Qualcomm announced Wednesday（12.1） the new Snapdragon G3x microchip for handheld consoles. This shows that games are becoming more important to semiconductor companies.
This announcement shows that Qualcomm wants to be part of the hot gaming market. There, AMD and Nvidia, which power Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo consoles, have seen significant growth.
The chip will debut on portable developer devices from gaming peripherals and computer company Razer. The console is similar to the Nintendo Switch, but runs Android games. Equipped with a 6.65 inch screen and built-in controller
Qualcomm is the largest supplier of chips at the heart of Android phones manufactured by companies such as Samsung and Xiaomi. Qualcomm had $ 7.7 billion in chip sales in 2021, 60% of which was for mobile phones.
Gaming applications are becoming an increasingly selling point for high-end mobile chips, as advanced gaming can take advantage of increased power to provide more realistic and smooth gameplay.
Manufacturing chips for game console makers has become a lucrative business for other semiconductor companies.
For example, AMD has placed the processor at the heart of consoles such as the Sony PlayStation 5 and Microsoft Series X, and the company said strong demand for game consoles contributed to higher-than-expected revenues in the previous quarter. AMD also offers a processor for Steam Deck, a handheld game console that will debut next year.
Nvidia manufactures the core processors of the Nintendo Switch, which has sold more than 92 million units since its debut in 2016.
Razer’s product is a developer kit for game makers and programmers, but it could be similar to future commercial products from Qualcomm’s customers. Provides a preview of the technologies Qualcomm will support in the next generation of portable gaming consoles. For example, 5G connectivity, webcams for streaming, and other features that Nintendo Switch doesn’t currently offer.