How much of that do we think is down to the steamdeck? (and I guess similar form factor alternatives)
GPU VanGogh (the name Steam gives to SteamDeck GPU) is currently ~40% of the whole Linux userbase on Steam; so, yeah. pretty much everything.
I guess Intel dropping the ball on being competitive for a couple of generations probably hasn’t helped either
Intel has never been competitive in terms of GPUs. PCs running Intel iGPUs are machines waiting for a ‘real’ GPU and the like. Intel Arcs are relatively too young to have a significant weight in the totality of the userbase: naturally, for the sake of Linux, one hopes that Intel can gain more weight… specifically against Nvidia which is currently the only company to have exclusively closed source drivers
That implies that the remaining 60% non-vangogh GPU is evenly split between AMD and Nvidia which is still interesting given Nvidia’s much higher market share. That does line up with the general disposition of Linux users - dislike of tech giants
People that use Linux don’t have a single set of reference like, let’s say “Windows 10 or Windows 11”: there are tons of different Linux flavor you can try by simply boot a CD/USB dongle with full Vulkan support… except if it’s Nvidia: since Nvidia closed source driver are restricted in distribution an/or packaging meager.
In short: with AMD/Intel GPU you got latest updated driver coming right to the very core of the OS (right in the Linux’s kernel), it doesn’t matter which Linux you boot, ~100% GPU driver works flawlessly
…on the other side with Nvidia? Good luck with that!
GPU VanGogh (the name Steam gives to SteamDeck GPU) is currently ~40% of the whole Linux userbase on Steam; so, yeah. pretty much everything.
Intel has never been competitive in terms of GPUs. PCs running Intel iGPUs are machines waiting for a ‘real’ GPU and the like. Intel Arcs are relatively too young to have a significant weight in the totality of the userbase: naturally, for the sake of Linux, one hopes that Intel can gain more weight… specifically against Nvidia which is currently the only company to have exclusively closed source drivers
That implies that the remaining 60% non-vangogh GPU is evenly split between AMD and Nvidia which is still interesting given Nvidia’s much higher market share. That does line up with the general disposition of Linux users - dislike of tech giants
There’s actually a practical problem with Nvidia.
People that use Linux don’t have a single set of reference like, let’s say “Windows 10 or Windows 11”: there are tons of different Linux flavor you can try by simply boot a CD/USB dongle with full Vulkan support… except if it’s Nvidia: since Nvidia closed source driver are restricted in distribution an/or packaging meager.
In short: with AMD/Intel GPU you got latest updated driver coming right to the very core of the OS (right in the Linux’s kernel), it doesn’t matter which Linux you boot, ~100% GPU driver works flawlessly
…on the other side with Nvidia? Good luck with that!