WCCFTech has an interesting new report on what Valve could be planning to do next for their next VR hardware.
They recently reported on Nvidia specific updates that have come to Proton version 9.0-3, that suggest this is about more than improving compatibility with Nvidia PC components.
While Valve isn’t quite moving on from Proton version 9.0-3, these changes have been pushed to the next Proton experimental update. At this point, we do want to clarify that Proton is not a Valve operating system. Their Steam Deck runs on SteamOS.
Proton is specialized software that makes games that were programmed for Windows to run on Linux. Proton Experimental updates, subsequently, are betas that get published so fans can test the new changes, before they can finalize and push that update to all Proton users.
The biggest change coming update is integration with DLSS 3.0. This means that Proton will run RTX hardware, such as their many popular RTX GPUs, more efficiently.
This update also adds support for Nvidia’s Optical Flow SDK. And this is where we should start to take notice, because this is Nvidia’s implementation of optical flow technology, essential for motion tracking in VR. To quote Nvidia’s developer blog:
“NVIDIA’s Turing GPUs introduced a new hardware functionality for computing optical flow between images with very high performance. The Optical Flow SDK 1.0 enables developers to tap into the new optical flow functionality.”
This update also brings integration to DXVK and VKD3D-Proton. DXVK makes Vulkan work better with games that were made with DX9, DX10, and DX11. On the other hand, VKD3D-Proton does the same thing, but is dedicated to DX12.
VKD3D-Proton also happens to bring support for OpenVR and Nvidia Reflex. While OpenVR improves support for VR titles on Linux, Reflex reduces input latency.
Now, we have to point out here that Proton isn’t exclusive to SteamOS or Valve hardware. So, everyone who plays video games on Linux Oses can hypothetically take advantage of all these improvements by using Proton. So, one could assume that this is just to make Linux gaming better for everyone.
But as we reported earlier this month, Valve feels constrained from making a Steam Deck 2. That’s because they aren’t seeing a generational leap in hardware to justify making a new generation of their dedicated gaming hardware.
But the thing is, Valve has only been working with AMD so far, to supply the chips that run their Steam Deck gaming handheld, as well as their Valve Index VR headset. They may not make it public, but Valve could have been successfully swayed to switch to Nvidia, if Nvidia has that SOC that could be that generational upgrade Valve is waiting for.
And lest you forget, Nvidia has proven with the Nintendo Switch that they are very capable of providing SOCs that can provide a real portable gaming experience. Valve could conceivably see that, and want it for their gaming handheld, and most especially their fabled standalone ‘Deckard’ VR headset.
If this is what Valve has planned for the future, we probably won’t hear about it for some time. But don’t be shocked if Valve announces that partner switch from AMD to Nvidia, because they actually showed us well in advance.
