Qualcomm develops DirectX 12 support for Android PC gaming

Qualcomm is working to enhance Android's ability to run PC games by developing drivers that could provide direct support for Microsoft’s DirectX 12. Currently, Android users rely on community-driven open-source tools like Winlator and Mesa Turnip to translate x86 instructions and graphics commands to the ARM architecture used by mobile devices.

Testing on a Qualcomm QRD engineering unit equipped with the Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 chip has demonstrated the potential for high-end PC gaming on mobile. The device successfully ran titles such as ‘Cyberpunk 2077’ and ‘Black Myth: Wukong’ via translation, achieving frame rates between 25 and 40 fps at medium-to-low settings.

The new Snapdragon hardware also features Adreno Matrix cores and Adreno Neural Fusion (ANF) technology, which utilize AI for upscaling and frame generation to improve visual smoothness and performance.