Qualcomm is discussing the possibility of cooperation with Nintendo and Sony

Over recent years, handheld gaming devices have been thrust back into the spotlight, propelled by the resounding success of the Nintendo Switch and Steam Deck. Major chip design corporations, such as Qualcomm, are reluctant to miss out on this flourishing market, as illustrated by last year’s collaborative venture with Razer to launch the Razer Edge gaming handheld, powered by the inaugural generation of the Snapdragon G3x platform, tailor-made for mobile gaming apparatuses.

Twitter user @Tech_Reve suggests that according to Alex Katouzian, Qualcomm’s Senior Vice President, the company has been in recent deliberations with both Nintendo and Sony regarding potential collaborations, primarily focusing on the future trajectory of portable gaming devices. The specifics of any imminent cooperation remain, for now, elusive.

Given their copious experience within the realm of mobile gaming devices, coupled with their distinct hardware requisites, both Nintendo and Sony indeed occupy a potential niche for collaboration with Qualcomm. Even in the absence of immediate collaboration, if Qualcomm seeks to delve deeper into this market, it would be a plausible course of action to seek advice on handheld design and functional requirements from such industry titans. However, it’s plausible that the first-generation Snapdragon G3x platform’s specifications might not be sufficiently compelling to entice these corporate behemoths. Even if a collaboration materializes, they might opt to develop a novel chip.

As per their current timeline, Qualcomm is set to introduce a custom core that employs NUVIA technology and is compatible with the Arm instruction set next year. This innovation will be used for the fourth-generation Snapdragon 8cx, aimed at devices such as laptops. Given the substantial human and material resources invested in the development of the custom core, it is natural for Qualcomm to envisage expanding its application platforms, with mobile gaming devices emerging as a promising direction. Regardless of whether collaborations with Nintendo and Sony materialize, it’s conceivable that Qualcomm will engage with other partners to introduce more products mirroring the likes of the Nintendo Switch.