Whenever the topic of gaming on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X-powered Copilot+ PCs arises, I find myself compelled to defend its capabilities. My own experiences have consistently demonstrated that the performance is far from dreadful. However, a significant hurdle remains—anticheat software.
Collaboration for Enhanced Gaming Experience
In a promising development, Epic Games and Qualcomm have announced a partnership aimed at enhancing Easy Anti-Cheat (EAC) support for Snapdragon X later this year. This initiative is crucial, as hundreds of multiplayer games—including the immensely popular Fortnite—depend on Easy Anti-Cheat to combat hacking and cheating.
As part of this collaboration, Epic Games will not only introduce Windows on Snapdragon anti-cheat support for Fortnite but will also provide developers with an Epic Online Services SDK. This will empower developers utilizing Easy Anti-Cheat to integrate this compatibility into their own titles.
(Image credit: Epic Games)
It comes as no surprise that Fortnite, Epic Games’ flagship title, will be the first to implement this support. While specific launch details remain under wraps, the progress is encouraging.
Comparatively, the Steam Deck presents a different set of challenges. Although not directly comparable, both platforms face issues with anticheat software. Steam OS operates on Linux, which complicates the use of Windows-based anticheat solutions. Despite these challenges, the situation has improved significantly, although some holdouts like Riot Games’ Vanguard and Activision’s Ricochet may never find compatibility due to their kernel-level operations.
Epic Games has taken proactive steps to support the Steam Deck and is now extending that commitment to Snapdragon X for Windows. Regardless of personal opinions about the company, one cannot overlook the dedication of their team in striving to make gaming accessible to a broader audience.
My experiences with gaming performance on both the Snapdragon X Elite and Snapdragon X Plus have been impressive, showcasing robust capabilities even without Microsoft’s Auto SR upscaler. As a first-generation product, the performance is commendable.
While numerous factors need to align—including Qualcomm’s commitment to regular graphics driver updates and Microsoft’s expansion of Auto SR support—the anticheat issue remains a significant barrier to accessing some of the most popular games. Nevertheless, this collaboration marks a pivotal step forward, signaling that progress is underway.
