CES 2020: Intel showcases compact gaming-grade Ghost Canyon NUC

CES 2020 is a mixed bag of technology that teases all the latest products that might soon hit the market. There's practically something that will cater to every niche and others that are somewhat even quirky or bizarre. Nevertheless, attendees and those closely monitoring the news are bound to stumble upon an interesting item. The annual expo can unexpectedly have big surprises strategically withheld by manufacturers for the event. As such, Intel reportedly unveiled its own gaming hardware to the delight of gamers everywhere. This is the Ghost Canyon NUC and it is a compact gaming PC.

Last month, Microsoft shocked the video game industry when it announced the Xbox Series X at The Game Awards 2019. While the existence of the console was already known to the public, it was the first time anyone saw the final design. PlayStation 5 dev kits have been circulating online, but Sony is yet to introduce the retail version of the device.

Intel, on the other hand, is taking a huge leap into the PC gaming space via its NUC 9 platform. It might be easy to dismiss the Ghost Canyon NUC as a concept project, but it seems the company is seriously planning to cater to PC gamers who want something with a smaller footprint. Regular gaming rigs conventionally take up a lot of space due to the size of the case.

Despite the smaller form factor, the manufacturer designed it as a modular product. The enclosure approximately occupies only five litres of space, according to BGR. Moreover, users can upgrade their computers via "Compute Element" CPU cartridges, which is essentially the motherboard.

Intel claims the NUC 9 Extreme – now known as Ghost Canyon – is compatible with high-end laptop processors. Furthermore, the performance will be on par with a full-size desktop PC geared for gaming. It will support up to a Core i9 H-series CPU and discrete graphics cards. This essential feature makes it a future-proof investment for gamers.

While there are no release date or pricing details revealed, for now, it is speculated that Intel might ship these out to retailers soon. The Ghost Canyon NUC will be on hand for demonstrations at CES 2020. Thus, those who are in attendance can check out what it brings to the table.