Intel entered the gaming graphics card business for PCs through Arc and challenged the dominance of AMD and Nvidia in this realm.
The name Arc will be used by Intel both for the hardware and software that powers its high-end discrete graphics cards. This arc was previously known as DG2, and its first product using the Alchemist code will be released in Q1 2022.
Alchemist will be available for both desktops and laptops in early 2022, and from the teaser video, it looks like AMD Radeon and Nvidia will have new challengers in this realm.
In the teaser video, Intel shows off the prototype of the graphics card in playing PUBG, Psychonauts 2 and Metro Exodus. There is also Forza Horizon 4 and Crysis Remastered which looks smooth to play without lacking frame rates.
Here's a sneak peek of pre-production Intel Arc graphics in action. https://t.co/VOMsMN6r2y #IntelArc pic.twitter.com/b9fOsXdRCq
— Intel Graphics (@IntelGraphics) August 16, 2021
Regarding features, there are mesh shading, variable rate shading, video upscaling, and real time ray tracing. But the most important thing is that Intel promises an AI-based super sampling feature, which seems to be a competitor to Nvidia's Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS).
With the super sampling feature, the GPU will display graphics in high resolution but processing is done at a lower resolution to maintain the frame rate. However, the quality of the resulting image is promised to be almost the same if the processing is done with a resolution of 100%.
AMD actually has a similar feature called FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR) to answer DLSS. However, AMD uses spatial upscaling techniques and not AI-based upscaling.
"The launch of the Intel ARC name and the revealing of next-generation hardware reinforces Intel's deep and ongoing commitment to gamers and creators everywhere," said Roger Chandler, chief executive of Intel's GPU business.
"We have a very great team working to ensure we deliver a frictionless, high-end experience when this product is released early next year," he added.
So far, Intel has launched the Iris Xe graphics chip, codenamed DG1, which uses the Xe LP architecture. This power-efficient graphics card is designed for pre-built workstations and not PCs for gaming.
Meanwhile, Arc will be based on the Xe-HPG microarchitecture, which is a combination of Xe-LP, HP, and HPC.