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Russian processor companies used the Microelectronics 26 (ME26) forum in Sochi to show domestic chips running familiar console games. Baikal Electronics demonstrated its three-core Baikal-U (BE-U1000) RISC-V microcontroller in an NES-style system, while an Elvis Hypercom-U Arm board ran the original Super Mario. MCST also exhibited Elbrus-based PCs, although the specific models were not identified.
What was demonstrated at ME26
The demonstrations, reported on 15 October 2026, were primarily proof-of-function displays rather than performance tests. Running a retro game shows that a chip, board, display path and input devices can work together; it does not establish gaming performance, compatibility with modern software or a benchmark ranking.
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The event brought together three different Russian processor approaches: open RISC-V cores for embedded control, licensed Arm CPU technology integrated into a multimedia system-on-chip, and MCST’s separate Elbrus architecture for PCs. Treating all three as interchangeable “Russian gaming chips” would obscure their very different targets.
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Baikal-U (BE-U1000): a small RISC-V controller
Baikal Electronics’ BE-U1000, also called Baikal-U, is a 32-bit microcontroller built around three CloudBear RISC-V cores. Two BR-350 cores run at 200 MHz, and one BM-310 core runs at 100 MHz. The chip is designed first for embedded and industrial control, not as a desktop or general-purpose gaming processor.
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| BE-U1000 specification | Reported detail |
|---|---|
| Instruction set and cores | 32-bit RISC-V; two BR-350 cores at 200 MHz plus one BM-310 core at 100 MHz |
| On-chip memory | 256 KB flash and 192 KB SRAM |
| Interfaces | USB 2.0, I2C, I2S and UART |
| General-purpose I/O | 48 GPIO lines |
| Package | 10 × 10 mm QFN-88 |
The “Ushka” console and controller
At ME26, a business-card-sized controller and a matching console called “Ushka” were shown with controllers styled after the original Nintendo Entertainment System. Event photographs appear to show Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers on the display; that identification is based on the images, not a confirmed software list from Baikal Electronics.
The demo is notable because the BE-U1000’s published role is industrial: control equipment, safety sensors, meters, Internet-of-Things devices and unmanned-system controls. A working game display demonstrates peripheral and graphics integration, but it does not change the chip’s intended market or prove that it can run a broad library of console titles.
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Hypercom-U: an Arm multimedia SoC
The Elvis Hypercom-U shown at the forum is a different class of device. It combines four Arm Cortex-A53 CPU cores running at up to 1.2 GHz with two ELcore-50 digital-signal processors and a PowerVR GE8300 GPU.
| Hypercom-U feature | Reported detail |
|---|---|
| CPU | Four Arm Cortex-A53 cores, up to 1.2 GHz |
| Accelerators | Two ELcore-50 DSPs and a PowerVR GE8300 GPU |
| Memory support | Up to 8 GB LPDDR4 |
| Connectivity and display | USB 3.0, Gigabit Ethernet, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and HDMI |
| Target products | Multimedia equipment, navigation systems, single-board computers and smart cameras |
An Hypercom-U board was shown running the original Super Mario. Unlike the compact Baikal-U microcontroller, its CPU, GPU, DSP and connectivity blocks are intended for richer multimedia and image-processing workloads. The 1.2 GHz figure is a maximum listed clock, not a measured game frame rate.
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Where Elbrus fits
MCST’s Elbrus-based PCs were also present at ME26. Elbrus is a Russian-developed architecture distinct from both Arm and RISC-V. The event report did not establish which Elbrus models were displayed, so no particular processor or computer model should be inferred from the photographs. These PCs represent a separate desktop and server-oriented line rather than another version of Baikal-U or Hypercom-U.
Comparing the three approaches
| System shown | Architecture | Primary workload | Evidence at ME26 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baikal-U / BE-U1000 | Open RISC-V cores | Industrial and embedded control; a compact console demo | Working “Ushka” and controller demonstration; serial-production statement predates the event |
| Hypercom-U | Licensed Arm Cortex-A53 CPU with DSP/GPU blocks | Multimedia, navigation, cameras and single-board computers | Board demonstrated running the original Super Mario |
| MCST Elbrus PCs | Proprietary Russian Elbrus architecture | PC workloads; exact ME26 configuration not stated | PC exhibition; exact models were not identified |
Four questions give a more useful comparison than the games themselves: which instruction-set ecosystem a design uses, what workload it was built for, how much I/O and acceleration is integrated, and whether the evidence is a trade-show demonstration or a production and delivery commitment.
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Baikal-U had a production claim before the game demo
On 22 September 2025, Vedomosti reported that Baikal Electronics had begun serial production of Baikal-U for industrial control systems, safety sensors, metering, IoT and unmanned-system control. The company said it expected serial deliveries in quantities of “hundreds of thousands and more.” It also said the device was undergoing registration in Russia’s Ministry of Industry and Trade registry of industrial products. That statement concerns the embedded chip and its industrial supply, not a retail game console.
Can consumers buy the demonstrated hardware?
No source establishes retail availability for the exact “Ushka” console, the business-card controller, the Hypercom-U demonstration board or the particular Elbrus PCs shown at ME26. A photograph of a working prototype is not evidence of a public sales channel, price, documentation package or export availability.
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Developers looking for comparable hardware may encounter RISC-V development boards or educational retro-console projects, but those should not be described as the featured Baikal-U system unless the seller identifies the BE-U1000 and its board design. Likewise, a generic Arm single-board computer is not proof of Hypercom-U availability.
The wider Russian RISC-V effort
The ME26 appearance fits a broader domestic RISC-V push. The Russian RISC-V Alliance reported more than 20 unique RISC-V solution demonstrations at its 2025 forum and operated a DEVBOARDS program. Those figures indicate an ecosystem of designs and demonstrations, but they do not mean every project is mass-produced or available to hobbyists.
For readers evaluating these chips, the practical distinction is clear: Baikal-U’s important milestone is its reported industrial serial production, Hypercom-U’s is its integration of Arm processing with multimedia accelerators, and the retro games are accessible visual demonstrations of hardware integration rather than evidence that any of the systems is a commercial console replacement.
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