Because Vulkan is native to the Steam Deck's APU, you can run 4x resolution without the fan spinning up.
Initially, Citra relied on OpenGL, a widely-used graphics API, for its rendering needs. While OpenGL served the emulator well, it had some limitations. As the complexity of 3DS games increased, Citra's OpenGL-based renderer struggled to keep up, leading to performance issues, glitches, and decreased compatibility. The Citra team realized that a more modern and efficient graphics API was needed to unlock the emulator's full potential. citra vulkan
Let's look at real-world numbers. Testing on a mid-range PC (Ryzen 5 3600, GTX 1660 Super) and a high-end Android phone (Snapdragon 8 Gen 2): Because Vulkan is native to the Steam Deck's
The Citra Vulkan renderer has been extensively tested, and the results are impressive. Many games that were previously unplayable or experienced significant performance issues now run smoothly, with some titles seeing performance increases of up to 50%. Some examples of games that have seen significant improvements with Citra Vulkan include: As the complexity of 3DS games increased, Citra's