We played Destiny 2 on Intel Xe DG1 at CES 2020

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• We played Destiny 2 on Intel Xe DG1 at CES 2020

It will be some time before Intel Xe GPUs make it to laptops, let alone the best graphics cards, but at CES 2020 we have at least a glimpse in action. Intel has been very careful with any information about these upcoming GPUs, and the only information we really know is that the integrated versions coming in the next Tiger Lake will be about twice as fast as the Gen11 graphics found in the latest chips. Ice Lake It's a huge leap in performance, to be sure. It still means that Tiger Lake laptops aren't going to compete with the best gaming laptops, although they aren't either. What's more interesting, then, is the mysterious GP1 DG1 Xe that was unveiled at the Intel 2020 CES press conference. We don't know anything about this graphics chip, other than the fact that it's a discrete graphics processor designed for mobile. This is probably disappointing news for anyone wanting an Intel desktop graphics card, but given Intel's recent priorities with its laptops, it should come as no surprise that it starts with a mobile chip.

PCIe DG1 is sent to developers for optimization (Image credit: Intel)

Xe isn't ready for the market yet, but it's getting there

For the past couple of years, Intel Xe graphics has always seemed like something abstract floating in the distance, rather than a product on the brink of release. However, if Intel has proven anything this year at CES, it's that Xe is real and on the way. Intel invited us to check it out for ourselves, and we were able to play a bit of Destiny 2 on a DG1 laptop, though it was a rough experience. The frame rate wasn't very high and there was a lot of stuttering, which means it's not quite a market-ready experience yet. This is, of course, because the GPU is still in its infancy and CES is, if nothing else, built for these concept announcements that won't hit the market for some time. What it has shown, however, is that Intel Xe can run games right now, which means Intel will be working to optimize performance in the coming months to make sure it can compete with comparable chips from Nvidia and AMD.

We had to play Destiny but we had to use a controller, of course (Image credit: Future)

Intel is working on it

Intel knows that DG1 is still in its early stages of production, so when we spoke to Team Blue about their new graphics chip, they told us it was still in development, but there was a light at the end of the tunnel. Intel ships DG1 to developers so they can start optimizing games and creative software to work well on the GPU, and they do so on certain PCIe cards, to make the job easier. This means we've been able to see sharp renderings of Intel graphics cards, even if none of them make it to market as actual products.

Another rendering (Image credit: Intel) One thing that helps us calm down as all this development and optimization continues is that Intel seems to be open to community feedback through its Odyssey program. It's essentially a community of graphic design enthusiasts that Intel is collecting feedback from. Let's hope this translates to production GPUs from Intel that can live up to the hype it's cultivated over the past couple of years, but only time will tell. We're as ready as anyone for a third-party manufacturer to enter the graphics card wars, but only time will tell.

• Discover all the CES 2020 covers from LaComparacion. We're live in Las Vegas to bring you the latest technology news and releases, as well as hands-on reviews of everything from 8K TVs and folding screens to new phones, laptops, and smart home devices.