Detailed Overview of Putin’s ‘Sovereign’ Gaming Consoles: One Featuring an Elbrus CPU, the Other a Chinese Replica — Russian Government Acknowledges They Can’t Rival PS5 or Xbox

When it comes to creating a truly independent gaming console, Russia has found itself at a crossroads. On one hand, they could lack the resources to go it alone, and on the other, they might end up copying designs, losing the very sovereignty they’re striving for. After President Putin issued a directive this spring for the government to develop a Russian gaming console, it seems the industry decided to pursue both routes simultaneously. According to Habr.com, one path involves designing a console centered around a dual-core Elbrus processor, a creation of Russian ingenuity. Meanwhile, a report from RBC indicates their other strategy is to launch a cloud gaming service using readily available, affordable consumer hardware, branding it as their unique creation.

The planned console is set to feature the Elbrus processor, known for its Very Long Instruction Word (VLIW) microarchitecture. Initially destinated for hefty, mission-critical tasks, Elbrus hasn’t exactly shone in performance benchmarks, not achieving the necessary standards for most applications.

Nobody expects this upcoming console to match the power of the likes of PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X|S. So, Russian officials are urging developers to think outside the box to tackle these performance constraints.

Anton Gorelkin, Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Information Policy, expressed his hopes in a message, “I’m counting on my colleagues to take this seriously and generate something truly innovative. It’s clear to everyone that Elbrus processors aren’t yet on par with the PS5 and Xbox. Therefore, the solution must be anything but typical.”

An unconventional method might involve simplifying game mechanics to a level compatible with Elbrus CPUs; however, with Russian gamers having access to world-class games, such ‘simplified’ versions may not capture their interest. Alternatively, cloud rendering could be a solution, necessitating flawless, low-latency broadband for users to experience smooth gameplay.

Gorelkin also highlighted that this console shouldn’t just be a platform for old games but should actively promote Russian-made video games.

Let’s switch gears and explore another effort in this area by MTS, a leading telecommunications company in Russia. MTS has been transparent about their project, referring to it as the MTS Fog Play platform, a cloud-based service.

This offering features low-cost hardware, an Xbox-like controller, all priced at roughly $50. At that cost, it’s near impossible to produce a console that can manage even basic Android games through local rendering. Consequently, this device relies on MTS’s Fog Play service, supporting both remote gameplay and a game rental model — meaning even users with high-end PCs can access this service and enjoy the supported titles.

Neither console has hit store shelves yet, but rest assured, we’ll be monitoring the situation for when these new options land, ready to dig into their performance metrics.