Intel graphics has improved leaps and bounds but it’s still problematic and more poorly supported than AMD.
I imagine part of it (beyond general stuff like Intel trailing AMD in efficiency, both on the CPU and GPU side, as well as the die size being far larger for the same performance, meaning more expensive) is that Valve really didn’t want Intel graphics issues being reported in reviews and forums as being Proton/Linux issues.
On top of that, Intel straight up doesn’t have a custom semiconductor division. AMD does (predominantly for Xbox/PS, but they’re not the only ones).
Intel would either have to set up an entirely new working group for Valve (expensive! Something that Valve would’ve wanted to avoid considering they had no idea whether the Deck would be a hit or not) or they’d have had to go with an off-the-shelf intel CPU.
it mostly improved after tigerlake, but at the time of steam deck taping out designs, intel was still far behind and realistically was not an option. it will down the line given the AI boom has essentially made the igpu a very important piece of hardware, but not when the original deck was designed on paper.
unless intel was going to give valve a really good deal on tigerlake cpus back in 2020, it was not going to happen.
Intel graphics has improved leaps and bounds but it’s still problematic and more poorly supported than AMD.
I imagine part of it (beyond general stuff like Intel trailing AMD in efficiency, both on the CPU and GPU side, as well as the die size being far larger for the same performance, meaning more expensive) is that Valve really didn’t want Intel graphics issues being reported in reviews and forums as being Proton/Linux issues.
On top of that, Intel straight up doesn’t have a custom semiconductor division. AMD does (predominantly for Xbox/PS, but they’re not the only ones).
Intel would either have to set up an entirely new working group for Valve (expensive! Something that Valve would’ve wanted to avoid considering they had no idea whether the Deck would be a hit or not) or they’d have had to go with an off-the-shelf intel CPU.
it mostly improved after tigerlake, but at the time of steam deck taping out designs, intel was still far behind and realistically was not an option. it will down the line given the AI boom has essentially made the igpu a very important piece of hardware, but not when the original deck was designed on paper.
unless intel was going to give valve a really good deal on tigerlake cpus back in 2020, it was not going to happen.
The “AI boom” means that Intel is going to take die space from the GPU and give it to an NPU. That’s how you get Windows 11®️ CoPilot™️ cetified.