Qualcomm Plans For New Gaming Handheld

It’s the past time of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Tech Summit 2021, and it saved the biggest announcement for the end. The institution has developed a suite of caller technologies designed specifically for the mobile gaming space, called the Snapdragon G3x Gen 1 Gaming Platform. On apical of this, it has teamed up with Razer to make a handheld dev kit powered by the caller chipset successful the hopes that developers volition nutrient tailor-made experiences for the device.

What does that mean? The Steam Deck mightiness person immoderate handheld competition earlier long, arsenic Qualcomm is aspiring to leap into the marketplace with this Android-based product. While the instrumentality is lone disposable to developers close now, I went to San Francisco to talk with Qualcomm Technologies’ elder manager of merchandise management, Micah Knapp, earlier the announcement and to effort retired the revealed hardware.

Before jumping into impressions, here’s what developers volition find bundled up successful this kit – which is hopefully a baseline for what gamers tin expect erstwhile the instrumentality yet hits the market.

• 6.65-inch OLED show with Full HD+ solution and 10-bit HDR: Operating astatine up to 120hz
• Haptics Engine
• A 5MP/1080p60 webcam with 2 mics
• 5G mmWave and sub-6 and Wi-Fi 6E
• On-device 4-way speakers
• 4K TV out

Qualcomm’s imaginativeness for its Android handheld is to beryllium the archetypal instrumentality successful the mobile arena that, dissimilar smartphones oregon tablets, is chiefly dedicated to gaming. The dev kit is stuffed with everything needed to play Android games natively portion besides allowing users to watercourse games from their Xbox, PlayStation, oregon PC libraries whether they’re traveling acold from location oregon sitting comfortably connected the couch. But however does the imaginativeness clasp up to the real-life hardware?

The Snapdragon-powered handheld’s existent look won’t triumph immoderate innovation awards: it’s an elongated controller with a surface successful the middle. It is conscionable a shadiness smaller than the Steam Deck – measuring implicit 11 inches successful magnitude and weighing northbound of 1 lb – and, arsenic acold arsenic hardware goes, doesn’t present thing players won’t person seen earlier extracurricular the mobile space. However, the plan whitethorn acquisition galore iterations successful this aboriginal improvement period, truthful it volition beryllium absorbing to spot if thing gets a large overhaul earlier the handheld is acceptable for consumers.    

As for gaming, I jumped into 3 antithetic demos, each of which worked mostly arsenic advertised. In games wherever I piloted a level and drove a contention car, the graphics got perceptibly fuzzy arsenic I sped up, which near maine wondering however good the Android instrumentality would grip much taxing games. However, streaming Minecraft Dungeons via the Xbox Game Pass app worked smoothly and quickly.

One of the astir absorbing things I heard from Knapp was the company’s involvement successful streamers. The device’s quality for always-connected gameplay via wireless and 5G and camera/mic setup was made, successful part, with streamers successful mind. However, the exec was upfront astir imaginable problems, similar the video shaking each clip the streamer moves the handheld, an contented the institution is looking into. 

Overall, the exertion seems breathtaking if you are interested successful the mobile gaming space, and it’ll beryllium worthy watching to spot however Qualcomm’s caller Snapdragon G3x Gen 1 Gaming Platform is utilized successful the future.