NVIDIA is rumored to be developing its own 'premium' gaming handheld to compete with AMD

The PC gaming handheld space is experiencing a boom thanks to the improvements made in mobile graphics tech, namely with the arrival of new AMD Ryzen mobile chips with built-in Radeon graphics like the Ryzen 7 7840U (and its variants) found in devices like the ROG Ally from ASUS and Legion GO from Lenovo.

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On top of this, you've got the Steam Deck from Valve, with its custom AMD APU, that has sold millions of units. We're now at a point where PC handheld performance can play many of the latest releases alongside countless indie titles and a backlog of numerous games - with decent performance and battery life.

With rumors swirling that Sony is in the planning stages of creating a new dedicated PlayStation handheld along the lines of its beloved PSP or Vita devices with custom AMD hardware and Microsoft is looking into a dedicated Xbox Game Pass handheld, we can now add another name into the mix - NVIDIA.

As part of a new video breaking down the potential hardware that will make up the long-awaited Nintendo Switch 2 from tech channel Moore's Law is Dead, towards the end of the discussion, we get word that NVIDIA is currently looking into creating its very own 'premium gaming handheld.'

According to the channel, citing sources close to NVIDIA, the company is currently unhappy with AMD's success in the PC gaming handheld market, not only with the Steam Deck from Valve but also the dozens of AMD-powered handhelds presently available. And with that, it's looking at leveraging its GeForce hardware and architecture to compete.

"NVIDIA is worried they are missing a boat here," Moore's Law is Dead states. "I have been told directly that they have been looking into working with somebody on a premium handheld gaming device."

There's even a chance that NVIDIA will partner with Intel. However, this might be unlikely as Intel has gone all in on its new mobile chips with inbuilt Arc Graphics, as seen in MSI's new Claw gaming handheld. Remember that this is all still a rumor from a single source - so take this news of NVIDIA moving into the PC gaming handheld space with a heavy grain of salt. If true, unfortunately, it sounds like the device is still "years away" from release - so we might not get any official announcement until 2025 or 2026.

With NVIDIA's excellent power efficiency with its latest Ada Lovelace architecture and technology like DLSS and Reflex, not to mention its popular GeForce NOW cloud streaming service - a GeForce-powered handheld outside of the Switch 2, at this point, does feel inevitable.