Intel plans new chip and platform for handheld gaming

Intel is looking to double down on gaming hardware with a new chip and platform for portable gaming devices, marking an expansion of its footprint in the gaming hardware sector. Daniel Rogers, Intel’s vice president and general manager of PC products, announced at the CES conference on Monday that the upcoming platform will include both hardware and software. The system will be built off the company’s Intel Core Series 3 processors, the architecture known as Panther Lake. These Panther Lake processors, which the company announced last year, are currently being rolled out in a variety of personal computers.

According to reporting from IGN, which was confirmed by TechCrunch, this future platform includes a chip specifically for handheld gaming devices. These Panther Lake chips are the company’s first built on its 18A manufacturing process—Intel’s advanced manufacturing process—which started production in 2025. The integration of a dedicated chip for handheld devices marks a new application for the Panther Lake architecture, which is currently being rolled out in a variety of personal computers.

This move builds on Intel’s history in gaming hardware, which dates back to the 1990s when the company began building chips for gaming PCs. Intel focused more heavily on gaming in 2022 with the release of its Intel Arc graphics processing units (GPUs). However, entering the handheld gaming space places Intel in direct competition with AMD, as the market for portable gaming devices is currently dominated by AMD.

The competition in the gaming hardware market was highlighted on Monday, when AMD announced a new processor designed for gaming PCs, the AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D, at its CES keynote. AMD also introduced new ray tracing and graphics technologies for gaming during the event. Intel plans to share more information about its own handheld gaming products in the near future, with Rogers stating that Intel will share more details about its new products for handheld gaming devices later this year.

Why it matters

Intel is expanding its gaming hardware footprint by developing a dedicated chip and platform for portable gaming devices, aiming to compete in a market currently dominated by AMD.