Game On: AMD Unleashes Handheld Gaming PCs with Ryzen 7000 Series, Takes on Steam Deck!

AMD is preparing to launch handheld gaming PCs that could rival Steam Deck

If you’ve been paying attention to the gaming industry, you’ve probably already heard of Steam Deck, but news that has come to light recently suggests that AMD is working on producing several new handhelds based on its unreleased chips. While the Asus ROG Ally was the latest device to get gamers excited about portable tech, there are at least four new handhelds in production that rely on AMD’s yet-to-be-released Ryzen 7000 series.

The Ryzen Z1, a custom part specifically designed for portables, is said to provide exceptional performance. Geekbench leaks suggest Asus might be using its six-core, 12-thread Ryzen Z1 with two RDNA 3 graphics compute units (CUs) or the eight-core, 16-thread Ryzen Z1 with six RDAO 3 CUs, which is expected to have much higher performance and power consumption. This chip might also make an appearance in the Aokzoe A1 Pro, an unannounced Ayanoe 2S, as well as the GPD Win Mini clamshell.

Portable PC makers have previously attempted to challenge Steam Deck using the AMD 6800U laptop chip, but it wasn’t efficient enough. Now, companies like Aokzoe seem confident that they can match Steam Deck with a Ryzen 7 7840U, which is rumored to be heading to multiple devices. Aokzoe has posted videos on YouTube showing the A1 Pro’s performance, including a clip where it’s running the same game at the same processor wattage and with similar battery drain to Steam Deck, but significantly faster.

With Zen 4 and RDNA 3 technology, the potential of these new handheld devices is very promising. However, while performance is paramount, price is also crucial. It remains unclear whether they can generate adequate sales based on their price point, or whether Microsoft can help develop a comfortable, easy-to-use version of Windows for gaming handhelds. AMD has yet to comment on its plans or the development of the new handhelds being powered by its upcoming chips.