Snapdragon 8 Elite arrives with Linux support, potentially unlocking PC gaming on phones and tablets
Snapdragon 8 Elite arrives with Linux support, potentially unlocking PC gaming on phones and tablets
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.zip/post/25405532
Qualcomm engineering director Trilok Soni recently confirmed that the company's Linux team published Linux kernel updates for the Snapdragon 8 Elite processor. Qualcomm unveiled the SoC earlier this month, targeting a new generation of flagship phones and tablets supporting Android and Linux.
The more concerning part is the bootloader that keeps being made more and more cumbersome to unlock. Not as easy to install one's system of choice when you need to beg the device maker to allow access to the part of the system required for that. =/
Pray we don't alter the deal further
Why are you altering the dead in the first place? Leave them be, they're dead
Let's hope it'll get us a few more Linux handheld devices and maybe closer to the dream of a decent Linux phone. I bought a Pinephone back then, but that's pretty limited. And we also need better power management, software that is designed for small touchscreens. And support for the dozens of other diverse components in a phone, touchscreen, camera, gps, all the other chips... Having the SoC supported is only the minimum. Without the other drivers in place it doesn't automatically provide us with an image on the screen etc. It'd be a big good step into the right direction, though.
Have a look at the PostmarketOS device list. There are a ton of devices that boot, but the vast majority are missing critical features that render the device almost useless for anything but a server. The only android phones that I know of that run well with usable features and performance are the Oneplus 6/6T, Poco f1, Pixel 3a, shift6mq and fairphone, though even then there are crucial features missing. A modern phone built for Linux with a modern chipset, working camera, USB and sound would be awesome, but such a device does not exist AFAIK.
Maybe I'm just pedantic, but if it's on a phone or tablet, isn't it not "PC gaming"? I'm honestly a little confused what they're going for. I guess "mobile games of the graphical calibre expected of PC games"? But, like, Myst is a PC game. Monkey Island is a PC game. Thomas Was Alone is a PC game. There's a wide range there in graphics... And phones are mobile...
It means the library of PC games. A bit like a Steam Deck can be seen as both a PC and a handheld console.
The best situation would be that the ARM processor is powerful enough to run an x86 emulation layer so you can directly play the same games you play on your PC on your phone or tablet. I've been experimenting with box86 and FEX on postmarketOS using a OnePlus 6T and already Steam and several lighter weight games are very playable, but the next generation Snapdragon chips should be able to take it a lot further when it comes to running more demanding games.
I mean, slap a proper desktop system and plug some bluetooth devices like a controller or a keyboard and mouse, and you got a makeshift laptop / notebook / whatever-the-current-name-is.
Think really hard about what the letters "PC" are for us... That's okay, we'll wait...
Hint, it's personal computer. A phone is technically a PC.