Qualcomm and Microsoft do not heavily market Snapdragon X-powered PCs as gaming PCs. Qualcomm has claimed that 90 percent of top Windows games will run on Snapdragon X2 laptops, so some hints and teases have been tossed out there.
Qualcomm's official announcement of the Snapdragon X2 chips lacks any mention of gaming. In contrast, the ASUS listing for the Zenbook A16 states the Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme "enables ultra‑smooth gaming."
At this point Qualcomm is flirting with the idea of Snapdragon X chips powering gaming PCs, but the chips aren't quite there yet. Still, that hasn't stopped people from checking performance and benchmarks.
Gamers already know how most titles behave on different hardware, so showing a known quantity on a new PC is a quick way to check performance.
We've done some testing ourselves, such as playing 5 PC games on the ASUS Zenbook A16 with a Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme. But YouTuber "Ghobso Gaming" took things to another level by testing 200 games on a Surface Pro 11 with a Snapdragon X Plus.
Testing 200 games on a Surface Pro 11
Ghobso Gaming has tested 200 games on the Surface Pro 11 with a Snapdragon X Plus over the last 15 months or so.
Just before the 200-game milestone, Ghobso Gaming shared their top 10 games for the Surface Pro 11 with a Snapdragon X Plus. During their testing, all these games feel good to play on the device.
- Atomfall
- Hades
- Sonic Racing: Crossworlds
- Fortnite
- Stardew Valley
- Halo CE (MCC)
- Lies of P
- South of Midnight
- Resident Evil 7: Biohazard
- Alien: Rogue Incursion
The list includes lighter 2D titles and more demanding games that have a lot going on at once. The Surface Pro 11 is not going to compete with the best gaming laptops, but it's impressive to see these games perform well on such a thin-and-light PC.
Fortnite appearing on the list is especially noteworthy because until relatively recently, that game was not playable on Snapdragon X PCs. Easy Anti-Cheat support rolled out last year, opening the doors for Fortnite and a bunch of other titles on Snapdragon X PCs.
Since releasing that video, Ghobso Gaming has tested more games. They gave a special shoutout to Kingdom Come: Deliverance II running on the Surface Pro 11 when chatting with me.
Improving gaming on Snapdragon X PCs
"Gaming compatibility on Snapdragon X has come such a long way over the past year," said Ghobso Gaming. "What has impressed me most is Microsoft and Qualcomm’s continued support for the tech."
Gaming improvements on Snapdragon X PCs are about more than a new wave of processors. Of course, the Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme is going to handle games better than its older and weaker siblings, but Microsoft and its partners have put in a lot of work to improve gaming across all Snapdragon X PCs.
"The improvements they’ve deployed, such as Easy Anti-Cheat compatibility, AVX instructions, and native Windows on Arm game support have been a joy to see," said Ghobso Gaming. "I can’t wait to test these games all over again on the X2 chips!"
An update to Microsoft's Prism emulation software last December expanded the library of x86 games on Snapdragon X PCs by adding support for AVX and AVX2, and related extensions. Those extensions are vital for certain games and apps.
While Microsoft's Prism emulation has improved, but it still falls behind Valve's Windows-to-Linux translation (through Proton). But things are trending in the right direction, and some major hurdles have been cleared.
The future of gaming on Snapdragon X PCs
Gaming on Snapdragon X PCs has improved greatly over the last few years, with a sizable jump in the last 12 months. But Qualcomm needs to stop flirting and commit to gaming.
I believe the background work and improved processors will overcome most of the remaining hurdles to making a gaming PC powered by a Snapdragon X chip.
The most natural form factor for a Snapdragon X-powered gaming PC is a gaming handheld. These devices need to handle modern games but don't need to deliver 4K resolution or the highest settings to meet gamer demand.
A gaming handheld with better battery life and enough power to run popular games would fill a niche. Over time as compatibility improves, Snapdragon X PCs could potentially compete with gaming handhelds powered by Intel and AMD processors.
But for now, we'll have to settle for having fun playing games on business laptops and 2-in-1s powered by Snapdragon X chips.
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