Snapdragon X Elite's Windows on ARM Gaming Compatibility

In the recent Game Developers Conference (GDC) 2024, Qualcomm made a significant announcement that could change the future of gaming on Windows laptops. The company revealed that its upcoming Snapdragon-powered laptops will be able to run most Windows games without any need for porting by developers. This is made possible through emulation, which allows x86/64 games to run at close to full speed on the ARM-based laptops.

Qualcomm is confident that this new capability will not compromise the gaming experience, as most games are limited by GPU performance rather than CPU. The Snapdragon X Elite systems, expected to launch this summer, will feature this technology, with consumer versions of devices like the Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6 anticipated in May.

Developers have three options for their games on the Snapdragon platform: porting to native ARM64 for optimal CPU performance and power usage, creating a hybrid ARM64EC app for near-native performance, or relying on x64 emulation for compatibility without changes.

However, there are limitations. Games that use kernel-level anti-cheat drivers or AVX instruction sets won’t work under emulation. Qualcomm suggests using SIMDe for converting AVX instructions to NEON code for compatibility.

This move by Qualcomm, in collaboration with Microsoft’s development of a new Windows build codenamed Germanium, marks a potential shift in the PC industry from x86 to ARM architecture, promising improved performance and efficiency. The success of this transition could be a game-changer for the future of Windows laptops and gaming.