Russian Government Outlines ‘Sovereign’ Gaming Consoles: One Utilizes Homegrown Elbrus CPU, the Other Inspired by Chinese Designs; Acknowledges They Fall Short of Competing with PS5 or Xbox

When it comes to sovereign tech in gaming, it’s a bit of a mixed bag. Often, it either falters due to insufficient resources or ends up mirroring knockoffs, losing its sovereign identity. After Putin’s directive in the spring to create a Russian game console, the industry has opted for two distinctive paths. According to Habr.com, one strategy is to develop a console based on the domestically crafted Elbrus processor, which features a Very Long Instruction Word (VLIW) architecture initially designed for high-stakes, mission-critical tasks. Alternatively, as RBC reports suggest, another approach involves setting up a cloud gaming service using affordable consumer tech and branding it as sovereign.

The development of the console on the Elbrus processor, envisioned to handle intensive workloads, faces significant hurdles. All indications from benchmarks paint a rather bleak picture of its performance, labeling it broadly “completely unacceptable” for most typical tasks.

In terms of raw power, this console isn’t expected to rival the likes of PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X|S. As a result, Russian authorities are pushing developers to innovate their way out of these constraints.

Anton Gorelkin, Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Information Policy, expressed his hopes, “I urge my colleagues to tackle this with utmost dedication and deliver something revolutionary. It’s an open secret: Elbrus processors are not yet on par with PS5 and Xbox standards, so an unconventional solution is a must.”

This unconventional path might involve streamlining games to a level the Elbrus CPUs can manage. However, given the Russian audience’s access to globally acclaimed games, this might not entice them. Alternatively, there’s the potential of leveraging cloud computing capabilities to handle complex calculations, but this would necessitate impeccable broadband with minimal latency for smooth gameplay.

Intriguingly, Gorelkin stressed the console should not just serve as a throwback to old games but should also help spotlight local video game development.

Shifting gears to focus on a separate endeavor, there’s another console under development by MTS, a significant player in Russian telecommunications. MTS is upfront about their approach, introducing a cloud-based gaming platform dubbed the MTS Fog Play.

This device is equipped with basic hardware, comes packaged with a controller resembling those for Xbox, and carries an attractive price tag of around $50. At that price point, the console itself isn’t geared to handle even basic Android games locally. Instead, it taps into MTS’s Fog Play cloud service, which supports gaming remotely and game rentals, allowing owners of more robust PCs to enjoy games without local processing strain.

We haven’t seen these consoles hit the shelves just yet, but rest assured, we’ll be keeping tabs on them and will eagerly share our insights once benchmarks are available.