Qualcomm has updated its Snapdragon Control Panel software in the last week, hinting further at its plans for a PC gaming sidestep made possible by the Snapdraon X2 Elite chip. While the incremental updates are small, a shuffling around of some UI here and a direct door to NPU driver updates there signal some quiet preparations as prices of the best gaming laptops soar over the heads of rising component costs.
As spotted by Windows Central, the brand released its full patch notes to Reddit a few days ago, outlining its redesigned game library, offering a more intuitive experience while making adding and removing favorites easier. The brand also updated its One-Click Game Optimization tool for improved reliability, and gave its Hexagon NPU driver updates a backdoor to the Control Panel as well.
These aren't major strides forward for the prospect of playing your favorite games without relying on Nvidia, but combined with the approving response received by the Snapdragon X2 Elite at launch, it certainly smells like some affairs are being put in order.
Can Snapdragon make a gaming laptop?
How far are we from gaming laptop status then? It depends on how you look at it.
Many would argue we're already there. After all, when YouTube channel ETA Prime got their hands on an Asus Zenbook A14 with the X2 Elite under the hood, they managed to crank Cyberpunk 2077 up to 72fps with Auto SR at 1920 x 1200. Without that Windows helping hand, they were still kicking about at 52fps in High settings.
That's what a 'cheaper' RTX 5060 gaming laptop will get you these days, matching my results from the Acer Nitro V 16 AI (AMD Ryzen AI 7 450, 32GB RAM) and coming slightly under the MSI Katana 15 HX B14W (Intel Core i7-14650HX, 16GB RAM).
At launch, those machines went for around $1,500. They're a lot harder to get hold of today.
The Asus Zenbook A14 has held firm at $1,999.99 (Asus) since release - higher than you'd expect to pay for RTX 5060-level performance, but certainly on the right track given the way the rest of the market is going right now.
The Asus Zenbook A14 recently (April) received its Snapdragon X2 Elite update, adding the far more powerful chip to its 14-inch OLED chassis.
Snapdragon X2 Elite (X2E88100) | $1,999.99 at Asus
After all, you're not buying a Snapdragon X2 Elite laptop purely for gaming. These are slimline ultrabook machines designed for high-performance productivity and work demands. That kind of everyday carry premium was previously reserved for more expensive Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 and Razer Blade 14 devices. Considering the RTX 5060 G14 currently holds a $2,299.99 MSRP (now $1,899.99 at Best Buy) and the Razer Blade 14 is still locked at that same starting price (Razer), the numbers are already shifting in Qualcomm's direction.
A Snapdragon X2 Elite gaming laptop may already be in the lead if you're after an RTX 5060-level workhorse as an all-in-one device, but monetary value doesn't guarantee widespread support. ARM has been rejuvenated with various tweaks and updates, and a much wider supporting circle. However, it's still not quite as reliable, powerful, and versatile as traditional X86.
There's still the Microsoft Prism emulation layer in between you and your games, several competitive titles don't run at all, and full compatibility is, while trending quickly in the right direction, still a work in progress.
It's also worth the reminder that we're unlikely to see SoC devices overtake high-end dedicated graphics cards. The RTX 5070 Ti, RTX 5080, and RTX 5090 are all pretty safe from this invasion.
Nevertheless, with the way gaming laptop prices are going, it makes sense for Qualcomm to be oiling its gears over the next few months.
I'm also hunting down more of the best Asus gaming laptops as well as the best Razer laptops and best Alienware laptops on the market.
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