When we dive into the realm of sovereign computing, it’s often a choice between heading downhill due to insufficient resources or taking the route of imitation, like a Chinese knockoff, and losing the essence of being sovereign. Earlier this year, Putin tasked the government with designing a Russian gaming console, and it appears that the Russian industry is attempting to tackle the challenge from two angles. According to Habr.com, one approach is to create a standalone console leveraging a dual-core Elbrus processor developed locally. Meanwhile, RBC reports suggest another strategy, which involves establishing a cloud gaming service on cost-effective consumer hardware while labeling it as sovereign.
Russia is working on a gaming console powered by its Elbrus processor, known for its Very Long Instruction Word (VLIW) microarchitecture, initially designed for heavy-duty, mission-critical applications. However, when it comes to performance, Elbrus falls significantly short. Numerous benchmarks have deemed it “completely unacceptable” for most tasks.
Expectations need to be managed here—the new console won’t match the prowess of the PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X|S. Therefore, Russian lawmakers are urging developers to think outside the box to address these performance limitations.
“I hope my colleagues tackle this task with utmost responsibility and deliver something truly innovative,” expressed Anton Gorelkin, Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Information Policy. “It’s clear to everyone: Elbrus processors are not at a competitive level with the PS5 and Xbox, so a non-traditional solution is necessary.”
This unconventional path might mean simplifying games to be manageable by Elbrus CPUs, though the Russian gaming audience accustomed to high-quality games may not be keen on playing these ‘simplified’ versions. Alternatively, a focus on cloud computing could be adopted, though this would demand gamers to have superior broadband connectivity with minimal latency.
Gorelkin also highlighted the importance of the console being more than a vessel for old game ports, advocating for the promotion of domestic video games.
Shifting gears to cloud gaming, we look at a venture by MTS, a notable player in Russian telecommunications. MTS openly states that its offering is a cloud-based gaming service dubbed the MTS Fog Play platform.
This setup involves basic hardware, an Xbox-style controller, and a price tag of around $50. Given this price point, it’s unlikely such a console can manage even the simplest Android games on its own, thus it will depend heavily on the MTS Fog Play cloud service. This service will facilitate both remote gaming and rental gaming options. Essentially, owners of high-end PCs interested in MTS’s games can rent titles while still relying on their hardware.
Neither of these consoles is available in the market just yet, but we’re keeping a watchful eye out for performance benchmarks once they launch.
