Putin’s Ambitious Gaming Console Plans Unveiled: Homegrown Elbrus CPU vs. Chinese Replica; Russian Government Concedes Struggle Against PS5 and Xbox

When it comes to sovereign computing, things can often unravel either because of resource constraints or by taking on a “knockoff” approach that compromises the true essence of sovereignty.

Earlier this year, after Putin directed the development of a Russian gaming console, the industry seems to be exploring two main paths. One involves designing a console based on Russia’s own Elbrus processor, which reports from Habr.com say features a unique Very Long Instruction Word (VLIW) microarchitecture originally designed for complex, high-stakes tasks. The alternative path is portrayed in an RBC report, suggesting the creation of a cloud gaming service utilizing affordable consumer technology and labeling it as sovereign.

Delving into the first option, the Elbrus processor isn’t exactly known for its blistering performance, with many benchmarks deeming it “completely unacceptable” for most computing tasks. This poses a significant hurdle, as Russian officials don’t expect this new console to match the power of the PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X|S. In response, they’re pushing developers to think outside the box to address these limitations.

Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Information Policy, Anton Gorelkin, expressed a hope that his colleagues will take this challenge seriously and bring something truly innovative to the table. He acknowledged, “Elbrus processors are not yet at the level required to compete equally with the PS5 and Xbox, which means the solution must be unconventional.”

This unconventional route might mean simplifying games to a point where the Elbrus CPU can manage them, although given that Russian gamers already have access to top-tier games worldwide, they might not be interested in such ‘watered-down’ versions. Alternatively, cloud computing and rendering could be utilized, though this would require gamers to have flawless internet connections with minimal latency for a smooth experience.

Interestingly, Gorelkin also mentioned that the console should aim to do more than simply recycle old games; it should also serve as a vehicle for promoting homegrown video games.

On a related note, Russian gamers might find interest in another innovation—a game console by MTS, a leading Russian telecom entity. Known as the MTS Fog Play platform, MTS is transparent about its cloud-based nature. The device is fairly basic, coming with a controller reminiscent of the Xbox and priced at about $50.

At such a low cost, it relies heavily on MTS’s Fog Play cloud service, as it lacks the power to handle even basic Android games natively. This service facilitates both remote gaming and game rentals, allowing those with high-end PCs to rent games from MTS while using their own hardware.

While neither device has hit the market just yet, we’re eagerly waiting to see the benchmarks and real-world performance once they do.