Intel proposes XMX-accelerated XeSS support for Proton
An Intel engineer submitted pull requests to add XeSS upscaling support to Proton, VKD3D-Proton, and DXVK, enabling Intel GPU hardware acceleration instead of a slower fallback path.
Summary
Intel engineer Michael Larabel reports that pull requests were opened to integrate Intel's XeSS upscaling technology into Valve's Proton compatibility layer. The changes span Wine/Proton, VKD3D-Proton, and DXVK. XeSS Direct3D 12 calls would be forwarded to the native Linux XeSS library, enabling the XMX (Xe Matrix Extensions) accelerated path on Intel Arc and integrated graphics. A DXVK change would also stop hiding Intel GPU brand detection when XeSS is provided by Proton. The work is not yet merged.
How XeSS integration would work in Proton
- A built-in
libxess.dllwould forward XeSS D3D12 calls to the Linux-native XeSS library - VKD3D-Proton changes enable required Vulkan extensions and features for XeSS
- VKD3D-Proton's interoperability interface handles D3D12-to-Vulkan object conversion
- DXVK change removes Intel GPU brand hiding when XeSS is Proton-provided
- Uses XMX (Xe Matrix Extensions) hardware path instead of slower fallback on Intel GPUs
Why it matters
This would bring Intel's upscaling feature to parity with AMD FSR and NVIDIA DLSS support already present in Proton, improving game performance and visual quality for Intel Arc and Xe graphics users on Linux.
Original reference: www.phoronix.com →