Intel proposes a faster XeSS path for games running through Valve's Proton

An Intel engineer opened two pull requests on Valve's GitHub on 19 October to let Intel's XeSS upscaler use its faster XMX path in Windows games running through Proton, the compatibility layer behind the Steam Deck and SteamOS.

One request, on Valve's Wine repository, adds a built-in libxess.dll that forwards XeSS's Direct3D 12 calls to Intel's Linux XeSS library. The other, on the Proton repository, uses a native libxess.so when it's available. Right now, games under Proton fall back to XeSS's slower path instead of the XMX cores in Intel's own GPUs.

PC Gamer points out this matters most for Intel-powered handhelds such as MSI's Claw 8 EX AI+, which run Windows today.

Both requests are still open. Valve hasn't merged them or said when, or whether, they'll ship in Proton.