Although the Game Developers Conference isn’t until next week, Google made a surprising announcement anyway, introducing Vulkan as the new default graphics API for Android. Until now, developers could rely on either Vulkan or OpenGL, although the latter has been around for quite a long time.
This move to Vulkan as the default opens up a world of advanced rendering features for developers, such as ray tracing and multithreading. This can help enable richer, more immersive visuals for games that utilize it.
Normally, this isn’t that I would care all that much about, as I usually have one of the latest Android phones running the latest software. However, the move to making Vulkan the default for graphics will kick in when the final version of Android 16 arrives. That’s an important point of distinction when you’re deciding on what gaming handheld to pick up.
With many of these handhelds, you won’t find the latest version of Android at the helm. Instead, companies include anywhere between Android 11 and, on very rare occasions, Android 14. But most of the time, you’re getting Android 13 with little to no hope of seeing newer versions.
Some of this can be attributed to compatibility, seeing as something like the Retroid Pocket 5 and its Snapdragon 865 is better suited for older versions of Android. At the same time, some, like the Pimax Portal and Retroid Pocket Mini, ship with Android 10. Pimax no longer sells the Portal, and although the Pocket Mini could be upgraded to Android 13, it comes with the caveat of a drop in performance.
This leads me to why I’m intrigued by Google’s decision to switch to the Vulkan API. I doubt devices such as the Pocket Mini will ever even sniff Android 16, but that’s using a six-year-old chip. However, it might be a different story with gaming handhelds like the AYN Odin 2 or AYANEO Pocket EVO. The former utilizes the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, with the latter reliant upon the G3x Gen 2.
Of course, neither of these are the latest and greatest, but both are still quite performant. Not to mention that, in part, thanks to community driver support, they are even better for mobile gaming than the Snapdragon 8 Elite. There’s hope that the community shifts its focus to try and unlock the horsepower of Qualcomm’s latest chips, but that might not ever happen.
However, this is where I’m wondering if a (relatively) simple software update could provide even better performance and compatibility with newer chips. I’m not so sure that’s what will happen, but I’m hopeful that at least one company will release an Android 16 update, even if it’s just to see what happens.
There is another side of the coin, and it’s that some companies use a heavily skinned version of Android. In doing so, it’s able to implement various tools that can take full advantage of the hardware.
AYANEO handhelds, for example, usually have a few extra buttons than even what you’ll find on many controllers. Not only that, but when you start up something like the AYANEO Pocket S for the first time, you’re not going to be greeted by the traditional Android home screen. Instead, it’s a launcher unique to AYANEO handhelds, complete with a fly-out menu that provides more granular profile controls.
Meanwhile, if you were to fire up a Retroid Pocket 5 for the first time, you’re taken through a unique setup process that guides you through everything. And when everything is said and done, it’s just your basic old Android home screen, giving you the freedom to install any custom launcher that you want. Or, just leave it as is if that’s the way you want to roll.
Nevertheless, I’m still pretty excited to see what kind of effect Google’s latest announcement has not just on gaming handhelds but also on phones and tablets. I think, in the long run, this will be good for everyone. I just hope that these gaming handheld OEMs don’t end up kicking and screaming the entire time.
