Huawei is primarily known for its smartphones and networking equipment and unfortunately, both these segments are under a scanner thanks to the ban placed by the US government. So much so that it had to sell off its sub-brand Honor line up and has been in talks to sell off its premium smartphone line up too.
And while the future of this Chinese technology giant still looks gloomy, reports suggest that the company is looking to open another avenue to offer competition to its US counterparts.
HuaweiCentral has spotted a tipster who has hinted that the company is indeed looking to venture into the PC and console gaming section. It is reportedly planning to add a gaming laptop to its line up and looks to follow it up with a gaming console to take on the likes of Sony’s PlayStation and Microsoft’s Xbox.
- Huawei ban: the global fallout explained
- Huawei founder would 'welcome' phone call from President Biden
- PS5 vs Xbox Series X: which next-gen console should you buy?
Since the launch may still be far off, Huawei has not announced any teaser campaign or hasn’t revealed any such plans. However, launching a gaming laptop seems to be the next most practical solution for the company as it already has a laptop lineup called Matebook. The report also suggests that this laptop was initially aimed to be launched last year but somehow got delayed.
Gaming console seems interesting
Back in 2014, Huawei did launch an Android-powered gaming console called Tron Console. It was powered by Nvidia Tegra 4 and ran on Android 4.2, Jelly Bean. And Huawei was not the only company to do so. Many other technology companies and startups introduced similar gaming consoles to take advantage of Android’s app ecosystem but all failed.
Hence, a full-fledged gaming console is the right way to go about it and according to the report, the one that Huawei is planning may not be a portable one like Nintendo Switch.
That said since these are early days, there is not much information available at this point. So, let us wait a bit more rather than making assumptions.
But how will Huawei secure supplies?
It was reported that Huawei did source a lot of components from its US-based technology partners before its supplies were cut off, however, these supplies might eventually dry up. Hence launching a new console could be tricky until and unless Huawei customizes its silicon to make it ready for heavy-duty gaming.
This still will leave a big question mark on the software front. It is safe to assume that the company may only introduce the console in its home country; it already has a massive following there.
Further, it will be easier for Huawei to collaborate with other Chinese vendors as well as gaming companies to customize content for the local audience.
Though as mentioned above, the picture will only be clear when we get some more information about Huawei's plans. Till then let us wait.
Get up close with consumer tech news that you can use, latest reviews and buying guides. Follow TechRadar India on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram!
