Details Emerge on Putin’s ‘Sovereign’ Gaming Console Projects: One Features Homegrown Elbrus CPU, Other a Chinese Copy — Russian Gov’t Concedes Inability to Compete with PS5 or Xbox

When we dive into the realm of sovereign computing, it seems to often veer off course. This can happen due to insufficient resources, or it may end up resembling those Chinese replicas, losing its sovereignty along the way.

Earlier this year, after Putin directed the development of a Russian game console, the industry took a two-pronged approach. According to Habr.com, they’re working on a console powered by a dual-core Elbrus processor, crafted domestically. Meanwhile, an RBC report highlights efforts to establish a cloud gaming service using affordable consumer hardware that’s also labeled as sovereign.

Russia’s initiative involves creating a console utilizing the Elbrus processor. This chip boasts a Very Long Instruction Word (VLIW) microarchitecture, originally intended for high-stakes, critical tasks. Unfortunately, based on benchmarks, the performance of Elbrus has been found wanting, particularly for most commonly required tasks.

“It’s clear to all: Elbrus processors just can’t compete on equal footing,” remarked Anton Gorelkin from the State Committee on Information Policy.

The new console isn’t anticipated to match the performance of powerhouses like the PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X|S, prompting Russian politicians to call for innovative alternatives to tackle these performance hurdles.

In a statement, Anton Gorelkin, Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Information Policy, urged his colleagues to take the challenge seriously and explore groundbreaking solutions. He said, “It’s apparent to everyone: Elbrus processors aren’t up to the level needed to compete with PS5 and Xbox, meaning we need an innovative approach.”

This ingenuity might mean either simplifying games so they’re manageable for the Elbrus CPUs (although the Russian audience, with access to top-tier games, might not be keen on such simplified versions) or leveraging cloud rendering and computing, which would require gamers to have reliable, low-latency internet connections to play smoothly.

Gorelkin also stressed that the console should not simply host rehashed versions of old games. Instead, it should serve as a platform to promote and develop Russian video games.

In terms of cloud gaming, MTS—a key player in Russian telecommunications—is cooking up something interesting. MTS is openly developing a cloud-based gaming service and refers to it as the MTS Fog Play platform.

What’s intriguing is their device, priced at around $50, which includes a controller comparable to those of Xbox. At such a low price, it’s not expected to handle even basic Android games, thus relying heavily on the MTS Fog Play cloud service. This service will support both remote gaming and game rentals, enabling users with high-end PCs to rent games while still utilizing their own hardware.

Neither of these consoles is available yet, but we’ll keep a close watch and report back once performance benchmarks become available.