Qualcomm’s new gaming chips want to bring Steam Deck power to Android
Qualcomm’s chips do a lot more than just powering our favorite Android phones. You’ll find Snapdragon-brand SoCs inside some of the best Android handheld gaming hardware too, and with good reason. The chips are powerful enough for gaming phones. However, Qualcomm has its eyes set on the booming gaming handheld segment comprising the likes of the Valve Steam Deck and Nintendo Switch, respawning an industry that was almost forgotten since the Sony PSP died. To this effect, Qualcomm is announcing three new SoCs purpose-built for handheld gaming devices at Gamescom in Cologne, Germany, this week.
Called the Snapdragon G Series, the lineup consists of the G1, G2, and G3x Gen 2 SoCs. The G1 supports lag-free game streaming locally, or from the cloud. The company has designed this chip for long hours of play on Wi-Fi, which The Verge reports, should be north of the 10-hour mark. In an interaction with Qualcomm’s gaming director Mithun Chandrasekhar, The Verge learned that devices with the G1 chip should cost less than $200, and that’s without Verizon subsidies.
