It’s impossible not to think of a Nintendo Switch or the future Steam Deck when you look at the console presented by Qualcomm at its Snapdragon Summit in Hawaii. Large, but very light, the device designed by Qualcomm and Razer is not, for now, a mass product, but a development kit for video game studios.
As well as to possible industrial partners who would like to get an idea of the potential of the Snapdragon G3x, the gaming chip presented by Qualcomm this year.
A mobile SoC transformed (recycled?) Into a gaming chip
At the heart of the machine, the new Snapdragon G3x. An SoC surrounded by mystery. Asked by 01net.com, Micah Knapp, project manager, refuses to make any technical comments on the chip:
“ This is a first step into virgin territory, the device we are presenting is intended for game developers and our OEM partners. (the builders, editor’s note) for them to explore the potential of our solution.
As soon as the first finished products with final chips come out, we will communicate more about it. You noticed that the chip is called G3x, there will probably be G1, G2, etc. But for now, we are waiting for the industry to return before giving more details on the final chips. “, Explains Micah Knapp.
Is this a rebadged smartphone chip? If so, which chip? A 100% gaming chip. Radio silence … But according to our information gleaned on site at the Snapdragon Summit, this first version would be derived (or even the carbon copy) of the Snapdragon 888 + …
Silent on the computing power and the generations of CPU and GPU cores, Qualcomm is more dissert on connectivity:
” the develop kit integrates Wi-Fi 6 and a 5G modem, because the connectivity of the device is a key element of differentiation, especially with the gradual advent of cloud gaming », Details Micah Knapp.
But can we call with it?
” Absolutely not. Of course, the components would allow it if desired, it’s easy to do. But we want the message to be clear: this is a dedicated gaming chip for game consoles. We have many SoCs dedicated to telephony, there are plenty of gaming-oriented smartphones. But this is a gaming SoC “.
And the gentleman knows what he is talking about: his two stays at AMD represent ten years of his career during which he, in particular, worked on SoCs, custom silicon and consoles …
A very smooth browsing and gaming experience
If we couldn’t spend hours with the device, what we remember in 30 minutes of handling is that Qualcomm and Razer have mastered their art: no crashes, no slowdowns, no graphic artifacts and a switch between the main menu and almost instant games.
While playing Asphalt 9, and a funny 3D airplane game, you can tell (to the eye) that the GPU is stuck with the 60 Hz of the OLED screen. The Switch seems much less fluid, and especially less efficient in terms of detail, with its old SoC from 2015!
It obviously remains to be seen how the chip performs with more demanding games. But being an Android console, the parallel with PC games will be difficult to make.
But if the interface responds to the finger and the eye and the games are both beautiful and smooth, the device did not have a program that displayed the number of frames per second.
In addition, both Android games, run locally, as well as games that are streamed from the cloud (Minecraft Dungeon, from xCloud, in our case), do not display the graphics options that are conventionally found in the world of PC games.
It is therefore impossible for us to report figures that could serve as a point of comparison with x86 chips, or known smartphones.
Manufacturing quality: the “Razer’s touch”
Far from being a finished prototype with a trowel, the device which has no name other than ” handheld gaming device », Already has the finery of a finished product. The FHD + OLED screen in ultra wide format is to die for, the quality of the touch of the buttons and joysticks is impressive, the arrangement of the rooms, a priori perfect – we only had the console in hand hour, then we do not engage more on this ground.
Qualcomm had the nose to deal with Razer, a brand that now accumulates a lot of experience both in terms of gamepads and the ergonomic needs of players.
However, Qualcomm and Razer assure that the device is far from definitive:
“ This device has not undergone any development, reinforcement or strength tests that a consumer product would undergo. Says Justin Cooney of Razer.
And Micah Knapp confirms:
” What we have developed with Razer is a device good enough for developments and OEMs to appreciate the potential of the platform. But it is a new territory, which requires time and experimentation. Even though the device is enticing, it is not yet ready for the general public “.
But then when will machines equipped with this chip arrive?
“We obviously have ambitions, but no precise timetable”, tempers Micah Knapp. “We must first convince OEMs and developers”.
And to convince these people, Qualcomm has a huge point: mobile gaming is a bundle of money.
The mobile gaming market is crushing everything
If the gamers and geeks immediately imagine being able to play games as demanding as Cyber Punk 2077 with all the effects of ray tracing fundamentally, Qualcomm’s approach is less exclusive and less passionate.
It is much more rational even: the video game market, which represents a huge cake of more than 150 billion dollars in 2020, is now dominated by mobile games.
And 52% of the volume of this business happens on smartphones, a market in which Qualcomm, leader in high-end chips in the Android ecosystem, is ultra dominant. But in the form of … smartphones.
With such a jackpot, positioning yourself on a console makes sense.
“There are more than two billion players on mobile”, assures Micah Knapp. “Even if the hardcore gamers ready to invest in a dedicated gaming machine are in the minority and only represent a few percent of this total, it still represents a huge opportunity”, he enthuses.
And with his mastery of Android, the American capitalizes on his know-how to develop a platform “On software ecosystems that already exist”Mr. Knapp continues.
“The players follow the games and the developers go to the platforms that work. So we didn’t have the urge – nor the interest! – create an ecosystem from scratch or exotic software tools. Our platform supports all classic Android games and console, PC or cloud gaming users can take advantage of the platform’s connectivity potential to enjoy their services wherever they are ”, he assures.
As long as the infrastructures are at the level where they are, which is not a given.
While the PC giants, like Alienware, have still not given shape to their Switch-like, and that only a few small players, like the Hong Kongers of GPD or AYA, are exploring this segment, the Qualcomm platform seems to have potential to allow a builder to create a real alternative.
As in the PC, this is an x86 and ARM match. But with its more advantageous performance / watt ratio and the connectivity that mobile SoCs bring, ARM, and here Qualcomm, seem to have many cards in hand to achieve another victory.