Qualcomm has revealed three new chipsets that will power new Android-based gaming handhelds. They will be used in new devices from Retroid Pocket, Ayaneo, and other manufacturers.
Handheld gaming has surged in popularity over the past few years, with most of the attention going towards the Steam Deck and similar Windows-powered gaming handhelds. There are also many lighter and less expensive Android-powered models, mostly intended for retro game emulation, local game streaming from a PC or console, and cloud gaming. You don’t need a modern PC-class processor to play Game Boy Advance or PS1 games, and the more power-efficient ARM chips from Qualcomm, MediaTek, and others give you much better battery life than a Steam Deck-style handheld.
Qualcomm has announced three new chips for gaming handhelds: the Snapdragon G3 Gen 3, Snapdragon G2 Gen 2, and Snapdragon G1 Gen 2. The G3 is the highest-end model, the G1 is only intended for game streaming, and the G2 is in the middle.
The Snapdragon G3 Gen 3
The Snapdragon G3 Gen 3 is the highest-performance chip, with an 8-core Qualcomm Kryo CPU—that’s 1 prime core, 5 performance cores, and 2 efficiency cores. It has a Qualcomm Adreno A32 GPU, and there’s support for Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.3, QHD+ screens at up to 144Hz, hardware-accelerated ray tracing, and Snapdragon Game Super Resolution upscaling. This is also the first Snapdragon G series chip to support Lumen, the fully dynamic global illumination and reflections system in Unreal Engine 5.
Qualcomm says this chip has 30% faster CPU performance and 28% faster GPU performance than the previous Snapdragon G3 Gen 2. The only notable gaming handheld that used that chip was the AYANEO Pocket S. Sure enough, AYANEO has two handhelds coming that will use the G3 Gen 3: the AYANEO Pocket S2 with a 6.3-inch 2K screen, and the AYANEO Gaming Pad with an 8.3-inch 2K 120Hz screen and “esports-grade turbo fan cooling system.”
This is a chip built for playing high-end Android games, like Fortnite, Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile, Genshin Impact, GRID Autosport, Alien: Isolation, and other similar console-quality titles. The AYANEO Pocket S with the previous-generation chip could handle retro emulation up to PS2/GameCube-era games, so the ~30% CPU and GPU bump should push that even further in the Gen 3. Cloud gaming should also work well, especially if you have a Wi-Fi 6E or 7 network.
Snapdragon G2 Gen 2 and G1 Gen 2
Qualcomm also revealed the Snapdragon G2 Gen 2, which is a step down the performance ladder from the G3. It’s primarily built for cloud gaming and local game streaming, rather than running on-device games. It has “a powerful balance of performance and efficiency with 2.3x CPU performance increase and 3.8x faster GPU capabilities over Snapdragon G2 Gen 1. It has an 8-core CPU (1 prime core, 4 performance cores, 3 efficiency cores), an Adreno A22 GPU, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.3, and up to 144Hz display support.
Finally, there’s the low-end Snapdragon G1 Gen 2. Its 8-core CPU has 2 performance cores and 6 efficiency cores, prioritizing long battery life over performance. That’s great for cloud gaming and basic emulation, but not much else. The Retroid Pocket PR Classic (seen at the top of this article) will use the chip paired with 4GB AM, 64GB storage, and a 1080×1240 AMOLED screen when it becomes available for pre-order in March.
Even though most discussion around gaming handhelds is focused on the Steam Deck and other PC-like devices, I’m personally more interested in Android-based handhelds, and I’m happy to see the hardware options continue to improve. I have a Logitech G Cloud, and it’s been a great device for local Xbox streaming, some retro games, Minecraft, and sometimes Xbox Cloud Gaming. Unlike the Steam Deck, it’s lightweight, silent, and lasts all day on battery. Hopefully, more Android handhelds will show up over the coming months with these chips.
Source: Qualcomm
