Xiaomi has introduced WinPlay Engine. Per the announcement, it is a three-layer virtualization tool that allows Windows games to be played locally on compatible Android devices. While the company didn't go into the details, in its current state, it seems like a simplified alternative to Winlator.
This virtualization tool is powered by the Xiaomi HyperCore kernel, and it's currently in the internal beta phase. It also has limited compatibility, with the Pad 6S Pro being the only compatible Android device. That tablet packs the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, which is already known to be very capable of running Windows games through Winlator.
However, it could soon be available to other flagship Xiaomi devices. As for the performance, Xiaomi says that the GPU performance loss is at 2.9%, which is quite negligible. While the company didn't showcase how well WinPlay Engine plays Windows games, a preview video has been shared by Digital Chat Station.
The video shows the simplified process of launching Windows games on the Xiaomi Pad 6S Pro (available on Amazon). Even though the gameplay clips didn't have any FPS counters, it shows that the Android tablet can smoothly run Need for Speed: Most Wanted 2012 and Tomb Raider 2013.
In the official announcement, Xiaomi also mentioned that Steam can be installed on WinPlay Engine, but it's still unclear whether users will be able to easily install Windows games from it. Regardless, this is a great initiative for gamers by the company, and it will be interesting to see what the full version brings to the table.
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