we can workaround and potentially help fix this nonsense would be nice.

Maybe a Metal Backend? or even better, MoltenGL!.

My specs (MacBook Pro, 15" Mid-2012)
i7 3615QM, 12DDR3 1600MHz, GT 650M 512MB.

[MayImilae]

Here, take a look at this screenshot from my Macbook!



As you can see here, Dolphin is using OpenGL 4.1, and it has the no buffer storage warning. So, not a compatibility mode issue. It's just, the drivers don't have buffer storage! Sadly it's as simple as that.

[KHg8m3r]

There is a Metal backend in the works: https://github.com/dolphin-emu/dolphin/pull/6385

In the mean time, see if you can play the games. If they’re too slow, try installing Linux through Bootcamp, as it has way better driver support. You still might not get full speed though, your CPU is a 3rd gen Ivy bridge, so it might not be able to get full speed in all games

[degasus]

I'd recormend Windows. Their Optimus support is better, and with an i7 Ivy Bridge and a nvidia Keppler GPU, you should get many games fullspeed.

I know this advice is terrible. You don't buy this kind of laptop to install Windows, but you will get about twice the speed. So it is a very significant speedup

Edit: By the way, the ARB_buffer_storage extension is required for OpenGL 4.4. It is quite a simple extension without any hardware requirement. I dislike that Apple refuse to implement extensions which won't help to get the next OpenGL version. As they gave up on GL 4.3, they've stopped working on OpenGL in total. eg the Linux drivers supported this extension in their OpenGL 3.3 days...

[Ogre]

(05-13-2018, 07:33 AM)MayImilae Wrote: Here, take a look at this screenshot from my Macbook!



As you can see here, Dolphin is using OpenGL 4.1, and it has the no buffer storage warning. So, not a compatibility mode issue. It's just, the drivers don't have buffer storage! Sadly it's as simple as that.

Wait how did you get OpenGL 4.1 on Mac? I thought it was impossible to update OpenGL system-wide since it's locked by versions?