Intel talks gaming on new Panther Lake integrated 12-core GPUs

Intel is showcasing its new Panther Lake laptop CPUs, which are set to be released in early 2026. The key highlight is the Xe3 integrated graphics, which will come in 4-core and 12-core variants. The 12-core version is particularly noteworthy, as it represents a 50% increase in core count over the previous Lunar Lake chips, providing a significant boost in graphics performance for thin-and-light laptops and potentially even gaming handhelds. The Xe3 series is also introducing new features, such as intelligent bias control for game-specific resource management, and support for x3 and x4 frame generation with XeSS 2. However, details on Intel's partnership with Nvidia and the potential integration of AI processing units (NPUs) for gaming applications are still unknown. While Intel is not developing dedicated chips for handhelds like AMD, at least one major manufacturer, MSI, is offering an Intel-powered variant of its Claw gaming handheld. For more in-depth information on the Panther Lake chips, readers are encouraged to check out the deep dive by Mark Hachman and subscribe to PCWorld's YouTube channel.