VKD3D-Proton, the translation layer used for Steam Play on Linux, includes NVIDIA's Reflex technology in its latest update.
Gaming on Steam decks could be significantly improved with new VKD3D-Proton modifications, addition of NVIDIA Reflex Tech
Phoronix reports that Valve's Steam Deck could take advantage of NVIDIA's Reflex technology after a new update to VKD3D-Proton added support for the feature. For those who don't know,
NVIDIA's Reflex feature is used to minimize the response time of hardware and software resources through driver-level settings. This is a great option for hardcore gamers and a viable alternative to AMD's Radeon Anti-Lag. With Reflex support in the new VKD3D-Proton update, Steam Play gamers can experience significant performance improvements, ultimately improving the overall experience.
Apart from the addition of NVIDIA Reflex, the new VKD3D-Proton 2.12 update also includes several other additions, including Shader Model 6.7, D3D12 Render Pass API, and a wide range of performance optimizations. The updated list can be found below.
– Implement support for NVIDIA Reflex through VK_NV_low_latency2.Thanks to his NVIDIA for contributing to the implementation
– Implementation of D3D12 render pass API (layer 0)
– Implement the ID3D12DeviceRemovedExtendedDataSettings stub.Fix some games that depend on this existing one
– Implement VK_EXT_device_fault.If supported, you will be able to retrieve defect information and vendor binaries
– Implementation of VK_EXT_swapchain_maintenance1
Allows a seamless transition between V-Sync mode and tearing current mode without interruption.
Implemented in both Mesa and NV drivers
– Expose shader model 6.7 by default if VK_KHR_shader_maximal_reconvergence and VK_KHR_shader_quad_control are supported
– Add Intel Arc GPU-optimized descriptor copy path that supports VK_EXT_descriptor_buffer.
– Implement compute shader-derived fallbacks on NVIDIA Pascal and older GPUs.
– Allow Pascal to also expose Shader Model 6.7 by default (although there are known cases where it doesn't work).
– This workaround is expected to work with known real-world usage of SM 6.6 compute derivatives.
It's great to see a wave of new additions taking place within VKD3D-Proton. This allows Steam Deck users to take advantage of a variety of industry technologies, ultimately improving performance. You can download the new version here.
News source: Phoronics
