Virtio GPU, QEMU, KVM, etc.

@sofistisoftware

This 3 years old thread, not sure I understand, the context of your comment, I agreed to comment 21, did not respond to comment 30, my comment on 34 was about not being able to capture the market, ending up with a small part of the market, Hans did quite agree on what direction to take.

@smarkusg

done

@derfs
Thank you.

I am firmly convinced that emulation is not a threat, but rather the most realistic and powerful catalyst we have to significantly grow the AmigaOS 4 user base. Right now, the high entry barrier, dictated by expensive, niche, and often delayed dedicated hardware, is precisely what keeps potential new users and developers away.
Emulation removes this barrier overnight, allowing anyone with modern, powerful hardware to run and appreciate OS4. However, to make this experience truly viable, engaging, and modern, we cannot treat emulation as a mere second-class fallback: we need a fast, highly optimized emulated environment.
Developing a standardized suite of VirtIO drivers for AmigaOS 4 (GPU/display, block storage, network, input, and audio) is the exact missing link. By offloading hardware complexity and maintenance to the host hypervisor, we solve our chronic driver bottlenecks and grant OS4 immediate access to modern performance and peripherals without reinventing the wheel every time a new chipset appears.
A streamlined, highly responsive virtualized OS4 would immediately attract enthusiasts, developers, and returning Amigans. Growing the user base through accessible, rock-solid virtual machines is the only practical prerequisite to creating the critical mass needed to fund and sustain any future native hardware projects.
VirtIO is definitely the way forward, and focusing development efforts there would benefit the entire ecosystem.

+1
And also a dedicated and optimized version of the OS

@ldg72

I completely agree with you. I am (or I was?) an Amiga enthusiastic user since the Amiga 500 that I expanded with extra RAM, extra floppy and original external HDD (A590 if I recall correctly); I still remember the awe when I switched loading the Workbench from floppies to HDD (3.1, I also upgraded the original ROM). I then changed my A500 with a brand new A1200 which the final transformation saw it in a tower case with SCSI HDD, CDROM, BlizzardPPC + BVision, I still remember the huge step from the 68k to the PPC, and it was a simple 603e! Not to mention the major step up in the graphic compartment.

Then unfortunately everything collapsed and after few years a bought my first Mac, in my mind was the machine more similar to an Amiga, at least they shared the same processor.

Some extra years has passed, I have spent some time with UAE/WinUAE/FS-UAE emulating some old good games and playing around with Haage & Partner AmigaOS 3.9 and their Boing Bag updates.

Some times ago I bumped in some hardware related Amiga websites but unfortunately I was not willing to spend a lot of money to buy a bare system knowing it cannot be used for everyday needs, so I was really, really glad that QEMU made available a more then usable platform and I was really happy when I saw my AmigaOS 4 (yes I bought the classic version to use it through xUAE) in full glory on a more recent emulation.

I believe that an "off the box" emulation kit would attract many, many more (old) ) and maybe new users interested in the platform (maybe curious on what is changed since Workbench 3.1), but unwilling to invest significant time and money in a niche. Those new users could then starts to utilize the platform and, why not, contribute to it. In my own very, very small way, I'm (re)starting to take my first steps into AOS4 programming again -- for now, by dusting off an old project of mine (more for my own pastime and enjoyment, I admit - since it is, in fact, an incomplete project).

@ldg72
You might find this interesting—my Virtio AmigaOS4..world
It's a little boring; feel free to fast-forward.
The video is an older, chaotic dev presentation (snapshot) of mine.
Here’s my driver:
virtop-gpu with COMP and warp3d, based on open-source code from @derfs and wazp3d
virtio-net (the only network driver that works perfectly for me in QEMU), also thanks to the source code shared by @derfs
virtio-sound, thanks to the open-source code from @afxgroup

Once I’m done (hopefully), everything will be available to the public for free
*) For some parts related to the driver code, code generated by AI was used

@Kirirur

I also run AmigaOS 4 on my Apple Silicon Macs. The emulated CPU performance is remarkably fast and 2D graphics feel very snappy. Of course, high-end 3D performance is out of reach due to the lack of dedicated virtualization drivers in QEMU.

I recently got back into programming myself, largely thanks to modern AI tools. They allow me to tackle complex software that I otherwise wouldn't have been able to build on my own. I have some good ideas, and these new tools finally let me put them into practice. Developing for Amiga today is genuinely rewarding because it is a small, niche ecosystem where a lot of modern tools are missing, so anything you build can make a real and tangible impact on the community.

So far, I ported Paho MQTT to AmigaOS 4, which is very useful for home automation projects, as well as CuraEngine. Right now, I am using CuraEngine as the slicing backend for another program I am writing called Simple Slicer, a dedicated 3D slicer for AmigaOS. It was precisely thanks to QEMU providing such a solid and accessible environment that I was able to develop and test software for AmigaOS 4 in the first place, without needing expensive dedicated hardware.

Beside these Amiga projects, I am also working on an educational project. It is not made directly for Amiga, but it is deeply rooted in its philosophy: Exec64Core, a custom microkernel inspired by Amiga Exec, and Exec64 OS, an operating system built on top of it. The project targets both ARM64 and RISC-V 64. On ARM64, it runs smoothly under QEMU with HVF acceleration on my Mac M4, while on RISC-V it runs directly on real hardware using the Milk-V Mars single-board computer. Just recently, I managed to get the native video framebuffer working along with USB keyboard input on the board.

Even though Exec64 is not a software that runs on Amiga, Amiga was undoubtedly the main inspiration that pushed me down this path of developing a kernel and an operating system, and it continues to give me immense satisfaction even today in 2026.

@smarkusg

I just watched the video and it is an incredible piece of work. Huge congratulations to you!

Seeing virtio-gpu running with COMP and Warp3D integration alongside working virtio-net and virtio-sound is a massive achievement. What you showed clearly demonstrates just how much optimized QEMU emulation paired with VirtIO drivers makes AmigaOS 4 completely usable on the computers we already have at home.

Real dedicated hardware is always nice, but accessible, high performance emulation like this is the true key to expanding the Amiga user base and welcoming more people back to the platform.

Making the entire package available for free once completed is an enormous gift to the whole community. I am truly looking forward to your VirtIO driver release, can not wait to test it out on my setup.

@ilbarbax

recently hinted at possible optimizations of AmigaOS 4 for QEMU. Your drivers are definitely a crucial piece of that puzzle. The other half should come from Hyperion, what we really need is an AmigaOS 4 build tailored for a modern, dedicated QEMU virtual machine target, moving beyond the legacy constraints of emulating a Pegasos 2 or Sam460.

Outstanding job and keep up the great work!

@smarkusg wonderful demonstration! I'm really eager to "puts my hands" on these virtio driver when they will be available.

Congratulations for the excellent work!