AORUS gaming handheld not planned yet as GIGABYTE looks for a way to stand apart
PCWorld interviewed Eddie Lin, GIGABYTE CEO, during CES 2026. Eddie Lin said many people ask when GIGABYTE will enter handheld gaming. Eddie Lin also said building a handheld is not that hard, because many Chinese makers already do it. Eddie Lin pointed to the need for a base template, and said the hard part is making something different.
According to Eddie Lin, GIGABYTE would not benefit from a just another handheld product. Eddie Lin did not share what the differentiation would be. Eddie Lin also did not hint at a timeline.
Building a handheld gaming device isn’t that hard. You can see many Chinese makers doing it already. The most important part is having a template, or a base design to start from. With a similar template, building the product itself shouldn’t be a problem. The goal is to meet demand.
The real question is differentiation. What can we do that’s different? That’s the main thing to think about. Gigabyte is also thinking about making a handheld gaming device, but the focus is how to make it stand out. I don’t want it to be a “me too” product that looks like everything else. That doesn’t make sense for Gigabyte.
— Eddie Lin, Gigabyte CEO to PCWorld
Handheld makers already tried most ideas. Better cooling exists. Better screens exist. Unusual designs exist. Sliding keyboards exist. Modularity exists. Many of those features show up in devices from smaller Chinese brands, so GIGABYTE may be looking for a clear angle before moving forward.
Valve is also expected to refresh Steam Deck with a Deck 2 at some point. Valve has said Valve is waiting for a better APU, with a focus on efficiency, to hit a low TDP target.
MSI pushed early handhelds with Intel Meteor Lake and close Intel partnership. MSI has not announced a Core Ultra 300 handheld so far. VideoCardz previously reported a Core G3 series is coming , so any MSI refresh may land closer to that launch window.
If GIGABYTE wants a simple path, focus on basics and execution. Build a handheld that works well, and price it reasonably. Many buyers are tired of premium pricing from Lenovo and ASUS, and want a mainstream option that costs less than boutique handhelds. So stand out with good pricing.
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