Qualcomm unveils Snapdragon G Series for 'next-gen' handheld gaming consoles

Qualcomm has unveiled a new set of processors aimed at handheld gaming consoles, a device category currently experiencing a notable growth in popularity. The new Snapdragon G series consists of three configurations for a wide range of consoles with different capabilities and price tags.

Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. announced the all-new Snapdragon® G Series handheld gaming portfolio, built to meet the unique performance and feature demands of dedicated gaming devices. The new Snapdragon G Series unlocks a range of options for playing the most sought-after games, offering boundless ways to play virtually any game, anywhere.

The new lineup includes the following:

• Snapdragon G1 is an entry-level model designed for fanless handheld consoles with the primary goal of streaming games locally or from the cloud. Qualcomm promises "lag-free connectivity" and solid battery life for prolonged gaming sessions. The Snapdragon G1 is built upon the Snapdragon G1 Gen 1 Platform with eight Qualcomm Kryo cores and the Adreno A11 GPU.
• Snapdragon G2 is for "full-featured" mobile gaming and cloud streaming. The processor is based on the more advanced Snapdragon G2 Gen 2 Platform for "premium mobile and cloud gaming" with eight Kryo CPU cores and the Adreno A21 graphics. The Snapdragon G2 also supports 5G via the Snapdragon X62 modem.
• Snapdragon G3 is the flagship model aimed at enthusiasts wanting the best features and performance levels. Built upon the Snapdragon G3x Gen 2 platform (eight Kryo cores and the Adreno A32 GPU), the Snapdragon G3 delivers more than 30% faster CPU and two times faster GPU when compared to the predecessor. Other features include 5G support (sub-6 and mmWave), hardware-accelerated ray tracing, game super-resolution, low-latency Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi 7.

Qualcomm says the new processors are now available for its partners, and buyers can expect customer-specific announcements soon. AyaNeo, Huaqin, Inventec, Thundercomm, and other companies are working on handheld consoles powered by the Snapdragon G Series.