AMD has officially announced the heavily rumored Ryzen Z1 series of ultra-low-power CPUs for handheld computers, including gaming devices. The new processors are based on the same Zen 4 core architecture as the current-gen Ryzen 7000 series desktop CPUs, and will include integrated RDNA 3 graphics cores, built around the Radeon RX 7000 series GPUs. AMD hopes to create a new market for X86-compatible handheld gaming consoles designed along the lines of the popular Steam Deck. Existing devices like the Ayaneo Air series and the upcoming Ayaneo 2 are built around AMD’s Ryzen U-series low-power CPUs, but have so far remained niche within gaming circles.
The Asus ROG Ally gaming handheld, which was first announced on April 1, has been confirmed to be the first shipping device based on the Ryzen Z1 series CPU. More specific information regarding its price, launch date, and other specifications will be announced by Asus on May 11 at 7:30 PM (IST).
Two CPU models have been announced so far: the Ryzen Z1, which has six multithreaded ‘Gen 4’ CPU cores, along with four RDNA3 GPU cores, and the more powerful Ryzen Z1 Extreme, with eight CPU cores and 12 GPU cores. amd It promises industry-leading performance and battery life for an “elite gaming experience” in a highly portable form factor. Using the same hardware as the mainstream AMD CPU and GPU means that handheld devices based on the Ryzen Z1 processor will be able to use the company’s Radeon Super Resolution graphics upscaling technology, as well as other features like Radeon Chill for power savings and AMD Link game streaming. will support.
At the platform level, devices based on Ryzen Z1 CPUs will support USB4, LPDDR5 and LPDDR5X RAM, and of course support for Windows, which opens up an entire ecosystem of games and gaming stores. Steam, The devices will also be able to function as full-fledged computers running everyday Windows software, especially when connected to an external monitor, keyboard and mouse. According to AMD’s statements, users will also be able to take advantage of Microsoft xbox game pass ultimate Subscription service for gaming on the go.
No official performance, temperature or battery life figures have been released yet, but Asus’ announcement on May 11 should shed some light on what potential buyers can expect. However, AMD’s continued push into the thin and light laptop space and its claims to deliver premium graphics performance Ryzen 7xxx Mobile CPUIt will be interesting to see how this turns out and whether more manufacturers announce gaming handhelds based on these CPUs at or before the upcoming PC-focused Computex trade show.