The portable handheld console market is one of the areas that has attracted the most attention from gamers in recent years. Hardware giant Intel is announcing its new chip family, which will completely change the stability in this market, with a major launch at the Computex 2026 technology fair. These processors, which have been known as “Core G3” in the technology circles for a long time, are finally Arc G3 and Arc G3 ExtremeThey appear on stage with their official names. These chips, based on the company’s new generation Panther Lake architecture, are positioned as a direct competitor to AMD’s flagship Ryzen Z2 series in the handheld console market. Intel emphasizes that instead of adapting existing laptop processors to handheld consoles, it has designed a silicon specifically for these portable devices for the first time in its history.

• Panther Lake Architecture and 18A Process:The new Arc G3 series is manufactured with Intel’s most advanced 18A manufacturing process and is designed from scratch, taking into account the power efficiency and performance stability of direct handheld consoles.

• Tremendous Performance with Xe3 Graphics Unit:While the standard Arc G3 model has a 10 Xe3 core Arc B370 graphics unit, the top-end Arc G3 Extreme model has a 12 Xe3 core Arc B390 graphics processor.

• On Shelves in October:Argumentative models such as Acer Predator Atlas 8, MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ and OneXPlayer, which are the first portable consoles to feature new processors, will be offered for sale in the global market as of October 2026.

The First Silicone Completely Exclusive to Handheld Consoles: Panther Lake

The Intel processors we have seen in portable gaming devices so far were mostly optimized versions of models developed for ultra-thin laptops.

Intel leaves this strategy behind completely with the Arc G3 family. The company offers its first architecture, designed from scratch, specifically for the handheld console market, under the umbrella of Panther Lake.

Both new chipsets (SoC) have a very powerful and flexible structure on the processor side. Intel prefers a 14-core CPU architecture in these processors.

This is my delegation; It consists of 2 high performance cores, 8 efficiency cores and 4 low power consumption cores that serve to maximize battery life.

One of the most striking aspects of the devices is their TDP, that is, their thermal design power range. The new chips can be configured with flexible TDP values ​​starting from very low levels, such as 8 watts, depending on the manufacturers’ preference. This prevents heating problems of the devices and promises a tremendous battery life in light games.

Big Leap in Graphics Power: Xe3 Architecture

The real big difference between processors emerges in the graphics capabilities and frequency speeds of the devices. The standard Intel Arc G3 model comes with the Arc B370 graphics processor, which runs at 2.2 GHz and has 10 Xe3 cores.

Designed for gamers who want to push the performance limits, Intel Arc G3 Extreme brings with it the Arc B390 graphics unit with 12 Xe3 cores running at 2.3 GHz clock speed.

In addition to these hardware components, the new platform supports the LPDDR5X-8533 memory standard, which will skyrocket the data transfer speeds of handheld consoles.

Manufacturers can offer up to 96 GB RAM capacity with these chips. Intel, which does not act timidly in terms of contact technologies; It integrates the new Wi-Fi 7 R2 standard, dual Bluetooth 6 connection and two Thunderbolt 4 ports that provide high-speed data transfer and external display support into the system.

Thesis Performance Data Against AMD Ryzen Z2

Intel does not hesitate to intimidate its rival AMD in the presentations it made during the Computex 2026 launch. In laptop-based tests, the performance of the Arc B390 graphics unit in the high-end Arc G3 Extreme processor is impressive. According to the information shared by Intel, the new chip manages to run the well-known and system-challenging game Cyberpunk 2077 at over 90 FPS at 1080p resolution and “High” graphics settings.

The company states that in a one-on-one test scenario, the Radeon 890M graphics unit on the AMD Ryzen Z2 platform, which dominates the current handheld console market, remained around 28 FPS.

Intel officials take an assertive stance in their presentations, describing their rival’s current solutions as “old silicon”. According to cutting analysis, the next generation special chipset that AMD will develop for handheld consoles is not expected to arrive before the beginning of 2027.

This situation gives Intel a very critical window of opportunity of 6 to 9 months in which it can act alone in the market and take the lead.

When Will First Hand Consoles Using the Arc G3 Series Be Released?

This new and powerful platform from Intel is not just a technology on paper. Giant manufacturers of the industry are already preparing monster handheld consoles that will use new processors.

The first commercial devices powered by the Arc G3 Extreme processor are planned to hit the shelves in October 2026.

One of the first announced devices to use the new generation processor Acer Predator Atlas 8It’s happening. This powerful handheld console comes with a screen that is 8 inches in size, offers 1200p resolution and has a 120 Hz refresh rate. The device, which supports its system with up to 24 GB of LPDDR5x-7467 RAM, houses a huge battery with a capacity of 80 Wh for long gaming sessions.

The device is expected to be available in the North American, EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) and Australian markets with a price tag of approximately $900. Acer COO Jerry Kao describes their new devices as “a move that completely eliminates the sharp boundaries between traditional gaming computers and portable handheld consoles.”

Besides Acer, it is one of the well-known names in the portable console world. MSI Claw 8 EX AI+oath OneXPlayerThe models are among the devices that will be released at the same time equipped with the Intel Arc G3 family.

In addition, GPD, one of the well-known brands of the hardware world, and software giant Microsoft are among the official partners of this new platform. This great competition in the portable gaming world is already enough to excite players.