This new mecha-sized Intel gaming handheld has a giant price to match

Though the Steam Deck has been imitated by major PC industry players like Lenovo, Asus, Acer, and MSI, the most interesting variations typically come from smaller manufacturers. OneXPlayer is one such example, recently showing off some fascinating retro handheld designs. But what caught my eye this morning is something much, much bigger.

The OneXPlayer X1 Pro has been around for a while, boasting a massive 11-inch tablet-sized screen, detachable controllers, and a fold-down keyboard in the box. It’s kind of a Frankenstein’s monster of the original Nintendo Switch, the Microsoft Surface tablet, and the Steam Deck, complete with AMD-based hardware. In fact, the new model is using the massively powerful Ryzen AI 9 HX 370. But an even newer version (spotted by VideoCardz) has a chip of a different color inside.

The newest variant of the X1 Pro is packing an Intel Core Ultra 7 255H processor. It also has a massive 64GB of memory and 2TB of storage in its sole, limited-edition model. And in case you somehow missed it, the whole red-and-gold color scheme and promo art are modeled after EVA Unit 02 and its pilot Asuka from the 30-year-old anime Neon Genesis Evangelion. The keyboard looks particularly cool, and OneXPlayer has several other models with Evangelion themes.

Between the official anime licensing and the bombastic specs, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that this is a pricey bit of kit… but $1,650 USD on the MinixPC store will still raise a few eyebrows. To be fair, that’s around the same price as the version with the Ryzen AI HX 370 and the same specs, though it’s far more pricey than the Claw 8 AI+ from MSI, the only major manufacturer putting Intel chips in handhelds. In fact, at that price, a gamer on the go might also consider the Asus ROG Flow Z13, which will probably take up about the same space in your bag.

OneXplayer

That said, gaming handhelds (if you can call an 11-inch tablet a handheld—oh hi, Acer, when did you get here?) with this much power are a niche category by definition, so perhaps OneXPlayer is banking on low volumes and high profit margins. I must admit, I’d love to see how this particular machine handles, say, Armored Core VI.