Intel unveils Core Ultra Series 3 featuring integrated Arc B390 GPU

Intel is set to challenge AMD in the popular PC handheld gaming market with its new dedicated gaming platform, announced at CES 2026. This platform is based on the Core Ultra 3 series “Panther Lake” CPUs and leverages the significant performance gains of Intel’s new ARC B-series integrated graphics.

Intel is actively collaborating with partners like Acer, MSI, GPD, and OneXPlayer on new handheld designs. It's anticipated that Intel will release dedicated Panther Lake chips specifically optimized for gaming handhelds, potentially featuring fewer CPU cores and non-gaming features to focus on performance.

With Intel’s ARC B390 integrated graphics chip, Intel has dominated AMD’s Ryzen AI HX 370 chip. On average, at 1080p High settings with upscaling, Intel’s new GPU was 73% faster. Things only get worse for AMD when we compare the integrated graphics feature sets of Intel and AMD.

Intel also holds an advantage in integrated graphics features. Its XeSS AI upscaling solution offers higher quality than AMD’s counterparts, and the XeSS Multi-Frame Generation technology allows the ARC B390 to deliver 4X frame generation, outperforming FSR 3’s 2x frame generation.

If Intel can successfully deliver a cost-effective and powerful Panther Lake-based solution, it could establish dominance in the handheld PC gaming segment. This move is seen as highly beneficial for Intel's long-term ambitions in PC gaming, as the success of ARC products will likely ensure continued investment in creating increasingly better ARC products for future mobile and desktop PCs.

While excitement builds around Intel’s upcoming processor, gamers looking for top-tier performance don’t need to wait. The Ryzen 7 9800X3D is already well known for its outstanding gaming results, offering excellent frame rates alongside impressive efficiency. As always, for the latest news on hardware launches and industry developments, be sure to follow our dedicated hardware coverage.