Portable disorder: the first Russian game console may use unlicensed software

The portable console from the Russian company Fplus is highly likely to be a clone of the Chinese gadget Terrans Force Handle 5. Izvestia studied the novelty and discovered several features of this IT solution - at least at this stage of development. One of the problems is using the archive for games with possibly unlicensed software. As the authors of the development themselves say, so far only 30% of domestic developments, including the OS, are in the console. About why the presentation of the new product was obviously not worth the rush — in the Izvestia article.

The prototype of the first domestic console

At the tenth conference "Digital Industry of Industrial Russia" (CIPR), a prototype portable console was presented to the public, which is positioned as a Russian development. However, a number of aspects of this technology have raised questions among experts. For example, despite the Russian layout and three OS variants, the console is presumably based on the Terrans Force Handle 5 (TRL 5) platform, a device from China available on AliExpress for 70-90 thousand rubles, says Ivan Kalmykov, an expert in the field of IT and technology.

— The announced Fplus (the Russian company that introduced the new product. Compatibility with modern games is quite real thanks to the stuffing of the Chinese Terrans Force, including the AMD Ryzen 7840U processor and the Radeon 780M GPU, he believes. — These are powerful specifications that allow you to play modern projects with almost no compromises. However, even the original model does not provide maximum graphics settings in most games.

Photo: IZVESTIA/Anton Bely

The main problem of the new product, Kalmykov believes, may be the lack of a domestic component base. The production of Baikal processors in Russia is still limited, and their compatibility with game engines has not yet been worked out.

— Previously, Fplus has already been criticized for rebranding Chinese technology. Creating a product without its own technologies is an imitation of import substitution, and not a real step towards technological sovereignty," the expert argues.

Portable disorder: the first Russian game console may use unlicensed software

When will gamers in Russia have a fully domestic gadget?

Studying the console presented at the exhibition, the Izvestia correspondent discovered an archive with a copy of Atomic Heart — presumably, it was a so-called repack from a specialist in creating unlicensed versions of Dixen18 games. Explaining its origin, Fplus representatives referred to the fact that they did not have time to prepare the console for a full-fledged presentation.

— These are the results of our search — we are looking at what opportunities there are. Making this work with Russian operating systems is a separate task. We are on the lookout, as well as our other partners and developers of operating systems, games, and so on. The console will definitely be portable. These are the results of a long—term project aimed at the future," said Dmitry Logvinov, head of the company's mobile business.

Photo: IZVESTIA/Anton Bely

By the time the Russian component base appears, Fplus plans to find a way to assemble the finished product.

— This is not a prototype, but a "developer's kit". It consists of about 30% of our developments. Because the design documentation is ours, the operating system is Russian, and we made some elements for ourselves. We are aiming for a full—fledged Russian registered hardware, which is classified as a Russian product by all criteria," added the representative of the development company.

When will the domestic console be available

With all the nuances of the prototypes, it is important to remember that these are only test builds for developers. They represent different configurations and form factors, from which a complete product has yet to be assembled, said Ilya Sklyuyev, an expert at the Non-Artificial Intelligence profile Telegram channel.

According to him, the project was presented early: so far it is only a general outline — neither the operating system nor the main partners have been selected. At this stage, it is difficult to predict what will happen in the end, he said.

— Fplus told me that in the future they plan to integrate more domestic elements and even a Russian processor with its own video core into the console. But the question of when it will be possible to implement it in the form of a consumer product remains open," the expert added.

Photo: IZVESTIA/Anton Bely

The Russian keyboard layout certainly makes the device more user-friendly and emphasizes its focus on the Russian market. But this alone, alas, does not make the device domestic, said Maxim Zalilov, head of the Moscow School Esports League.

If someone can declare themselves as a developer by assembling a case and firmware around a Chinese chip, it's hard to call it a real import substitution, says Daniil Arzhakov, a lecturer at the Department of Esports at the Faculty of Gaming Industry and Esports at Synergy University. In his opinion, the problem of creating a domestic hardware needs to be solved.

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"Without clear and fair conditions, as well as competent management of funds allocated for such projects, no real progress can be made in creating a domestic component base," the expert added.

Roman Dorogavtsev, a blogger and industry expert, believes that the Fplus roadmap for the full implementation of an import-substituted analogue should be significantly accelerated in five years. In his opinion, the market's interest should be higher, otherwise the trend towards lagging behind foreign solutions in the field of gaming gadgets will continue.