The gaming industry is in for a major change with the first Intel-powered Steam Deck rival in 2024. It’s a collaboration between Emdoor, known for mini PCs, and Intel’s debut in the portable gaming PC market.

A New Era of Gaming
The console runs on Windows 11 and is powered by Intel Meteor Lake-H, also referred to as Core Ultra 100H. This chip has a Thermal Design Power (TDP) range of 20W to 35W, potentially offering a performance boost over the Steam Deck, which maxes out at a 15W TDP.

Graphics and Performance
The device also boasts integrated Intel Arc 5 graphics. Although the exact specifications have not been officially confirmed, observers have noted that it might include as many as eight Xe cores, potentially putting it on par with the Intel Arc A380 in a mobile form. They saw the handheld running God of War, one of the more demanding games of this generation, indicating promising performance for the Arc 5.

Memory and Storage
The gaming device can feature up to 32GB of LDDR5X memory and up to 2TB PCIe Gen 4 M.2 SSD storage, giving it an edge over several other popular solutions.

Display and Connectivity
The device boasts an 8-inch touchscreen with a resolution of 1920 x 1200 and a 16:10 aspect ratio. In terms of connectivity, it offers two USB Type-C ports, one USB Type-A 2.0, and a 3.5mm headphone jack.

Design
The device features a stand at the back that allows you to use it in tablet mode. The button layout is relatively standard; however, the stand necessitates a design similar to Lenovo Legion Go’s detachable controllers.

Insiders View
While it’s challenging to predict the precise performance of Emdoor’s device, it’s intriguing to assess how it stacks up against AMD’s solutions. The Z1 and Z1 Extreme chips have been favored choices for recent gaming handhelds. With this new venture, Intel is strategically positioning itself to have a substantial impact on the portable gaming market. Stay tuned for further updates as we near its 2024 launch.