When it comes to the concept of sovereign computing, attempts often falter either due to insufficient resources or they end up mimicking existing models, thus losing their uniqueness. Earlier this year, when Putin tasked the government with creating a Russian gaming console, it seems the Russian industry took a dual approach. According to reports from Habr.com, they’re working on a console using a dual-core Elbrus processor. Meanwhile, an RBC report suggests they’re also developing a cloud gaming service using consumer-grade hardware, which they plan to market as a standalone Russian innovation.
The journey for the Russian gaming console, which uses the Elbrus processor, is particularly intriguing. Elbrus processors use a Very Long Instruction Word (VLIW) microarchitecture, originally designed for heavy-duty, critical tasks. Performance-wise, however, benchmarks have not been kind, labeling these processors as “completely unacceptable” for most standard needs.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, expectations for the performance of this new console don’t quite match the capabilities of powerhouses like the PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X|S. Russian officials are therefore pushing developers to think outside the box, striving for innovation that might help overcome these hardware limitations.
“I hope my colleagues will take this challenge seriously and create something truly groundbreaking,” remarked Anton Gorelkin, Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Information Policy. “The reality is clear to all: Elbrus processors aren’t yet on par with the PS5 and Xbox, so we must think creatively.”
Addressing these limitations could mean designing simpler games that Elbrus CPUs can handle, though there’s a risk that Russian gamers, who still have access to global releases, might not find these downsized versions appealing. Alternatively, they could leverage cloud technology to render games, necessitating high-speed, low-latency internet connections for a smooth gaming experience.
Interestingly, Gorelkin highlighted that this new console should serve as more than just a platform for rehashing old games—they aim to use it to highlight Russian-developed video games.
Turning to cloud gaming, MTS, a major Russian telecommunication firm, is developing a gaming console with a different approach. Their device is openly a cloud-based gaming solution, named the MTS Fog Play platform.
This budget-friendly console, priced at around $50, includes an Xbox-style controller. Given the price point, it’s not equipped to handle even basic Android games independently; instead, it relies on MTS’s Fog Play service. This service supports both remote gaming and a rental model, allowing users with more powerful PCs to rent and play games using their existing setups.
Neither of these gaming solutions has hit the market yet, but we’ll be tracking them closely, eager to see how benchmarks and real-world performance stack up upon release.
