by 
We've been following the launch of Intel's Arc G3 PC gaming handhelds with considerable interest, given how dominant rival AMD has been in terms of powering the likes of the Steam Deck, ROG Xbox Ally and Lenovo Legion Go. Now the first models from Acer, MSI and OneXPlayer are available for UK pre-order (or in one case, pre-pre-order), promising high-end performance and some impressive specs.
The first we spotted was the Acer Atlas 8, which isn't yet available to pre-order but is launching in October with an option to register interest so you can be notified when pre-orders begin and "get access to offers, rewards and competitions".
The Atlas 8 is the lowest priced Arc G3 option we've seen thus far, with the lowest-spec Arc G3 model with 16GB of RAM, 512GB of storage and a 60Wh battery going for £999; the cheapest G3 Extreme model is £1299 with 24GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD and an 80Wh battery. The flagship model costs £1499 and comes with 32GB of RAM with the same storage and battery specs.
Meanwhile, the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ is available for pre-order at Currys for £1399 with an earlier release date of 18th August. This comes with the higher-end Arc G3 Extreme chip, 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD; other specs are similar to the Acer model, including an eight-inch 1200p 120Hz VRR display, Hall Effect sticks (vs TMR in the Atlas) and an 80Wh battery.
Finally, the OneXPlayer 3 is currently available for backing via Indiegogo, where the cheapest Arc G3 Extreme model with 32GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD and 85Wh battery costs £1299 (converted from 13,320 HKD). We previously covered this 8.8-inch model in greater detail, including its special sauce as a three-in-one device that can become a tablet or mini laptop. It could be the first Arc G3 device to launch, with an estimated ship date of July 31st.
While reviews for the MSI device are already out (eg Computerbase), it'll be fascinating to see how the Acer and OneXPlayer devices compare. Of course, it goes without saying that we're interested in testing as many of these models as we can before launch, so stay tuned to see if we're successful!