The MAKO Renderer has been released in version 4.6.0, codenamed “Tempest”.

MAKO is a Vulkan layer solution for Linux that provides frame generation, upscaling, shader effects and adaptive frame rate targets for games.

New features include an adjustable GPU headroom of 5 to 20%, faster frame generation with less CPU and GPU overhead, lower memory usage, per-game shader customization and MangoHud in the configuration app.

Release Codename: Tempest

Tempest improves Frame Generation speed, GPU memory use and frame pacing, with per-game shader tuning, shared MangoHud layouts and clearer diagnostics.

• GPU Headroom: A new live Performance control in the configuration app offers 5%, 10%, 15% or 20% spare GPU capacity targets during Frame Generation. It gradually reduces real FPS using supported AMD utilization readings. Off by default.
• Faster Frame Generation: Lower CPU and GPU overhead benefits Fixed and Adaptive with FP16 or FP32.
• More efficient FP16 Quality: Supported native FP16 Quality models use a leaner compute path on AMD’s RADV driver, preserving model weights, precision and Flow Scale without adding image buffers.
• Lower overhead for Quality and Lighter: Fixed 2x and Adaptive steps that produce one generated frame now submit preprocessing and generation together, reducing CPU submission cost.
• Lower FG working-buffer memory: Generated outputs share temporary image storage, reducing private buffer allocations at higher multipliers.
• Less CPU work for Scaling and Shaders: Scaling reuses preparation work, and the bundled shader system reduces temporary allocations during frame presentation.
• Adaptive and FIFO stability: Brief image-availability misses preserve a proven Adaptive workload. Smooth Cadence retains qualified FIFO pacing through short cadence dips.
• More reliable multiplier checks: Adaptive compares real-frame rate and delivered output after pacing settles, refreshing older baselines when needed. When both workloads reach the target, MAKO prefers the lower multiplier.
• Better use of frame-cap waits: Eligible capped Fixed and Adaptive paths prepare generated output during the existing source-frame wait.
• Gamescope and Vulkan timing: The bridge keeps feedback flowing during idle periods, corrects VRR timing interpretation and reuses ready presentation deadlines.
• Customize shaders per game: Open Customize shaders in the configuration app to adjust selected bundled and compatible custom effects with sliders, toggles, choices and colour controls. Changes save with the selected profile and apply live.
• Clearer shader controls: Palettes such as Nostalgia’s Custom palette use colour swatches, sliders and exact-value fields.
• More usable shader editor: The movable editor stays above the game, and Hide controls collapses it while comparing results.
• MangoHud in the configuration app: Enable host-installed MangoHud per profile under External Tools. The selection is shared with MAKO Decky. Both launchers support an optional ~/.config/mako-render/mangohud.conf layout.
• Native FPS above the Adaptive target: With Fractional Adaptive and Automatic Real Frame Priority, sustained native FPS can exceed Target FPS without generation.
• More complete translations: Performance, HDR, scaling and Remote Play controls have more consistent translations, plus improved Japanese translations.
• Better diagnostics: Reports retain Wayland errors and multi-line failure details in Steam’s timestamped logs. Presentation-wait summaries identify the first failed or timed-out call.

Downloads: MAKO-Renderer-v4.6.0-linux.tar.xz (general Linux, graphical installer under ~/.local), mako-renderer-bin-4.6.0-1-x86_64.pkg.tar.zst (Arch Linux) and MAKO-Renderer-v4.6.0-flatpaks.tar.xz (Flatpak runtime extensions).

Source: GitHub