Thanks to the Nintendo Switch, handheld game consoles are back in the scene. Brands like Qualcomm are pretty optimistic about this boom. So much so that they’ve created a dedicated chip for such devices.
The chip is called the Qualcomm Snapdragon G3x Gen 1. The chipmaker teamed up with Razer to create a development kit to showcase to developers what they can create with this chip.
That said, the development kit features a 120Hz OLED screen with HDR support. It features a special Adreno GPU with active cooling that should handle 1080p games at 120fps consistently. It also has a 6,000mAh battery, which is relatively small, but OEMs can opt for a bigger one.
The kit runs on the Android operating system, but Qualcomm plans to support other platforms in the future. The G3x also has support for controllers out of the box and other advanced gamer-y features in the future.
For connectivity, the chip will have WiFi 6E and 5G mmWave modem for fast and low-latency connection, which should be great for game streaming services.
The kit also has features that we shall see in future market-ready G3x products. There’s a webcam for streamers, USB Type-C with DisplayPort support and for powering AR/VR accessories, haptics, and ergonomics design.
See also: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip announced to power upcoming flagships
Again, while the Snapdragon G3x Gen 1 is a working chip, Qualcomm is entering a new category on this one. Let’s just wait and see which OEMs and app developers will get on board and until then, a market-ready product shall come out.