Intel's discrete Arc B770 'Big Battlemage' GPU was a no show at CES, is it time to move on?

The long-rumored and leaked Intel Arc B770 desktop graphics cards were on our list of potential announcements and reveals at CES 2026. It was also on our list for Computex last year, and after leaked shipping manifests and its "BMG-G31" GPU appearing in various software updates in recent months, it was finally looking like Big Battlemage's time was near. But it was another no show.

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Firmware for the Intel Arc B770 has been found in driver files for a Panther Lake laptop.

With some outlets asking Intel about the Intel Arc B770 GPU, which would be the more powerful mid-range 16GB variant to the current Intel Arc B580, the company's representatives essentially said that they weren't commenting on any unreleased products. At CES 2026, Team Blue's big focus was the debut of its new Panther Lake mobile chips, which include next-gen integrated Arc graphics.

• Read more: Intel confirms new Arc B770 GPU in response to a fan on social media
• Read more: Intel confirms that the more powerful 'Big Battlemage' GPU exists, Intel Arc B770 coming soon?
• Read more: Intel's partners confirm that there's still no Arc B770 'Big Battlemage' GPU

Even so, it's been made public that a pre-release Intel driver package for an HP 'Panther Lake' Core Ultra Series 3 laptop included firmware files for the "BMG-G31" GPU (via Reddit), aka the Intel Arc B770. This points to the GPU being real and consumer-facing, but with no CES announcement, one has to wonder whether the Intel Arc B770 GPU is still coming.

When asked by Digital Foundry about the Intel Arc B770, he responded with no comment, adding that it was an "excellent question" and that he knew "a lot of people are curious." Perhaps the decision to shelve the B770 reveal was made to keep the focus entirely on Panther Lake, or Intel is currently debating whether to release the GPU in the current climate.

As for whether it is too late, there's definitely an argument to be made for the Intel Arc B770. With performance rumored to be in the region of the GeForce RTX 4070, with 16GB of VRAM, and the right price, there's definite room for another affordable Intel Arc GPU. Especially with rumors that Radeon and GeForce RTX prices are set to increase, while affordable models are being limited to previous-gen products like the RTX 3060.

At this point, it feels like it could go either way; however, we'd wager that if we don't hear about the Intel Arc B770 by the time Computex 2026 comes around, it's probably safe to assume that it has been cancelled.