The AAA gaming space on Android smartphones is fragmented, largely due to developers ignoring the platform, though some blame should also be diverted towards companies like Qualcomm and Google for failure to take some initiative, as Apple has done with its devices. Fortunately, Where Winds Meet caught our attention, and after reporting about the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 delivering a fluid experience on the REDMAGIC 11 Pro, we decided to test out the game on the same flagship. We have shared our thoughts below, and we firmly believe that there’s a bright gaming future on Android, provided developers and companies come together and make a collective effort.
The REDMAGIC 11 Pro can tame the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5’s thermals thanks to its liquid and air cooling combination, offering a solid 60FPS experience at the ‘Ultra’ graphics preset
Depending on the internals, you can set the framerate in Where Winds Meet, and given that our REDMAGIC 11 Pro is equipped with the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, we gleefully cranked all settings to their maximum values. At no point did we encounter any frame drops or performance hitches, with a rock-solid 60FPS registered throughout our initial gameplay session. This is all thanks to the REDMAGIC 11 Pro’s dual-cooling solution that includes both a fan and liquid heat dissipation.
There are settings inside the flagship that allow you to tweak the fan to operate faster and the liquid to move at a higher rate, so that’s what we chose to achieve optimum performance. Naturally, there will be significant differences between the PC version and mobile version, but the level of detail that developers managed to incorporate on the Android platform was nothing short of stunning.
Obviously, due to the limitations of smartphone chipsets, we noticed a ton of object and texture pop-ins, which is normal, as it is a technique that several game developers employ on PC titles too, so it is completely understandable why this approach is followed. While on-screen controls are available in Where Winds Meet and do the job just fine, we preferred using Sony’s DualSense controller for a ‘closer to console’ experience.
Players who have invested more time and energy into the game will know about the detailed gameplay elements, along with the story that comes with immersing in Where Winds Meet for several hours. We only just got done with a couple of hours under our belt just to see how the REDMAGIC 11 Pro performs, and we’ll reiterate that we’re thoroughly impressed with what we’ve seen. The only disappointing aspect of gaming on an Android flagship is the lack of native ports.
Everstone Studio has demonstrated that there are no hardware limitations, provided the required effort is made to bring top-notch games to the Android ecosystem. For now, if you own a REDMAGIC 11 Pro or a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 equivalent, you’re only left with emulation if you want to experience AAA games ,and this isn’t even a clean solution because there are bugs littered in third-party software, preventing you from having a pleasant experience.
About the author: Omar Sohail is a reporter and analyst for Wccftech's mobile section, specializing in the technology and business of the mobile industry. His expertise lies in the intricate hardware supply chain, covering developments in semiconductor manufacturing, chip lithography, and camera sensor technology.
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