Qualcomm Plans For New Gaming Handheld

It’s the last day of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Tech Summit 2021, and it saved the biggest announcement for the end. It has created a new suite of technologies specifically designed for mobile gaming, the Snapdragon G3x Gen 1 Entertainment Platform. It has also collaborated with Razer in order to develop a mobile dev kit that runs on the latest chipset. This will enable developers to make custom experiences for this device.

That’s what does it mean? It’s possible that the Steam Deck will soon be challenged by a handheld competitor, since Qualcomm hopes to enter this market with its Android-based product. While the device is only available to developers right now, I went to San Francisco to speak with Qualcomm Technologies’ senior director of product management, Micah Knapp, before the announcement and to try out the revealed hardware.

Before jumping into impressions, here’s what developers will find bundled up in this kit – which is hopefully a baseline for what gamers can expect when the device eventually hits the market.

• OLED 6.65 inch display: Full HD+ resolution, 10-bit HDR and operating at 120 hz
• Haptics Engine
• Webcam 5MP/1080p60 with 2 mics
• 5G mmWave, sub-6, and Wi-Fi 6E
• Speakers 4-way on-device
• Out now: 4K TV

Qualcomm’s vision for its Android handheld is to be the first device in the mobile arena that, unlike smartphones or tablets, is primarily dedicated to gaming. The dev kit is stuffed with everything needed to play Android games natively while also allowing users to stream games from their Xbox, PlayStation, or PC libraries whether they’re traveling far from home or sitting comfortably on the couch. How does this vision compare to real hardware?

The Snapdragon-powered handheld’s current look won’t win any innovation awards: it’s an elongated controller with a screen in the middle. It is just a shade smaller than the Steam Deck – measuring over 11 inches in length and weighing north of one pound – and, as far as hardware goes, doesn’t introduce anything players won’t have seen before outside the mobile space. It is possible that the design might go through several iterations during this initial development phase. This will make it interesting to watch if any changes are made before the final product.    

Three different gaming demos were available to me, and all three worked well. The graphics became fuzzy when I increased my speed, so I was unsure how the Android device could handle higher-taxing games. But streaming Minecraft Dungeons using the Xbox Game Pass app went smoothly.

One of the most interesting things I heard from Knapp was the company’s interest in streamers. The device’s ability for always-connected gameplay via wireless and 5G and camera/mic setup was made, in part, with streamers in mind. But, the executive was open about potential issues, such as the shaking of the device every time a streamer moves it, which the company is investigating. 

Overall, the technology seems exciting if you are interested in the mobile gaming space, and it’ll be worth watching to see how Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon G3x Gen 1 Gaming Platform is used in the future.