Details of Putin’s ‘Sovereign’ Gaming Consoles Revealed: One Features a Homegrown Elbrus CPU, the Other Resembles a Chinese Clone — Russian Government Acknowledges Inability to Rival PS5 or Xbox

In the world of sovereign computing, things often go awry, either sidelined by insufficient resources or by imitating existing models and losing their uniqueness. When tasked with developing a Russian game console earlier this year, the country took a dual approach. On one hand, they’re working on designing a console powered by their homegrown Elbrus processor, which, according to a report by Habr.com, isn’t exactly setting performance benchmarks alight. On the other hand, they are aiming to build a cloud gaming service using consumer-grade hardware, seemingly opting for a more accessible “sovereign” gaming experience as per an RBC report.

The focus on Elbrus centers around its VLIW (Very Long Instruction Word) microarchitecture, which was initially crafted for heavy, mission-critical computing tasks. However, when stacked against the competition, it’s a little underwhelming in terms of gaming performance. It’s a safe bet not to expect this upcoming console to rival the PlayStation 5 or the Xbox Series X|S in any way. As such, Russian officials are urging game developers to think outside the box and find innovative solutions to these performance limitations.

Anton Gorelkin, Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Information Policy, expressed his hope that developers would take this task seriously and come up with something truly revolutionary. “Everyone is aware that Elbrus processors aren’t on par with the PS5 or Xbox,” he pointed out. “So, unconventional solutions are a necessity.”

This creative approach could mean developing games simple enough for Elbrus CPUs to manage, though with so many gamers still having access to premium titles globally, such “simplified” versions might not draw much interest. Alternatively, cloud rendering might be employed, but that would depend heavily on users having robust, low-latency internet connections.

Interestingly, Gorelkin insists that the console shouldn’t just serve as a platform to port older games; it should also promote the growth of Russian-made video games.

Shifting the focus to cloud gaming, a fascinating development is taking place. MTS, a major Russian telecom provider, is creating a cloud-based gaming solution dubbed MTS Fog Play. This system relies on modest hardware paired with a controller resembling that of an Xbox, and it’s set to retail for about $50. Given this price point, it’s apparent that the console itself won’t have the chops to run even basic Android games. Instead, it will lean on MTS’s Fog Play service, where both remote gaming and game rental are supported, enabling owners of powerful PCs to play using rented titles seamlessly.

While neither of these consoles is available to consumers just yet, we’re eagerly awaiting their release to see how they measure up in performance tests when they eventually do hit the market.