Linux Kernel 6.2 is now available. The new kernel includes several improvements and feature additions when compared to previous kernels. Notable are support for Intel Arc graphics cards, a Nouveau driver update, improved Sony PlayStation controller support and more.
The first Linux Kernel 6.2 release candidate was announced in late December 2022. The stable version was released on schedule and work on Linux Kernel 6.3 starts tomorrow. The official release announcement by Linus Torvalds is available on the mailing list.
Torvalds notes: "So here we are, right on (the extended) schedule, with 6.2 out". There have been "a couple of small things [..] on the regression side", but nothing "seemed even remotely worth trying to delay things for". He admits that "it's not a sexy LTS release like 6.1, but regular kernels want some test love too".
Linux Kernel 6.2
Linux Kernel 6.2 is the first stable release of the year. One of the main improvements is support for Intel Arc graphics cards. Intel launched the Arc line of graphics cards last year. Reception was mixed, with price and video hardware decoding mentioned as positive features specifically, and problematic performance in certain kinds of games as a negative.
Linux Kernel features out-of-the-box support for Intel Arc graphics. Support had only been experimental previously. The change applies to other DG2-based Intel GPUs as well. Intel's On-Demand driver feature is supported as well in the release.
For Apple hardware, Linux Kernel 6.2 includes mainline support for Apple M1 Pro, Mac and Ultra chips.
Linux Kernel 6.2 features initial NVIDIA RTX 30 / Ampere GPU support in the open source Nouveau driver. Nvidia open sourced their Linux GPU kernel modules and first steps have been undertaken to better support NVIDIA GPUs. Performance is still relatively poor though according to initial reports.
Another improvement comes in form of support for Sony PlayStation 5 DualSense Edge Controllers and PlayStation 4 DualShock 4 controllers, which are now integrated natively.
The new kernel includes other improvements, including the following ones (via Phoronix)
- Support for more Qualcomm Snapdragon SoCs.
- A scalability improvement for large IBM Power systems.
- RISC-V support for persistent memory devices.
- Raspberry Pi 4K @ 60Hz display support.
- Updates for AMD RDNA3 GPUs.
- Compute Accelerator Subsystem support.
Linux Kernel 6.2 is available already as source code and users may download and compile it manually. Depending on the Linux distribution, new Kernels may be integrated in upcoming releases or as updates.
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