MSI teases Steam Deck rival to debut at CES 2024

MSI has shared a teaser for its first PC gaming handheld, set to be fully unveiled at CES 2024.

CES is one of the biggest tech trade shows around, and every year thousands of attendees flock to Las Vegas to see the latest and upcoming innovations in the tech landscape. With CES 2024 just around the corner, all the biggest names in tech, are preparing to show off what they’ve been cooking up, from the latest in upcoming graphics cards, gaming monitors, and AI technologies.

Now it appears as though MSI is entering the world of gaming handhelds, preparing to unveil a new device at this year’s CES, according to a post on its official Instagram account.

A new breed of MSI dragon is coming

MSI uploaded a short video to its official Instagram post, revealing its upcoming entry into the world of PC gaming handhelds. The video, though only a few seconds long, is enough to perk the curiosity of anyone with even a passing interest in PC gaming on the go.

The video in question reveals the front of the handheld, draped in shadow, with two illuminating RGBs circling what’s likely to be the handheld’s two thumb sticks. While it’s hard to decipher more from this deliberately darkened footage, it appears as though the MSI handheld shares a resemblance to the overall shape of the Steam Deck, and ASUS ROG Ally.

The teaser video then goes on to show three pieces of short footage, each containing different close-ups of the device. Instead of a focus on the display or button layout (likely to not give too much away), MSI has opted to show the various vents, featured around the handheld. One shot shows the aforementioned exhaust vents, with “true gaming” engraved above them. While another reveals a glimpse of the iconic MSI dragon logo, before unveiling an ominous “coming soon.”

“A whole new breed of MSI dragon is coming. Get a grip and stay tuned”, was posted alongside the teaser footage on Instagram. Which included the hashtag, #MSIxCES2024, alluding to its full reveal at the upcoming event.

Full reveal incoming

This is the first taste of anything new in the handheld space we’ve seen for CES 2024 so far, but its reveal isn’t entirely unexpected. Last year, the Razer Edge debuted at CES 2023, and with the ever–increasing number of PC handhelds we’re beginning to see enter the market, it was more than likely we’d see a new contender be shown off at this year’s event.

With only this small glimpse of the MSI device, it’s sadly too early to speculate if it will be Linux-based like the Steam Deck, or natively run Windows. The same goes for specs, when it comes to nitty-gritty details such as its specs, storage, and more. Whatever the case, MSI is planning to fully reveal the device at CES 2024.