AMD’s new Ryzen Z2 Extreme APU is rumored to feature 16 RDNA 3.5 GPU cores and 8 Zen 5 CPU cores - ultimately leading to greater performance and battery life for gaming handheld devices. It will become the new flagship APU for AMD among the Strix Point APU range, with the potential of new handheld devices from the likes of Asus, MSI, and perhaps even a next-gen Valve Steam Deck.
The leak comes from well-reputed chip leaker Golden Pig Upgrade (get it?) on Chinese social media platform Bilibili - correcting a previous claim from the user himself about an apparently now canceled chip called the Z2 Extreme X.
This is set to be a major improvement over AMD’s Z1 and Z1 Extreme chips, which are present in the Asus ROG Ally X and MSI Claw 8 AI+ handheld devices. There will be three variants on this occasion, unlike the aforementioned first-gen Z chips, with the new arrival being AMD’s Ryzen Z2G - which reportedly comes with 12 RDNA 2 cores.
Since the Asus ROG Ally Z1 model is certainly less powerful than the Z1 Extreme version (and more comparable to the Steam Deck), the presence of the Ryzen Z2G chip according to the rumored specs may be great news for consumers on a budget looking for greater performance.
What does this mean for new gaming handhelds?
While there is no confirmation of an Asus ROG Ally 2 (or any handheld packing these new Z2 chips) at this point in time, all signs point toward a successor to the latest and greatest handheld PC, the Ally X. With AMD supposedly set to release the Z2 APUs in 2025, the possibility of brand new handhelds is high.
The Ryzen Z2G APU is a surprising addition here, which means we may potentially be seeing three new Asus ROG Ally models. Not only could the pricing be much better here with three options, but the performance gain over the Z1 Ally will be clear to see, which only uses 4 RDNA 3 GPU cores.
If Valve’s Steam Deck successor is still a long way away, a new handheld from Asus or another company using the Ryzen Z2G APU will likely take a significant leap over the popular Linux-based handheld, utilizing 12 RDNA 2 cores compared to the Steam Deck’s 8.
Given the ROG Ally’s history of poor battery life before the release of the Ally X, this could work wonders for Asus’ next generation of handhelds, creating greater competition in pricing with the Steam Deck. After all, the Ally X is fantastic, but the price tag is still too steep for some potential buyers.
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