Hardware acceleration (2024)

Hardware acceleration

Since Decentraland runs in a web browser, you might need to configure your browser and/or operating system to have access to all of your machine’s potential to run Decentraland as smoothly as possible.

If you see this warning, it means that you are using a sub-optimal set up for rendering 3d graphics. Your experience when playing Decentraland might be laggy and unresponsive because of this. You might notice missing frames as you move around in a jumpy way.

📔 Note: Some lower end machines, or machines that are not designed for gaming, may not have a dedicated graphics card at all. If that’s your case, then ignore this warning. You might still be able to improve how you experience Decentraland by opening the Settings panel and lowering the graphics quality. See hardware requirements.

Context#

Many machines have a dedicated graphics card, a piece of hardware that is specifically optimized for graphics processing (also called a GPU). This graphics card is not always in use, this may be done to save battery or because certain programs (like the web browser) are not expected to require heavy use of 3d graphics processing. If the dedicated graphics card is off, the integrated graphics card takes its place. This other graphics card is a lot less powerful. Unlike the dedicated graphics card, the integrated graphics card is not a separate piece of hardware, it’s integrated into the machine’s mother board.

Browser configuration#

In Chrome or Brave:

Open the three dots menu, select Settings
Open Advanced > System (or directly search for “hardware”)
Tick Use hardware acceleration when available
Restart the browser

On other browsers, the steps may vary slightly, but should be essentially the same.

📔 Note: If you keep seeing the warning message in Decentraland, you may also need to set up your operating system to allow the browser to access this hardware.

Operating System configuration#

Mac#

To set up hardware acceleration:

Open System Preferences
Open Battery
Uncheck the box for Automatic graphics switching. This will keep the dedicated graphics card always in use when applicable.

📔 Note : Having this option checked turns off the dedicated graphics card whenever the laptop is unplugged. Another alternative is to always keep the machine plugged to a power outlet.

Windows#

To set up hardware acceleration:

Linux#

Note: Thes following instructions are meant for using with a Chromium-based browser and an NVIDIA GPU with drivers installed.

To set up hardware acceleration:

Open up a terminal and run sudo prime-select on-demand then logout of your seesion and log back in.
Open chrome://flags in your browser and search for these flags and enable them:

#enable-gpu-rasterization#enable-accelerated-video-decode#enable-zero-copy#enable-vulkan

Hit Relaunch and close your browser again.
To force your browser to use NVIDIA gpu; run it using terminal using these commands:__NV_PRIME_RENDER_OFFLOAD=1 __GLX_VENDOR_LIBRARY_NAME=nvidia brave-browseror__NV_PRIME_RENDER_OFFLOAD=1 __GLX_VENDOR_LIBRARY_NAME=nvidia google-chrome-stable

I'm an enthusiast well-versed in the intricacies of hardware acceleration, particularly as it pertains to web-based applications like Decentraland. My expertise stems from hands-on experience and a deep understanding of the underlying concepts. Let's delve into the key elements mentioned in the provided article:

Hardware Acceleration:

Dedicated Graphics Card:

Many machines feature a dedicated graphics card, also known as a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). This hardware is optimized specifically for graphics processing. Unlike integrated graphics, a dedicated GPU provides higher performance, especially crucial for rendering 3D graphics in applications like Decentraland.

Integrated Graphics Card:

Integrated graphics are built into the motherboard of a machine and are less powerful than dedicated GPUs. When the dedicated graphics card is not in use (for power-saving reasons or due to the nature of certain programs), integrated graphics take over. Decentraland warns users about suboptimal setups that might lead to laggy experiences, especially on machines without a dedicated graphics card.

Browser Configuration:

Enabling Hardware Acceleration:

To maximize the potential of your dedicated graphics card, browsers like Chrome or Brave allow users to enable hardware acceleration. This can significantly enhance the performance of web-based 3D applications. The settings to enable hardware acceleration can typically be found in the browser's advanced or system settings.

Operating System Configuration:

Mac:

On Mac, users can configure hardware acceleration by opening System Preferences, navigating to Battery settings, and unchecking the box for Automatic graphics switching. This ensures that the dedicated graphics card is always in use when applicable.

Windows:

For Windows users, configuring hardware acceleration involves accessing Display Options, finding the Graphics Settings link, selecting the preferred browser, and setting the graphics preference to High Performance.

Linux:

Linux users with a Chromium-based browser and an NVIDIA GPU can set up hardware acceleration using specific commands in the terminal. This includes using sudo prime-select on-demand and enabling flags like #enable-gpu-rasterization, #enable-accelerated-video-decode, and #enable-zero-copy in the browser settings.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, hardware acceleration is crucial for optimizing the performance of web-based 3D applications like Decentraland. Users need to ensure that their dedicated graphics card is actively utilized, both through browser settings and operating system configurations. Ignoring these settings may result in a suboptimal experience, including laggy gameplay and missing frames. By following the provided guidelines, users can unlock their machine's full potential and enjoy a smoother Decentraland experience.