Handheld PCs are the newest battleground for PC manufacturers, and MSI looks to be getting in on the act. In a teaser video posted to MSI's Instagram account, some close-up shots of an as-of-yet unnamed device shows two joysticks, a ventilation grill, and an MSI logo on what looks like the back of the device. The last shot of the video says "coming soon", along with the hashtag "MSIxCES2024", heavily implying we'll see more of this device at the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show (CES) later this month.
Details are, as you'd expect from the shortness of this video, extremely sparse. However, the teaser was also posted on X (formerly Twitter), and the official Intel Gaming account replied to the post with three thinking face emojis. While certainly not confirmation, this would be a strong indication that Intel is involved in the device, and we may even see Meteor Lake powering this handheld PC.
This would be a big change for the handheld PC market. So far, AMD has held a stranglehold on the nascent market, with the Steam Deck, Asus ROG Ally, and Lenovo Legion Go all using some form of AMD's hardware. Frankly, it's about time Intel broke into the scene, and even if this device from MSI whiffs, it will likely lead to more options for handheld PCs in the future.
We can also make a few other assumptions about the device. It's likely it will use Windows 11, but with some additional tools included to make the OS work better with controllers. The video also seems to show the joysticks in a similar position to the Xbox controller, which would put it in the same territory as the Asus ROG Ally. RGB lighting is also, predictably, involved.
Outside of that, it's not clear what would set the MSI handheld PC apart from its competition. The Steam Deck was the first real option on the market, and came with a strong link to dominant PC marketplace Steam. The ASUS Rog Ally brought the power with the AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme, while the Legion Go includes removable controllers and a higher resolution. It remains to be seen what MSI will offer, but with CES around the corner we don't have long to wait to find out.