MSI has recently taken to its social media platforms to tease what seems to be a handheld gaming device similar to the Steam Deck. Read on to learn all the information we know about it, and more.
MSI Hinting at a Handheld Gaming Device to Compete with the Steam Deck
MSI Teases the Reveal for CES 2024 on January 9 to 12, 2024
MSI has taken to Twitter(X) to share a brief teaser for their upcoming new product, where the caption reads, “A whole new breed of MSI dragon is coming. Get a grip and stay tuned.” The video shows panning snippets of a device embellished with the MSI logo. The teaser ends with a “Coming soon” message, attached with a “MSI x CES2024” tagline. This all but means that the device will be unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2024, which will be held in Las Vegas from January 9 to 12, 2024.
From all the information in the teaser and the caption, many were quick to conclude that the product being teased is a new handheld PC gaming device. Handhelds are quickly becoming popular in the modern era, with Valve’s Steam Deck the most known, and with recent competitors in Asus’ ROG Ally and Lenovo’s Legion Go vying to take that top spot. It seems like the recent handheld boom has enticed MSI to join the competition with their product.
The official Intel Gaming Twitter(X) account replied to the initial post with three thinking emojis “🤔🤔🤔” hinting at the new device’s CPU being powered by Intel. This is a big departure from the other aforementioned handheld devices, as the Steam Deck, the Asus ROG Ally, and the Lenovo Legion Go all utilize AMD chipsets. As theorized by WhyCry from VideoCardz, MSI’s handheld competitor “might be the first [Intel] Core Ultra 100H Arc-based handheld.” The Intel Core Ultra series is the new processor line released by Intel last December 2023. More information about the processors can be found here, courtesy of AnandTech.
Steam Deck: The King of Handheld Gaming?
The Steam Deck has taken the world by storm since its release nearly over two years ago. Thousands of games on Steam have been verified for the device in 2023 alone, and is sure to grow even further.
Even with the introduction of big-hitting competition in the Asus ROG Ally and the Lenovo Legion Go having arguably better machine specs and features, their prices are steep and act as a major turn-off. The Steam Deck comes in three different versions that can be bought at $399, $529, and $649 respectively. The ASUS ROG Ally has two versions at $599 and $699 each. Lastly, the Lenovo Legion Go only has one iteration available priced at $700.
The Steam Deck shows no signs of slowing down, as they have recently released an OLED version of the Steam Deck last November 2023. Though they have plans and ideas for a Steam Deck 2, the technology isn’t quite there yet, and so all they can do is improve upon the base iteration through the OLED version.
Sources:
MSI Twitter/X Post
MSI Instagram Post
Gamespot “MSI Gaming Teases Its Own Steam Deck Competitor”
VideoCardz “MSI to launch gaming handheld device, to be announced at CES 2024
AnandTech “Intel Releases Core Ultra H and U-Series Processors
