Although Intel has also been working on the Windows game handheld market in recent years, most popular models are still equipped with AMD, such as Steam Deck, ROG Ally, Lenovo Legion Go, ROG Ally It no longer just puts laptop chips into handhelds, but is specifically designed for handhelds. Partners such as Acer, MSI, and OneXPlayer have also been confirmed. It is expected that actual products will be seen in the second half of 2026.
The Intel Arc G series handheld chips have up to 14 cores and are equipped with the Arc B390 graphics core. This time, the focus is not only on performance, but also on the complete handheld experience.
Intel Arc G3 and Arc G3 Extreme Both use a 14-core CPU configuration, including 2 P-cores, 8 E-cores, and 4 LP E-cores. The main difference between the two chips is the internal display. Arc G3 Extreme is equipped with Arc B390, which has 12 built-in Xe3 cores; Arc G3 is equipped with Arc B370, which has 10 built-in Xe3 cores. In addition, it also supports up to 96GB LPDDR5X-8533 memory, and the configurable TDP range is 8W~30W for Arc G3 and 8W~35W for Arc G3 Extreme. The highest P-core Turbo clocks are 4.7GHz and 4.6GHz respectively.
The official specification of AMD’s current main Ryzen Z2 Extreme is 8 cores and 16 threads, with a configuration of 3 Zen 5 plus 5 Zen 5c, with a maximum clock speed of micro 5GHz, a default TDP of 28W, cTDP of 15W~35W, and an internal display of 16 RDNA 3.5 graphics cores. Just looking at the specification numbers, Intel is indeed very sincere this time. In addition to having more CPU cores than Ryzen Z2 Extreme, the GPU is also the latest Xe3 architecture.
| Specification items | Intel Arc G3 | Intel Arc G3 Extreme | AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme |
|---|---|---|---|
| CPU core configuration | 14 cores, including 2 P-core, 8 E-core, 4 LP E-core | 14 cores, including 2 P-core, 8 E-core, 4 LP E-core | 8 cores 16 threads, including 3 Zen 5, 5 Zen 5c |
| Built-in GPU | Intel Arc B370 | Intel Arc B390 | RDNA 3.5 internal display |
| Number of GPU cores | 10 Xe3 cores | 12 Xe3 cores | 16 RDNA 3.5 graphics cores |
| highest clock | P-core up to Turbo 4.6GHz | P-core up to Turbo 4.7GHz | up to 5GHz |
| memory support | Up to 96GB LPDDR5X-8533 | Up to 96GB LPDDR5X-8533 | Depends on device design |
| TDP range | 8W～30W | 8W～35W | Default 28W, cTDP 15W～35W |
| Featured highlights | Mainly designed for handheld consoles, using Xe3 architecture GPU | Higher specs, with Arc B390 and 12 Xe3 cores | High-end AMD options are common among current Windows gaming consoles |
In terms of connectivity, it integrates Wi-Fi 7 R2, dual Bluetooth 6, and Thunderbolt 4.
In addition to hardware specifications, the Arc G series will also support XeSS 3, including AI upscaling, multi-frame generation, and Xe Low Latency low-latency technology. Through these functions, under limited hardware performance, the frame rate can be increased as much as possible and the operation delay can be reduced, allowing the handheld console to run large PC games more smoothly. However, please note that these features can only be enabled in supported games.
What is more interesting is “Intel Precompiled Shaders”. People who play PC games must have encountered Shader compilation problems at some point. Some games will freeze, wait, and even have to run a compilation process when they are started for the first time or enter a new scene. Intel’s approach is to allow some games to download pre-compiled Shaders from the Intel cloud, reducing the time for real-time compilation when the game is executed, so that handheld players can experience the same experience as game consoles. They can play directly after opening without waiting for a lot of background processing. This is actually similar to the Advanced Shader Delivery recently launched by AMD and Microsoft.
Intel also mentioned that the Arc G series handheld consoles will also be equipped with Windows 11’s Xbox Mode. Xbox Mode is a mode optimized for controller operation, full-screen interface, and game library integration:
The first wave is currently using the Arc G series of game handheld consoles, which are expected to be launched by OEM partners starting in June 2026, and supply will be expanded throughout the year. Known partner models include Acer Predator Atlas 8, MSI Claw 8 EX AI+, and OneXPlayer products.
Source: KOCPC Chinese