Qualcomm announced its first gaming SoC, Snapdragon G3x Gen 1 with Razer developer kit

Qualcomm announced its latest gaming platform, the Qualcomm Snapdragon G3x Gen 1, the first gaming SoC (system-on-chip) from the company in Snapdragon Tech Summit 2021. Qualcomm has already unveiled its next-generation chips at the Snapdragon Tech Summit and now, the company is moving towards the gaming industry with the announcement of the new Snapdragon G3x Gen 1 gaming platform.

The Snapdragon G3x Gen 1 is an Android-based gaming platform designed to let you play Android games, stream games from a console or PC, or play games via cloud gaming services. It’s a chip built purely for gaming, the purpose of the Snapdragon G3x Gen 1 gaming platform is to unite all of the Snapdragon Elite Gaming technologies into one unified product.

Snapdragon G3x Gen 1 is equipped with a Kryo CPU and an Adreno GPU enabling support for external displays up to 4K resolution at 144FPS. It has updateable GPU drivers for game optimizations, true 10-bit HDR gaming, USB Type-C for future XR accessories, and supports game streaming from the cloud, from PC, and from consoles.

Moreover, the chip has support for Qualcomm’s 5G mmWave Modem-RF system and packs a Qualcomm FastConnect 6900 for Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E connectivity. The Snapdragon G3x Gen 1 also features Snapdragon Sound technology which is claimed to provide a low-latency and high-quality audio output.

Qualcomm has partnered with the gaming tech giant, Razer to design a Snapdragon G3x Handheld Gaming Developer Kit. With the new Snapdragon G3x Gen 1 gaming platform, manufacturers can make Nintendo Switch or Steam Deck or alike handheld mobile gaming devices.

“Razer is extremely excited to partner with Qualcomm Technologies and support them on their way to introduce new cutting-edge technology to the global gaming industry. Together, Qualcomm Technologies and Razer will lead the way with new and innovative solutions that push the boundaries of fidelity and quality available in portable gaming, transforming the way these games are experienced,” says Min-Liang Tan, Razer co-founder, and CEO.

The Razer developer kit has a 6.65-inch 120Hz OLED display with a Full HD+ resolution and 10-bit HDR support. There’s a built-in 5 MP webcam with support for 1080p videos at 60 fps. Also, it offers two microphones which is useful for live streaming games online and offers four speakers powered by Snapdragon Sound. Qualcomm says that the Snapdragon G3x Gen 1 has the thermal and processing headroom to run games, capture them, composite them with a webcam and microphone, and upload a stream all at once.

On the other hand, Qualcomm’s latest chips, the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 is the flagship SoC of 2022 for ARM-based devices (ARMv9) preferably for smartphones, whereas the Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 is the first 5nm chipset for Windows-on-ARM laptops along with the Snapdragon 7c+ Gen 3 and will be used in Windows and Chrome OS-powered laptops. Qualcomm is probably known for its Snapdragon processors for mobile phones, but it also makes Snapdragon chips for wearables, extended reality (XR) devices, PCs, and even cars.