From our other sites
The story
Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon chip has been revealed to support “ANF,” a feature that boosts image quality and frame rates through super-resolution and frame generation — and Unreal Engine and Unity have already added support for it. According to the explanation, it can push 16fps up to 52fps, suggesting an era is approaching where even smartphones and tablets can comfortably run demanding games. When this story was reposted to 5ch’s Hardware/Industry (Geha) board, comments clashed between “won’t dedicated game consoles become unnecessary now?” and rebuttals like “the walls of heat, battery life, and controls won’t be so easily overcome,” sparking a debate over pricing, device lifespan, and whether controller support is even worth it.
Super-resolution + frame generation coming to Android too — Snapdragon’s new GPU takes 16fps to 52fps
Qualcomm has explained that game engines like Unreal Engine and Unity already support ANF, and it’s expected that more game titles will gradually add ANF support going forward.
Source: pc.watch.impress.co.jp / Original article here
What people said
dedicated hardware is seriously going to get wiped out
Storage prices are climbing, so makers are cutting corners there — not gonna happen
So mobile Genshin Impact could end up looking PS5-level?
That'd be rough for Japan's PlayStation market, where pay-once games barely sell to begin with
What advantage does a standard controller with garbage ergonomics even have 🤔?
The Pro Controller?
With a phone you can hook up all sorts of controllers lol
That's a game that runs fine on junk hardware with an AnTuTu score of like 200,000
It's been running on Android emulators for ages already
I don't play mobile games so I genuinely want to know.
Can you actually play something on a phone that's normally built around 20 buttons?
Clip-on controllers for phones and 8-inch tablets have existed forever
And on a phone or tablet, the 'not enough buttons' problem is less of an issue than on a regular handheld console, since you can assign extra buttons and keys right onto the touchscreen
You seriously can't wrap your head around 'just plug in a gamepad'?
That's rough for someone your age
Are you like 70 and still rocking a flip phone or something
I just figured mobile games were meant to be played on the phone itself
So you're saying people carry a gamepad around separately
Isn't that a hassle?
Guess it seems that way if you're stuck in old assumptions
Nobody's asking you specifically to play games anyway
So it's fine if that works for you
Play console exclusives on console, and for indie games that get buzz but never come to console, just buy them on Steam and play through something like GameHub
Do that and the reality is you never need to buy a gaming PC
Phone performance climbs every year, so the pool of games that run comfortably just keeps growing
For phone play, 720p on medium settings capped at 60fps is plenty, and for indie games battery drain isn't even that harsh
Replacing it every year is terrible value for money
That toy is never going to catch on
Sounds like what's actually going to become unnecessary is a console that can only play games lol
If you've never touched a PC, you don't need to force yourself to weigh in
Normal people aren't buying some gimmicky phone with a built-in fan, and it'd cost a ridiculous amount anyway
If price isn't a concern and you're fine using a newer process node, phones with Switch 2-level gaming performance already exist
Something like the iPhone 18 Pro has about 1.5x the performance of a docked Switch 2
At 1.5x, but since phones don't get DLSS, the actual gaming experience probably still ends up worse than the Switch
All the more reason I want a Nintendo phone then
One where Android sleeps in the background and it boots the actual Switch 2 OS natively instead of through virtualization
Seems like there'd be enough power for that
And on top of that you need to carry around a separately-sold controller.
Wouldn't a Switch 2 just be better?
And that combo seems cheaper anyway
Personally, if I can play with just a controller, I don't need a game console
Though strictly speaking it'd be a tablet rather than a phone for me
I already use a tablet at home for reading, so if it can play games too, I don't need a console
With a tablet you can watch videos or read lying down, but you can't really game like that, right?
You have to prop it up.
That does seem inconvenient, now that I think about it
I mostly prop it up, but I could probably manage lying down too
If it can genuinely deliver a satisfying gaming experience, there's at least no reason to buy a Switch or PlayStation
Honestly I just wish Steam would support phones directly
Rhythm games and shooters are easier on a tablet than a phone
Like at Pro Yakyuu Spirits (baseball game) tournaments, 90% of the players use an iPad
Only mobile-gacha addicts hype this stuff up; normal people who actually play consoles don't give it a second glance
I mean, most games and gacha titles people actually play on phones are old anyway, and if you've got the latest model or one gen back, heat and battery aren't really a problem
Just stick to games that actually have proper controller support
The ones that don't are genuinely trash, sure
And yeah, there really aren't many good games — it's mostly gacha apps
Price doesn't bother me since it's a phone I use every day anyway, and I'll be replacing it regardless of lifespan
There really aren't as many downsides as people say
The only real issue as a gaming device is the lack of games
Even a phone around 100,000 yen these days runs most mobile apps fine — you don't need to drop 200,000-300,000 on one
Especially for something you're just carrying around
The motivation is backwards to begin with
It starts with wanting a device that can make calls and get online, and then 'oh, it'd be nice if the device I already have could also play games'
That's the order it goes in
That's exactly why dedicated consoles lose to general-purpose devices
Total garbage! Selling it!
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HTLjLimbkAAd_-8.jpg?name=orig
https://x.com/ma_sasan1020/status/2103993770564075641?s=46
It's only really useful for something like not wanting to miss your Dragon Quest X daily quests or login bonus while out on a business trip.
Honestly, just having the PS Remote Play app on your phone is enough anyway.
And on top of that, if the PS console itself crashes with an error, you can't even recover it without operating the console directly — no saving grace there.
In short, it's not worth paying that much money for.
Don't need it…
https://x.com/attyzr/status/2104132726244950281?s=46
It was way more of a pain to use than I expected, so I said goodbye to it right after buying it
Sold it instantly on Mercari for 25,000 yen, FYI
https://x.com/kurashigear365/status/2104123343872180355?s=46
Sorry for the reply out of nowhere (not a follower of yours), but I've only touched it three times total in the three years since I bought it…
https://x.com/f2d47fef1f34475/status/2104124794975432875?s=46
Sounds like a 'your setup' problem (おま環 — shorthand for 'it's your environment, not the product')
Your connection's just bad
Case closed, I win
For most people who own a phone, storage is already packed just from the OS alone
iPhones and other smartphones are mostly bought through installment/lease plans (残クレ, a residual-value credit scheme) these days 🥺
According to Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications data, that's reached about 61% (as of Q3 FY2024)
If it was already that high two years ago, the ratio's probably climbed even higher by now 🥹
Cheap or not, if you don't need it, you don't need it
Like, do you need a PS5 if you already have a PC? Same logic 😁
Background and key points of this discussion
The original article reports that Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon chip supports AI-driven super-resolution and frame generation (ANF), and that Unreal Engine and Unity already support it — it isn’t reporting on any specific console or new product launch. In the thread, optimistic views that improved smartphone/tablet performance will make dedicated consoles unnecessary clashed with opinions pointing out practical hurdles like heat, battery drain, controller ergonomics, and the cost of replacing a device every year. Worth keeping in mind: Japan in particular has a high share of home consoles and handhelds like the Switch, and mobile games are overwhelmingly free-to-play — so whether subscription or pay-once console games actually get displaced by phones hinges not just on raw performance but also on differences in sales models and controls.
※This article is compiled and summarized from the 5ch (Hardware/Industry [Geha]) thread “[Bad news for consoles] The era of super-resolution + frame generation is coming to phones and tablets too…“.
Leave a Reply