Key information
Intel has officially submitted pull requests to integrate its XeSS upscaling technology into Valve's Proton. This development marks a strategic effort to enhance the performance of Intel-based mobile gaming hardware on the Linux operating system.
The implementation focuses on utilizing dedicated XMX cores found within Intel GPUs. By forwarding XeSS D3D12 calls to the Linux-native libxess.so library, the system can bypass the slower DP4a fallback path, leveraging vkd3d-proton's interop interface to convert objects to Vulkan.
While handheld devices like the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ currently rely on Windows, this update aims to facilitate a smoother transition to Linux-based environments. Valve has already taken steps this year to improve compatibility for both Intel and AMD platforms within SteamOS.
This initiative potentially expands the viability of SteamOS beyond its traditional focus on AMD hardware. Broader support is intended to benefit various configurations, including future handheld gaming PCs and custom-built Steam Machines.
