Pixel 10’s Genshin Impact Issues: Google Defends GPU Support
▼ Summary
– Google denies that Genshin Impact removed GPU support for the Pixel 10, stating they partnered with the game’s developer miHoYo.
– Genshin Impact raised its minimum requirements to exclude support for devices using PowerVR GPUs, which includes the Pixel 10 series.
– The game is largely unplayable on Pixel 10 devices, causing performance issues like frame rate drops, instability, and crashes for many users.
– Google switched from Mali GPUs in previous Tensor chips to PowerVR GPUs in the new Pixel 10’s Tensor G5 chip.
– Prior Pixel phones are not affected by this change, as the issue is specific to the Pixel 10 series with its new GPU.
Recent reports suggesting that Genshin Impact has lost GPU support on the Pixel 10 series are inaccurate, according to an official statement from Google. The company clarified that it has maintained a collaborative partnership with the game’s developer, miHoYo, specifically for optimizing the Pixel 10 experience. This clarification comes amid user complaints about severe performance problems, with many players finding the game nearly unplayable on their new devices.
Google’s Tensor G5 chip, manufactured by TSMC, marks a shift from the Mali GPUs used in earlier Tensor chips to a PowerVR GPU. This architectural change appears to be at the heart of the current compatibility challenges. In recent update notes, Genshin Impact officially raised its minimum requirements, explicitly withdrawing support for devices equipped with PowerVR GPUs, a category that now includes the Pixel 10.
Despite the official stance from Google, numerous Pixel 10 owners have taken to social platforms like Reddit and Twitter to share videos showing significant graphical glitches, crashes, and overall instability while attempting to run the game. Interestingly, not every user is affected equally; some report being able to play, though often with noticeable performance dips. This inconsistency aligns with the developer’s own warning that devices below the updated specifications might still launch the game but are likely to encounter issues such as frame rate drops or sudden crashes during gameplay.
The situation highlights how demanding modern mobile games like Genshin Impact have become. With over 100 million downloads on Android, the title pushes hardware to its limits, and changes in supported GPU architectures can have immediate real-world consequences for players. PowerVR GPUs, while once used by Apple, are now relatively rare in the premium smartphone market, appearing mostly in select budget Android models with MediaTek processors.
Owners of previous Pixel models need not worry, as this GPU compatibility issue does not impact devices with older Tensor chips that use Mali graphics. For Pixel 10 users, however, the outlook remains uncertain. Without further optimizations from Google or miHoYo, future game updates could worsen these performance problems, potentially locking a segment of high-end phone users out of one of mobile gaming’s most popular titles.
(Source: 9to5 Google)
