Qualcomm has just unveiled quite a lot at the recent Qualcomm Snapdragon Tech Summit 2021 including the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 flagship smartphone chip and the new Snapdragon chipsets for laptops. The company also introduced a new dedicated series for gaming handheld consoles starting with the Snapdragon G3x Gen 1.
The company didn’t give too much detail as far as hardware goes but it does get some of its features from its smartphone counterparts and the Snapdragon XR2 on the Oculus Quest 2.
In order to showcase the capability of the new G3x chipset, Qualcomm has partnered with Razer to create a handheld development kit.
The kit has an HDR OLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate with the aim to get 1080p resolution with 120fps. Additionally, it has a 6000mAh battery pack.
Currently, Qualcomm is focusing on Android to run the new platform but the chipset maker is open to supporting other platforms in the future.
The new gaming console chipset will support controllers as well as other features like stereo haptics. Additionally, it will support cloud gaming that works hand-in-hand with connectivity features like Wi-Fi 6E and 5G mmWave.
The kit also has a 1080p camera on the front which should be useful for streamers that want to stream from the console.
Qualcomm also sees the chipset being used for micro consoles or smart TV sticks. It supports a DisplayPort via USB-C allowing users and developers to output to a 4K TV. The port can also be used to power AR/VR headsets and accessories.
Do note that the company has no plans of releasing the kit as a consumer device so it might take some time before we actually see the Snapdragon G3x Gen 1 in a consumer console though.
Ram found his love and appreciation for writing in 2015 having started in the gaming and esports sphere for GG Network. He would then transition to focus more on the world of tech which has also began his journey into learning more about this world. That said though, he still has the mentality of "as long as it works" for his personal gadgets.
