Details Emerge on Putin’s ‘Sovereign’ Gaming Console Projects: One with Homegrown Elbrus CPU, Another a Chinese Replica — Russian Government Concedes Inability to Rival PS5 or Xbox

In the ever-evolving world of gaming, the idea of “sovereign computing” is quite a complex affair. It can either falter due to insufficient resources or veer towards becoming a mere imitation, losing its essence of sovereignty. This interesting scenario is currently unfolding in Russia. Earlier this year, President Putin tasked his government with creating a uniquely Russian gaming console. Faced with this challenge, the Russian industry is navigating two distinct paths. According to Habr.com, one approach involves engineering a console using their homegrown Elbrus processor, which is notable for its dual-core, Very Long Instruction Word (VLIW) microarchitecture originally designed for critical, heavy-duty tasks. However, performance benchmarks for Elbrus have largely deemed it “completely unacceptable” for most general uses. On another front, as reported by RBC, there’s a push towards setting up a cloud gaming service, leveraging cost-effective consumer hardware and dubbing it a sovereign initiative.

The console endeavor aims to capitalize on the Elbrus processor, but expectations about its performance, especially when compared to the PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X|S, remain modest at best. Russian policymakers, however, are eager not to be constrained by these limitations. They urge developers to think outside the box to tackle these performance issues strategically.

Anton Gorelkin, the Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Information Policy, expressed his hopes that developers will approach this challenge innovatively and responsibly. As Gorelkin candidly noted, Elbrus processors aren’t quite ready to stand toe-to-toe with their PS5 and Xbox counterparts, hinting that an unconventional solution is crucial.

One creative direction may involve simplifying games to a level where Elbrus CPUs can effectively manage them. But considering that Russian gamers still have access to global powerhouse games, such a simplification might not be too appealing. Another potential route could be leaning into cloud rendering and computing, though this would require gamers to have near-flawless broadband speeds to enjoy their playing experience fully.

Gorelkin also emphasized that the Russian-made console shouldn’t just be a hub for porting existing games; instead, it should play a pivotal role in promoting homegrown video games. This could mark a shift in the gaming narrative in Russia, positioning local content to gain more traction.

Turning our attention to cloud gaming, there’s another intriguing development. MTS, a key player in the Russian telecom sector, is crafting its console, dubbed MTS Fog Play. This device will not hide its reliance on cloud-based gaming services. Priced at an affordable $50, it comes equipped with a controller reminiscent of an Xbox. However, don’t expect it to run even basic Android games independently; its power lies in the MTS’s Fog Play cloud service, which supports both remote gaming and game rental technologies. Essentially, users with high-end PCs can rent games and use the power of their own hardware for a more enriched experience.

Neither console has hit the market yet, but we’re watching closely, eager to see how they perform once they do. It’s an exciting time in the industry, as these developments could very well shape the future of gaming in Russia and perhaps beyond.