Get your salt shakers ready as there's a new rumor in town! Following rumors of Sony shutting down the digital store of its older platforms and details on a 4K-ready Nintendo Switch, news are now circulating about Qualcomm's plans to enter the gaming market with a device of its own. According to an exclusive report by Android Police that cites details obtained from "a source familiar with the company's strategy", this upcoming device will bear similarities to the Nintendo Switch based on non-final images the outlet could view but not share.

The report details that the handheld console "resembles a thicker, bulkier smartphone" with detachable controllers on each side, packs a 6000mAh battery equipped with Quick Charge technology, features an SD card slot, runs on Android 12 with "full support for Google's suite of Play apps and services" and supports display-out capabilities. It will also feature 5G support and include sensors such as Bluetooth, GPS, accelerometers and dual-zone haptics. However, Android Police does not believe that the device will have telephony features.

Qualcomm apparently plans to launch the device for $300 in Q1 of 2022 as a means to showcase its latest Snapdragon chipset (whether it's a customized chip design or an off-the-shelf solution is not known). According to Android Police's source, Qualcomm "doesn't have any delusions of unseating Nintendo". Rather, this device might serve as a reference design of sorts to "inspire its partners to explore new form factors as the line between "mobile" and "console" gaming increasingly blurs".

Where it gets interesting is that XDA's editor-in-chief, Mishaal Rahman, corroborated this report, saying that it "clear to me that it'd end up being a device for consumers". He gave some addition details of his own from his own source, saying that the device uses Qualcomm's latest chipset, the Snapdragon 888 and the model name is GRD8350P (with GRD assumed to mean "Game Reference Device" and "8350" referring to "SM8350", the 888's part number). Rahman also heard that it will pack a 6.65" Full HD+ display, a 6000mAh battery and support a fan but apparently doesn't even have a rear camera.

My source didn't think this was going to be a commercial product, as it would make sense for Qualcomm to simply build a reference design for a gaming phone given how popular they've become in China.

— Mishaal Rahman (@MishaalRahman) March 23, 2021

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Rumor or not, would you like to see such a device from Qualcomm?

SOURCE

 

[Prans]

New rumor: or maybe THIS is the Switch Pro!

 

[BitMasterPlus]

The new Switch Pro model: Switch Android Fusion Plus Mega!

 

[WiiMiiSwitch]

A company that makes smartphone chips tries to rip off the switch, Ha, don't make me laugh, this is gonna flop. Maybe I'll be decent for emulation but not in sales

 

[Sonic Angel Knight]

Nope, I'm only waiting for Nvidia shield portable 2.

 

[djpannda]

This is like 10 years ago when everyone had wii clones ....
long live the vii !!!

 

[Deleted User]

and what is there to play on Android besides Emulators? Lol.

 

[leon315]

Time to buy some Qualcomm stocks!
I LIKE STOCKS!

 

[Tom Bombadildo]

Given that Qualcomms SnapDragon recent SoCs are more powerful than Nvidia's old ass Tegra X1, this could be make a nice portable emulation machine assuming it's not priced ridiculously. My Z Fold 2 can emulate most Gamecube/Wii games no problem, and it's not even using the latest SD888 which is like 10-20% faster.

But given the lack of AAA titles (and the fact that Qualcomm isn't going to make much money on software unlike console makers), I expect this will either be powerful but stupid expensive or stupid weak and cheap.

 

[Nerdtendo]

The snapdragon 888 is a beast for emulators, but I don't see enough play store games to warrant me picking something like this up.

 

[Rahkeesh]

NVIDIA had the freaking Switch hardware out in their shield line before, the problem remains the Android marketplace.

 

[lokomelo]

people saw the Switch sales success in 2018 and 2019 and started R&D. Now those researches are getting towards the final stages, so there are more gaps for those leaks. That's why there is a pandemic of Switch-like stuff appearing on news.

Maybe some of you are about my age or older, so you should remember that the same also happened about 3 to 5 years after the release of other successful consoles. I remember this for the Famicom, SNES, PS1, PS2, Gameboy and Wii.
Sega is not on this list just because, as you may know, sega made many of those "inspirations" official.

 

[Veho]

Rather, this device might serve as a reference design of sorts to "inspire its partners to explore new form factors as the line between "mobile" and "console" gaming increasingly blurs".

Basically it's a promo/demo station to say "look what our new chipset can do, buy our chips for your phones".

 

[eriol33]

Xiaomi poco 3 + ds4 + game lip are already enough to play dolphin emulator. What hardcore games are available on android anyway?

 

[MiiJack]

This is like 10 years ago when everyone had wii clones ....
long live the vii !!!

Don't forget the WLL.

 

[Teletron1]

Interesting device if you want to remote play your Xbox or PlayStation or even your pc for $300 plus I’m sure you can login to GeForce now ,comes with 5G
Wonder if they have a better solution to prevent drifting with their controllers

 

[raxadian]

Remember when some companies were copying the Wii controller?

 

[Bladexdsl]

here we fucking go again...

 

[ClancyDaEnlightened]

New rumor: or maybe THIS is the Switch Pro!

Plot twist: the nintendo switchphone, with 4g lte and 5g

 

[mspy]

This sounds good on paper, the question is what original games will it come with that would make it worth buying? In the end if it is a device for gaming, the people will want the games and if you give them your average mobile game with microtransactions and whatnot it's a big no no. I see more devs diving in on the android game market but it's not like they make AAA exclusive games for android.