Gaming hardware manufacturer MSI appears ready to enter the increasingly competitive handheld PC gaming space to take on Valve’s popular Steam Deck, with leaked images revealing the company’s Claw device. Powered surprisingly by an Intel processor rather than the AMD silicon found in rival devices, the Claw offers a familiar form factor while aiming to differentiate itself under the hood.

Images emerged overnight on social media, giving the first glimpse of MSI’s upcoming portable after a brief official teaser yesterday. Visually, the Claw adheres closely to the design of existing players like the Asus ROG Ally, with an asymmetric layout featuring offset thumbsticks flanking a central display. Signature MSI RGB lighting features prominently across the controller surfaces, suggesting seamless integration with the company’s Dragon Center software suite.

But it’s the internal hardware that raises eyebrows. Rather than utilizing the custom AMD Ryzen silicon found inside the Steam Deck, Legion Go, and ROG Ally, the Claw looks set to be powered by a next-generation Intel Meteor Lake processor. While known for its prowess in CPUs, Intel’s integrated graphics drivers have long played second fiddle to dedicated AMD and NVIDIA GPUs. Gamers will watch with interest to see if Intel has stepped up driver support to handle modern titles.

Benchmarks reveal MSI has equipped the Claw with 32GB of memory, double that of its nearest competitors. However, screen size, resolution, panel technology, and other key details remain unconfirmed. Similarly, industrial design and materials remain a mystery beyond the initial leaked images.

With MSI confirming a “world premiere” at CES 2024 just days away, the veil over their Steam Deck and handheld PC challenger should lift very soon.