In context: Handheld devices with PC-like internals are growing in popularity and capability. The market is now served by both OEM offerings and custom projects, with the latter producing some of the most ambitious attempts to turn x86 hardware into a true pocket-sized computing platform.

A company named Mogozen has been working for months on the CG Deck project and is now preparing to launch a crowdfunding campaign to bring the product to market. The CG Deck is a handheld "mini-computer" based on an x86 SoC design, offering extensive customization options and compatibility with both Windows and Linux.

According to the project's official site, the "heart" of the CG Deck is an Intel N150 processor designed for embedded and mobile applications. The chip includes four x86 cores with a maximum clock speed of 3.6GHz, an Intel integrated GPU with 24 execution units and a 1GHz clock, and support for either 8GB or 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM in the CG Deck Max variant.

The device sports a 5-inch IPS display, up to eight hours of battery life, NVMe storage, and 4G LTE Cat 4 mobile connectivity. One of the most interesting aspects of the CG Deck is its modular accessory system. The base configuration includes a 64-key QWERTY keyboard, which can be swapped for a 10-key and rotary knob module, a gamepad, a trackball, and other input modules.

Mogozen says these quick-swap accessories can significantly expand the CG Deck's functionality, adding options such as external antennas, a 4K camera, and more. The company plans to build a full accessory ecosystem with a wide range of color and feature combinations. On the software side, the device is designed to be equally modular, with support for Windows and Linux, virtualization, and different firmware configurations.

The developers behind the CG Deck have designed the device as an open-source project, providing full documentation and schematics to users under a Creative Commons license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0). The official GitHub repository does not yet include this material, but the team plans to release everything once the Kickstarter campaign goes live.

In a recent Reddit post, Mogozen developers explained that they had to "go dark" for a month to turn the first engineering prototype into a finished product. The idea behind the CG Deck is to create a capable x86 computer that can be carried in a backpack while traveling. The mini PC is intended to handle light (Steam) gaming, CAD and video editing workloads, coding, and more.

For now, the CG Deck appears to be too bulky to fully realize the team's original vision. The device currently weighs 590 grams, butthe goal is to bring it down to around 100 – 150 grams once unnecessary elements are removed from the prototype design.

Once completed, the CG Deck could become a notable addition to the growing list of handheld devices based on x86 CPU technology. Unlike the previously introduced Flipper One device, Mogozen's proposal may have enough appeal to attract both handheld enthusiasts and regular PC users looking for something different from a traditional laptop. That is, if the price is right.