Intel has finally officially revealed its first discrete PC gaming GPU. Called Arc, Intel's new graphics processor uses its Xe-HPG microarchitecture and will arrive for both desktops and PC laptops in Q1 2022.
We know very little about Arc's technical specifications, but we do know it will be capable of mesh shading, variate rate shading, video upscaling, real-time ray tracing, and AI-powered super scaling similar to Nvidia's DLSS technology. This means both Nvidia and Intel will have an AI-powered upscaling technology while AMD's FidelityFX Super Resolution makes do with non-AI spatial upscaling.
“The launch of the Intel Arc brand and the reveal of future hardware generations signifies Intel’s deep and continued commitment to gamers and creators everywhere,” said Intel’s Roger Chandler in a statement. “We have teams doing incredible work to ensure we deliver first-class and frictionless experiences when these products are available early next year.”
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To prove Arc's capabilities, Intel released a trailer showing pre-production silicon playing various games, including Forza 4, Crysis Remastered, Psychonauts 2, Days Gone, Metro Exodus, and more. They all seem to run just fine, but it was just a video and no other information was provided for the rest of the system running each game.
Intel's first generation of GPUs is codenamed "Alchemist," but more generations are planned. Future generations will be called “Battlemage,” “Celestial,” and “Druid,” following a high-fantasy theme. We'll be sure to get more details on each of them at a later date.
It's still way too early to tell how much of an impact Arc will have on the current GPU market, where Nvidia has secured a lock thanks to its recent RTX 30-series of graphics cards and technological leaps like DLSS. That said, competition is always a good thing, and if Intel can provide next-gen performance while also delivering graphics cards to PC gamers desperate for an upgrade, it could very well steal market share from Nvidia.
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