NVIDIA and MediaTek Join Forces to Shake Up the PC Gaming Handheld Market
The PC gaming handheld market is about to get a whole lot more interesting. Rumors are circulating that NVIDIA and MediaTek are teaming up to develop an Arm-based SoC for PC gaming handhelds. This news comes on the heels of Intel’s recent entry into the market with the MSI Claw gaming handheld.
Gaming on the go
For years, NVIDIA has been synonymous with gaming, especially when it comes to PCs. However, the PC gaming handheld market has been dominated by AMD Ryzen with Radeon hardware, powering devices like the Steam Deck, ROG Ally, Lenovo Legion GO, and handhelds from AYANEO. But with NVIDIA’s entry into the market, things are about to get a whole lot more competitive.
“The PC gaming handheld market is growing rapidly, and it’s about time NVIDIA got in on the action.” - Me
The rumored SoC will feature integrated NVIDIA graphics, making it a potential game-changer for the market. With NVIDIA’s expertise in graphics and MediaTek’s experience with Arm-based chips, this partnership has the potential to blow the competition out of the water.
The future of gaming is portable
According to analyst Dan Nystedt, we can expect to see the Arm-based chip for AI PCs as soon as Q3 2024, with shipments starting in 2025. The chip is expected to be priced around $300, which may seem steep, but considering it’s built on TSMC’s cutting-edge 3nm node, it’s a small price to pay for the performance.
If the rumors are true, NVIDIA and MediaTek’s SoC will be available for third-party manufacturers like ASUS, AYANEO, Lenovo, and others to incorporate into their custom hardware. This means we can expect to see a wide range of devices hitting the market in the near future.
A match made in heaven
NVIDIA’s new semi-custom division is reportedly behind the development of this new chip, which is seen as a response to Nintendo’s decision to use older-gen hardware in their consoles. It’s clear that NVIDIA is determined to showcase its latest and greatest technologies.
The PC gaming handheld market is about to get a whole lot more interesting, and I, for one, can’t wait to see what NVIDIA and MediaTek have in store for us.
