Remember 2024, when Qualcomm said most x86 Windows games would run smoothly on its Arm chipsets? Well, those promises were a bit premature, if we say so. But with the launch of the Snapdragon Control Panel this week (along with other updates), the company says things are finally looking up for Snapdragon X Elite laptop owners.
Along with the launch of faster new chips, Qualcomm has made some quality-related improvements at the software level. Chief among them is this week’s arrival of the Snapdragon Control Panel: the company’s answer to NVIDIA and AMD’s GPU tools. Like those apps, the Snapdragon software includes familiar features like automatic game detection, per-game settings, and Adreno GPU driver updates. On that note, Qualcomm says its drivers have eliminated bugs and increased performance for more than 100 games since last year.
Qualcomm
The important x86 emulation layer has also received some love. Microsoft’s Prism emulator now supports Advanced Vector Extensions (AVX) x86 emulation on Qualcomm chips. Meanwhile, the more advanced AVX2 will be supported out of the box on the upcoming Snapdragon X2 Elite laptops. (Expect to hear more about them at CES.) Current Snapdragon X series devices will receive the update “in the coming weeks.”
Qualcomm admitted last year that one Windows gaming hindrance was kernel-level anti-cheat technology. At that time, multiplayer games relying on it will not work on its devices. But as part of its gaming announcements this week, Qualcomm highlighted FortniteAvailability of. This is thanks to Epic Online Services anti-cheat support. Qualcomm says it’s also working with leading anti-cheat providers to add broader multiplayer support. It includes anti-cheat technology from Tencent, Roblox, and other companies.