Nvidia’s rumored gaming laptop SoC is expected to outdo the RTX 4070 in terms of performance
Rumors now hint at a 65W TDP instead of 80W or 120W
It could be used in handhelds eventually

While all eyes are locked on the Nintendo Switch 2‘s June 5 launch and its DLSS-powered custom processor, Nvidia’s purported gaming laptop and potential handheld PC chip could surpass its competitors, based on new performance rumors.

As reported by Notebookcheck, Nvidia and MediaTek’s rumored gaming laptop SoC (System-on-Chip) is expected to match the RTX 4070’s performance, according to a Taiwanese outlet, UDN. It was previously reported to have a TDP (thermal design power rating) between 80 and 120W, but it is now anticipated to use a Blackwell GPU and have a TDP of 65W.

The rumors indicate that the chip may be primarily used for gaming laptops; UDN also mentions that it will be an Arm-based processor, so gaming laptops may benefit from good battery life and efficiency. However, the fresh report of a 65W TDP makes its potential handheld gaming PC use more of a possibility.

It could be Team Green’s first big step into the handheld gaming PC market; Nvidia has made mobile processors, notably for its Portable Shield, but this would be the first powerful chip to compete with this new generation of handhelds, spurred by Valve’s Steam Deck, if true.

Most devices like the Asus ROG Ally X and the MSI Claw 8 AI+ maintain a maximum TDP of 30W, so the supposed 65W TDP for Nvidia’s SoC might be a big stretch for handheld demands (especially in terms of power efficiency) – but it’s a lot better than the previously suggested 80 or 120W.

If it isn’t used in handhelds and is reserved for laptops alone, it may be a huge opportunity missed by Nvidia to take the portable gaming market by storm – especially in the current climate of bad reception from reviewers like Gamers Nexus.

Analysis: Are handhelds the future of gaming?

vector isometric illustration of a handheld gaming console — (Image credit: Siberian Art / Shutterstock)

Again, there’s no mention of handhelds in the rumors regarding Nvidia’s unannounced gaming SoC, so this is just an assumption – but if this chip is real and it’s eventually used for handhelds, does this mean handhelds are the future of gaming?

At the very least, I can say AMD’s APUs and other SoC processors will play a significant part in gaming going forward. We’ve already seen AMD’s Ryzen AI Max+ 395 surpass the RTX 4070 laptop GPU in games like Cyberpunk 2077, eliminating the need for a discrete GPU.

The only issue is that the Ryzen AI Max+ 395 hasn’t been used in a handheld yet, likely due to its high TDP, which has me worried that this rumored Nvidia SoC won’t be coming to handhelds. With DLSS 3 or 4 for sharper image quality and better game performance available, I’d expect it to outperform AMD and Intel’s SoCs currently used in handhelds.

Regardless, it’s a step in the right direction, and the closer we can get to handhelds using iGPUs that are closer to the power of discrete GPUs, the better handhelds will be at being a focal point of future gaming.