ARC launches X1 gaming handheld with 120Hz display and 9,300mAh battery

MUMBAI: ARC is putting gaming in the palm of players’ hands, and the X1 is bringing plenty of hardware muscle along for the ride. ARC has launched ARC X1, its first gaming handheld, after 16 months of development with input from its early gaming community. The device combines the Snapdragon G2 Gen 2 Gaming Platform with a 7-inch Full HD 120Hz display, precision controls, active cooling and OwlOS, the company’s controller-first gaming operating system.

At the heart of the X1 is Qualcomm’s Snapdragon G2 Gen 2 Gaming Platform, built on a 4nm process and featuring an 8-core Qualcomm Kryo CPU and Qualcomm Adreno A22 GPU. It comes with 8GB of LPDDR5X memory running at 8,533 MT/s and 128GB of UFS 3.1 storage, with microSDXC expansion of up to 1TB.

ARC has also built in active cooling, using a high-efficiency centrifugal fan with rear intake and top exhaust airflow. Players can adjust the balance between performance, thermals and battery life depending on the game and how they want to play.

The visual side gets a sizeable canvas too. The X1 sports a custom 7-inch LTPS TFT LCD panel with a 1,920 x 1,080 Full HD resolution, 120Hz refresh rate, 500 nits typical brightness and approximately 100 per cent sRGB coverage. The 16:9 display is protected by Gorilla Glass 3 and uses a bezel-less design.

The controls are designed to keep the action precise. The handheld features zero-drift TMR analogue sticks, tactile microswitch ABXY buttons and a precision microswitch D-pad. It also gets two programmable rear buttons, analogue Hall-effect triggers, mechanical trigger locks, built-in joystick calibration, customisable controller mapping and per-game controller profiles.

Adding another layer of feedback are dual LRA haptics. Unlike conventional ERM vibration motors that work by spinning an off-centre mass, LRA actuators move a mass along a defined axis using electromagnetic force. ARC says this gives the X1 a more controlled basis for communicating tactile events through the controller.

Powering those gaming sessions is a 9,300mAh battery with 27W USB Power Delivery fast charging. ARC targets more than eight hours of gaming in Silent Mode, although actual endurance will depend on factors including the game, display brightness, volume and system settings. An 80 per cent charging limit is also included to give users greater control over long-term battery health.

The X1 runs OwlOS, ARC’s controller-first operating system built on AOSP. Rather than adapting a conventional mobile interface for handheld gaming, the software has been designed around physical controls.

OwlOS brings together a unified game library, game launcher, native Android gaming and cloud gaming, alongside per-game performance profiles and controller mapping. Other features include resolution scaling, an FPS overlay, Quick Resume, custom fan profiles, controller remapping, OTA firmware updates and OwlOS account synchronisation.

Connectivity includes Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.4 and USB-C with USB 3.1 and display output. The device supports USB OTG, up to 1TB microSDXC expansion and wireless controllers. Audio is handled by dual front-facing stereo speakers, a 3.5mm headphone jack and Fluence-based noise-cancelling microphones.

ARC has also taken a modular approach to ownership. The battery and joystick caps are replaceable, while modular daughterboards and spare-parts availability are intended to make servicing easier over the device’s lifetime.

The X1 weighs between 450g and 500g. With its 7-inch 120Hz screen, 9,300mAh battery, active cooling and console-style controls, ARC is pitching the device as a dedicated gaming machine rather than simply another Android device with a controller attached.

ARC X1 Early Access begins on 2 October at Rs 29,500 for members of the ARC early waitlist community. The regular price will be Rs 33,500.