Nvidia Reflex could be coming to Linux PCs through Proton

Valve’s Proton could be the catalyst to bring Nvidia’s Reflex software to Linux PCs but don’t expect it on the Steam Deck.

If you’ve been around the esports or graphics card scene in recent months, you’ll have encountered Nvidia Reflex. The software is designed to smooth the latency between moving a mouse and the action on the screen. It’s become essential for certain first-person shooters to get that upper hand.

However, it’s currently unavailable on Linux, which has seen its users grow in recent months. The rise of Linux for gaming is causing multiple hardware manufacturers to reconsider support, including Nvidia. While GPUs have support supersampling like DLSS and FSR from AMD, the extra bells and whistles that come with an Nvidia GPU are often left out.

Now Nvidia plans to bring Reflex through to Linux gaming enthusiasts by way of Valve’s Proton.

Proton is Valve’s translation layer for Linux, allowing Windows games to play out of the native OS they were originally intended for. It’s also excellent for emulating the Windows environment for other pieces of software, which Nvidia plans to utilize.

Nvidia prepping Reflex for Linux systems

Spotted in a GitHub pull request, three different requests were made by an Nvidia engineer. DXVK, VKD3D-Proton, and DXVK-NVAPI are the parts of the translation layer the engineer would like to alter. As pointed out by GamingOnLinux, Nvidia is also not trying to erase any work done by the open-source community, like LatencyFleX.

In one of the requests, Nvidia said:

“To provide compatibility with LatencyFleX this change will only use the ID3DLowLatencyDevice interface when LatencyFleX is not detected.”

Bringing Reflex to the Linux platform is a strong indication that Nvidia is taking Valve’s work seriously within the gaming sector. Before Valve’s Proton, there were other options, but nothing as seamless as what’s provided via the Steam client.

There’s no word on when it’ll be implemented, but don’t expect to see this hit the Steam Deck. Reflex requires a Team Green GPU, which the Steam Deck does not house.