Rumor has it that Qualcomm is working on a Nintendo Switch-like handheld game console. But Qualcomm isn’t the only company with that idea.

Earlier this year details started to emerge about an upcoming handheld game console with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8xx processor, a 5.99 inch 1080p display, and a starting price of $199.

The $199 handheld is expected to go up for pre-order through an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign sometime this year, but YouTuber Taki Udon already has a pre-production prototype. He posted a first look video in April, and followed up this week with a new video showing off the software.

The latest video also gives the device a new name, albeit one that’s still not official: Project Valhalla.

While there are still a lot of details we don’t know about this upcoming device, including the exact processor, the release date, or even what company is making the Project Valhalla handheld, the device is expected to come in at least two versions. There will be standard and Pro models, which will sell for $199 and $249, respectively… at least during crowdfunding. I suspect the retail price will be higher.

Both devices can be used for handheld gaming, and both are said to be roughly the size of a Nintendo Switch Lite. But unlike a Switch Lite, you’ll be able to connect an optional docking accessory to connect these little consoles to a TV.

Here are some details that have been revealed so far… although it’s probably best to take them with a grain of salt until the crowdfunding campaign actually launches (or maybe even until the device actually ships):

StandardPro
ProcessorQualcomm Snapdragon 800 series
Display5.99″ 1920 x 1080 touchscreen
Display refresh rate60 Hz90 Hz
RAM4GB8GB
Storage64GB + microSD128GB + microSD
Battery5,000 mAh

The device is expected to have a PlayStation Vita-style D-Pad, analog triggers, and an unspecified “flagship” processor from Qualcomm… although in order to keep the price low, there’s some speculation that it’ll be a previous-gen flagship such as a Snapdragon 835 or 845.

With a good cooling system to keep the chip from overheating, that should be good enough to play some of the most demanding mobile games though.

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20 replies on “Project Valhalla handheld Android game console has a “flagship” Snapdragon processor and a $199 starting price (crowdfunding)”

  1. I like this. My only complain is the screen size. This same system with an 8″ screen? Yes please!

  2. I’ll be curious how this turns out.

    Sony’s PS Vita was ARM based. I had one and it was largely disappointing. Games didn’t play all that well, and certainly weren’t as detailed as their PS3 counterparts even at a lower resolution. The platform was also pretty neglected with not that many good games coming out for it.

    I played with it about a year and lost interest.

    Hopefully someone can do a portable system like this right outside the Nintendo arena. The price point is good – other gaming handhelds I’ve seen have been in the $700-800 range and are just way too expensive for what they are and what they offer.

  3. I am hoping for at least SD845. Tbh Genshin seems to be running well so it just might be. It doesnt run any worse than on my Pixel 3XL .

  4. Aside from emulation, Android sucks for gaming, and even emulation on it is pretty basic; you can’t do PS3, Wii U or Switch emulation, for example, like you can with the AyaNeo/GPDWin3/OneXplayer/SteamPal/etc.

    1. That would be nice but I have some doubts about whether a startup could manage something like that. Its much more likely that its SD 845 stripped from older phones Shenzhen style. I would welcome more power .. I have SD 845 in my Pixel 3XL and it gets its ass kicked by genshin .. and badly optimized UE4 chinese games 😀

  5. Emulation on Android isn’t that great. I’d much rather see something like this run a Linux build with Emulation Station, or something similar.

    I’m focusing on emulation because there’s absolutely nothing else gaming-related that interests me on Android.

    The Pro model’s 8gb RAM and 90hz screen are a complete waste. I need neither of those things for emulation

    1. Egg Ns switch emulator needs 9GB ram so atleast 12GB ram needed for switch emulation

  6. So this is more of emulation for classic systems? Streaming games via Luna or Xcloud? Better wait for whatever SteamPal will be.

    1. I really hope more players (especially ones that have better QA and post-sales support) enter this PC handheld gaming market.

      I really want to ditch GPD because they just keep having issues and bad support on every single device they release. I’m eyeing One Netbook and AYA but they’re also small companies with likely the same issues.

      1. I totally agree with you, if only the Alienware UFO or even the NEC mini Laci were in production, it will be a better alternative.

  7. Android isn’t that great of a gaming platform, but it has Steam Link and emulators, so there’s that

  8. Outside of emulation, how’s Android gaming nowadays? I’m excluding emulation because the only way I’d be able to get games would be illegal.

    So for “legal” gaming, has Android gaming improved a lot now? The last time I tried gaming on my phone was to play The Room games. It was fun but definitely a “mobile” game (ie. lowered expectations).

    1. Gaming on Android is as dead as ever – except for very simple games where the user interface is dumbed down to near zero. The problem is there is no way to use a controller with any sort of consistent quality. A touch-screen phone is a terrible user interface for gaming. It is possible to buy controllers, or you can hack an old X-Box or Playstation controller to work, but NONE of the solutions are reliable. What works for one game, won’t work with another. Controllers aside, is Android capable of being a mainstream gaming platform? ABSOLUTELY, if only users had a consistent and reliable way to control the games. So we’re back to the controller problem again.

      1. On the nose. Gaming on android is so bad… virtual joysticks. The platform supports attaching bluetooth gaming controllers, but none of the games I’m ever interested in have any support. There are hacks for adding it but they are just about as shady as you can get and are likely to get you banned. I ran across a solution once that used an arduino I think?… but it was expensive, kind of a dead project, and I just wondered if I cared enough.

    2. There are some standouts (Dead Cells comes to mind), but there still are not near enough games that come out that have controller support (not as many as IOS, anyway). A lot of studios still don’t believe it’s worth supporting.

    3. Thanks David and Mort K. I guess I’ll stick to gaming handheld consoles and PC gaming handhelds. Eyeing Valve’s SteamPal ever since that was leaked. Would rather get a device from Valve than GPD/One Netbook/AYA.

    4. well if you look at asian market, android gaming is very huge. mainly the mainstream competitive game like PUBGM, Mobile Legend, etc. theres also Genshin, the only gacha game that tops the market. even the upcomin PUBG game already have 10 million+ pre register on play store only. well of course from western perspective you can hate mobile game as you want because plenty first world country ppl have financial access to gaming PC. but mobile gaming is too big to ignore

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