Apparently it’s a problem (again) that Snapdragon X laptops that aren’t for gaming can’t play a lot of games

Apparently it's a problem (again) that Snapdragon X laptops that aren't for gaming can't play a lot of games

As a seasoned tech researcher with over two decades of hands-on experience under my belt, I find myself shaking my head at yet another misguided report claiming Snapdragon X series Windows laptops are bad for gaming. It’s like someone is trying to rewrite the rulebook on reality!


There’s another report doing the rounds again about the new Snapdragon X series Windows laptop and how they’re bad for gaming. You can’t see, but I’m doing one of those Captain Picard-esque facepalms. 

Breaking news: Snapdragon X Elite laptops are not gaming laptops and never have been. Can they play games? Yes, they can, to varying degrees. But they are not gaming laptops. If you want to drop $1,000 on a gaming laptop, you would buy one with a dedicated NVIDIA, AMD or Intel GPU. Those are the facts. As good as integrated graphics have become, you wouldn’t buy a Dell XPS 13 as a serious gaming machine. 

The report under discussion hails from the Wall Street Journal, and it appears that they are primarily relying on information from external sources such as third parties and analysts, rather than firsthand experiences. This seems to encapsulate their approach

“Henry Chang, a researcher at the Taiwan-based firm Digitimes, stated that gamers make up approximately 15% of laptop users and generate around tens of billions of dollars annually in the PC industry.”

It’s like pretending non-gamers don’t exist

Apparently it's a problem (again) that Snapdragon X laptops that aren't for gaming can't play a lot of games

Microsoft and its laptop OEM partners view gamers as significant spenders, but it’s essential to remember that not everyone is a gamer. The Snapdragon X laptops hold great promise in the profitable enterprise market. A person like Johnny Chairman may be more interested in closing business deals than engaging in gaming sessions following his board meetings

Yes, gamers are power users and spend tens of billions every year. But they’re not the only people buying laptops. I have a gaming laptop, but I rarely take it out of the house because I need it to last more than an hour when it’s not connected to a wall outlet. When I want a PC to be mobile, I’m using something better suited, right now an Acer Swift Edge 16. 

Snapdragon X laptops mark the introduction of a fresh wave of sleek, lightweight, high-performing portable computers. As we step into this new territory, it’s inevitable that comparisons to Apple will arise. However, it’s essential to acknowledge that while Apple has moved onto its fourth generation of ARM chips, we are only on the first. This means there are still significant differences between the two

Gaming isn’t a total bust, whatever anyone says

Apparently it's a problem (again) that Snapdragon X laptops that aren't for gaming can't play a lot of games

I don’t intend to dismiss such reports outright because I personally believe they contain some truth. For instance, when the Steam Deck was introduced, there were and continue to be compatibility problems with playing games designed for Windows x86_64 on a non-compatible platform, much like what you might encounter in this situation

Mentioning League of Legends and Fortnite is acceptable, but it’s important to note that the real problem lies with the anti-cheat system. Interestingly enough, the Steam Deck faces similar challenges due to compatibility issues with the current anti-cheat software. Until the anti-cheat is updated to function on this platform, it typically won’t work. However, it’s the cheaters who are responsible for such measures being necessary in the first place. Riot Games employs a robust kernel-level anti-cheat system, so I don’t anticipate support for that feature any time soon

Returning to the original topic of this post, it’s important to clarify that while these devices have been demonstrated with gaming occasionally, their primary purpose is not gaming. The instances where they were shown playing games were carefully selected, or “cherry-picked.” However, for those who aren’t drawn to the competitive multiplayer titles that often come with anti-cheat systems, there are still enjoyable experiences to be had with these devices

Microsoft might’ve had opportunities for further advancements, but they haven’t been idle. I invite your attention to this portion of my previous write-up discussing Auto SR, a high-definition upscaler specifically designed for ARM processors and integrated within the Windows system itself

“Although Copilot+ PCs aren’t designed for high-end gaming, many people still value gaming. Just because you might not achieve top-tier performance in games like Cyberpunk 2077 doesn’t mean that owners won’t want to play some games. Why should everyone have to deal with the inconvenience of a secondary device or compromising on battery life by opting for a gaming laptop, just for the possibility of playing their preferred titles?”

That’s where Auto SR can really make a difference, albeit in very limited form right now. But DLSS started off small, too, and look where that is now. It’s still very early days, but it’s impressive already, and that will only continue to evolve as time passes.”

Apparently it's a problem (again) that Snapdragon X laptops that aren't for gaming can't play a lot of games

(Easy Anti Chess)

This matter requires some patience as it doesn’t happen instantly. Ideally, it should have been addressed prior to the launch of these chips, but right now, it’s not our primary concern

Regardless of what any analyst says, I can speak from personal experience that gaming on Snapdragon X laptops isn’t bad. Can I play all the games I want to play? No, I can’t. But the same is true on my Steam Deck. Unless you buy a Windows gaming laptop with the necessary hardware, there will always be compromise. 

– The idea:

Can we stop with the sensationalist headlines trashing this stuff yet? 

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2024-09-05 14:10