The idea that smartphones would one day be able to play AAA games at an acceptable framerate was always foreign until powerful chipsets from Apple, Qualcomm, and MediaTek started emerging. What was once a dream has now turned into a reality, but one Reddit user wants to branch out the same possibility to a smartwatch, and more specifically, the Galaxy Watch 5. While it is impractical to play on a small display size, the individual proves that it can be done, and at an impressive framerate too.
Installing games on the Galaxy Watch 5 was not without its hurdles, so one person used his ingenuity to make this possible. Looking at the quality of titles available on Google’s Wear OS platform, one can understand why Reddit user ZenonDesingk undertook this daring challenge to bring older AAA games to the Galaxy Watch 5, but it was not a smooth ride. As reported by Android Police, APKs could not be downloaded or installed when pushed to the smartwatch through a browser. Instead, ZenonDesingk realized that APKs could be pushed to the device using ADB (Android Debug Bridge), so he installed the mobile ADB app Bugjaeger on his phone.
Later, both the Galaxy Watch 5 and the smartphone were connected to the same wireless network, which was imperative to avoid incompatibility. This wireless bridge made it possible for the Reddit user to load APKs, with one of them being a PSP emulator. Naturally, some tweaks were necessary to make the games run, and sadly, it is impossible to go down this path yourself because the entire process is kept in the dark right now. Then again, we do not believe this is the road you want to travel because running games on a Galaxy Watch 5 will likely be a painful journey.
The Galaxy Watch 5 can run titles like GTA: Vice City, Need for Speed: Most Wanted, and others while maintaining a 60FPS framerate. The wearable can also run God of War, but its performance dips to 30FPS in some taxing areas. It is also worth noting that while the Galaxy Watch 5 can run these games, navigating through its tiny touchscreen is downright torture, which is why a Bluetooth gamepad was used. We do not recommend anyone to try this, but it is an ‘eye opener’ of how far these devices have come.
News Source: Reddit
