ASUS launched its new Zenbook A16 Windows laptop on April 7 this year and it definitely gets a high grade in my review after testing a new one in the same way Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme processor in it. This chip comes from Qualcomm Windows on ARM More platform and Arm64 architecture in general than the “traditional” x86-64 examples you see from manufacturers like Intel Core Ultra and AMD Ryzen.
It is certainly monolithic, monolithic SoC (System-on-Chip)especially in my Zenbook A16 sample, the X2 Elite Extreme variant offers an energy-efficient combination of a high-end “Oryon” CPU and ample RAM. You also get “Hexagon”. NPU For native AI tasks rated up to 80 TOPSalong with “Adreno” GPU for graphics.
Now, ASUS never steps up its marketing to suggest that the Zenbook A16 is a gaming laptop, despite the brief mention of “ultra-smooth gaming” powered by the Snapdragon X2 processor. Then again, PC gaming hands as still my favorite Steam Deck Use integrated graphics with lower specs than the 16-inch Zenbook, so can the A16 play games?
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TL; DR: Yes, the Zenbook A16 can play games because it is a PC. No real shock there. However, his trust Microsoft’s Prism for titles that do not offer native ARM64, the translation layer degrades performance expectations.
1. World of Warcraft: Midnight
So let’s begin World of Warcrafta game I know for a fact As of 2021, ARM has native support for Windows. Even an MMO with 21 years of gaming experience tends to increase minimum PC specs over time, so it’s interesting to see how the integrated GPU handles it. WoW isn’t the most graphically impressive game in the world, but there can certainly be a lot to draw on the screen.
I saw a retail build of WoW running at 60 FPS in a large city while the Zenbook A16 was running on battery.
using improved Xbox Game Bar to track metrics, I saw a retail build of WoW running at 60 FPS in a large city with a Zenbook A16 running on battery. I didn’t need any resolution scaling, sticking to the native 2880 x 1800 desktop setting with whatever other graphics settings the game recommended, and the result was impressive.
I have to respect Blizzard for supporting the ARM64 build of World of Warcraft, even if it means borrowing my wife’s account and seeing how well it performs with minimal fan noise. Now he wants a Zenbook. Either way, this is good news for anyone who has been tempted by A16 moonlighting in an active guild.
2. Cyberpunk 2077
My first experience with x86-64 gaming wasn’t particularly promising, and I deliberately avoided community-driven rabbit holes for “best settings” recommendations. No, it should be from the perspective of a casual gamer who might buy a productivity-first laptop like the Zenbook A16.
Save Cyberpunk 2077 on the “low” preset and using the upscaling technology to lower the internal resolution in favor of blown-up graphics tricks didn’t significantly improve performance, and I was lucky to maintain around 30-40 FPS.
In this case it is technically playableand some tweaking in the options could probably squeeze out a few more frames, but it’s not worth it. At this point, I’d recommend playing the game on pretty much anything else that’s built for the game, whether it’s an Xbox console or dedicated gaming hardware.
3. Counter-Strike 2
CS2 is a mess on the Zenbook A16. At the lowest settings, the game can’t maintain a steady frame rate and freezes regularly at odd moments in any given match. The resolution changes didn’t help the frame rate, and although the gauges show hints of 100 FPS, it never lasts for long; crashing up and down like a tsunami of disappointment.
Counter-Strike 2 might be one of the most popular online shooters in the world, but forget it, you won’t enjoy it for a second on this laptop. It’s a sad conclusion considering how Valve has developed itself the upcoming Steam Frame VR headset for “androidarm64” architecture (not Windows on ARM), but maybe things will improve in the future. Skip for now.
4. Minecraft: Bedrock Edition
Like World of Warcraft, Minecraft has enough of an air of simplicity that anything should work on it. However, the rendering demands that go on behind the scenes can be quite intensive on your computer, depending on what you’re building and how many creatures and monsters may be nearby at any given time.
Although ray tracing is out of the question. It is completely grayed out in the options menu.
Sticking to the default rendering distance of 12 “slices” maintains a smooth, consistent frame rate around 55-60 FPS without requiring any other changes, and you get exactly what you expect from Minecraft. It’s not as pretty as the game can get, and the visual mods will definitely appeal to you Auto Super Resolution (Auto SR) for a few extra frame chances.
Although ray tracing is out of the question. Completely grayed out in the options menu, no support Qualcomm‘s Adreno GPU means you’ll be playing Minecraft without RT based on default lighting. No big deal and not too surprising considering the integrated graphics.
5. Kingdom Come: Salvation II
The black sheep of the test group was cut off early with a disappointing statement The Xbox PC app does not offer the same ARM64 build as Steamand KCD2 falls back to x64 code. Given how much Cyberpunk 2077 struggles on basement-level graphics settings, it’s not worth pushing a year-old RPG through Prism emulation when a native build is available to everyone.
Patch release gaps between Steam and Xbox PC aren’t a particularly new concern, but they still feel like something they shouldn’t have started.
Stick a pin in it. Games with native support are rare anymore, so miss the chance to try the latest endeavors Kingdom Come: Salvation II is disappointing. Again, I expect this update to be available soon Game Pass Ultimate subscribers, and then I’ll see how the Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme chip handles it. Until then, we don’t need to learn the specifics of its simulated performance.
It’s a far cry from Valve’s Proton efforts on Linux, but the native support is encouraging
These results are what I’d expect from an integrated GPU that’s already on the edge of the niche, and expecting developers to make native ARM64 versions of their games is a bigger ask than asking for it on average. GitHub software developer. None of this affects my opinion of the Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme processor, but it does make me think about Windows on an ARM platform.
Prism certainly helps, even if it doesn’t offer the same experience Valve’s Windows to Linux translation via Proton. However, I would like to see more focus on Windows on ARM, especially in this portable space.
We’ve discussed the idea of an ARM-based handheld game many times before, and it’s still an interesting prospect – if we can figure out the software side. I will be testing more games while I have this laptop example; it just takes time and fitting it into a busy schedule is an art form in itself. Still loving the Zenbook A16. Even after that surprise price change.
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