AMD has established itself as the leading CPU supplier in the handheld gaming PC market, powering well-known devices such as the Steam Deck, Asus ROG Ally X, and Lenovo Legion Go. At CES 2025, AMD reinforced that position by launching its new Z2, Z2 Go and Z2 Extreme processors, designed specifically for the next generation of handheld gaming PCs. Intel, however, isn't standing still in the face of this dominance, and it is taking strategic steps to challenge AMD.
Intel Expands Support for Handheld Gaming PCs
Robert Hallock, Vice President and General Manager of Client AI and Technical Marketing at Intel, said in an exclusive interview with Laptop Magazine that the company is focusing heavily on handheld gaming PCs. He stressed: "Intel is growing its team to support game developers who want to expand to handheld gaming platforms."
That support goes beyond hardware. It also includes internal programs that help manufacturers optimize performance on handheld devices. Intel has also formed a dedicated handheld gaming team to provide technical support to hardware and software engineers.
One of Intel's key strategies is giving game developers early access to mobile gaming hardware. Because most game studios tend to develop for PC or console environments, Intel wants to broaden their view to include the handheld gaming market.
Hallock said: "A lot of developers only focus on the devices sitting on their desk or in their test lab. We want to change that by providing test devices and development toolkits before Panther Lake officially launches."
Intel Shapes the Future With Panther Lake Chips
At CES 2025, Intel showed off several new products using its chipsets, including the MSI Claw 8 AI+ and the Tencent Sunday Dragon 3D. Hallock also revealed, however, that some of the devices on display at the event were actually running Intel's latest processor, Arrow Lake-H.
Hallock stated that Arrow Lake-H delivers graphics performance on par with Lunar Lake, and that many of today's handheld gaming devices can run at power levels of up to 30W. That shows Arrow Lake is well suited to the handheld gaming PC model.
Intel's ambitions don't stop at Arrow Lake and Lunar Lake, though. The company is preparing the next generation of mobile processors, codenamed Panther Lake. Unlike Lunar Lake, which uses on-package memory, Panther Lake will allow more flexible memory customization. That is an important feature that helps handheld gaming PC makers optimize their devices.
Hallock explained: "Device makers can customize memory on the Panther Lake platform, and Intel provides supporting technology to make up for the removal of on-package memory, which helps save power."
Intel is also looking for game developer partners to optimize software for handheld gaming platforms. Hallock extended an open invitation to the developer community: "If you're a game developer and you're thinking about expanding to handheld gaming, reach out to us. Intel is glad to work with you to help optimize your software for mobile gaming devices."
Conclusion
With clear strategies and strong determination, Intel is gradually building meaningful competition against AMD in the handheld gaming PC market. Offering development toolkits, in-depth technical support and broader collaboration with game developers shows that Intel is focused not only on hardware but also on a complete gaming ecosystem. Can Intel break AMD's hold on this market? The answer should become clearer once Panther Lake officially launches.
