Recent updates
UPDATE (Jan 6, 2024, 1:00 PM GMT): Pierre-Loup Griffais from the Steam Deck development team has posted a note on BlueSky refuting Videocardz claims of a Z2-based Steam Deck. "There is and will be no Z2 Steam Deck. Guessing the slide was meant to say the series is meant for products like that, not announcing anything specific." The original article continues below.
In what looks like a case of an accidental embargo breakage, AMD's Z2 processes appear to have broken cover earlier than intended. AMD will likely debut the Z2 processor line up at CES 2025, exclusively for handheld gaming devices like the Lenovo Legion Go and ASUS ROG Ally.
Detailed by VideoCardz, the new Z2 range is still based on RDNA 3. However, AMD's new APUs promise to boost battery life efficiency while offering performance improvements over 2023's Z1 range. The Z2 Extreme is of particular interest, as it will boast the biggest gains over the previous systems.
The Z2 Extreme is Strix Point-based with 8 Zen 5 cores, designed for maximum performance (and most likely, maximum price points). For people who want the "best of the best," the flagship ASUS ROG Ally 2 and Lenovo Legion Go 2 will most likely boast the Z2 Extreme platform, probably set for launch some time this year. There will also be a mid-range Z2 non-extreme version, as was the case with the Z1 platform. However, there's also going to be a more "budget-friendly" Z2 Go version, tied up in exclusivity for the oft-leaked Lenovo Legion Go S. Although it remains to be seen just how budget friendly that device will be.
Interestingly, Videocardz claims that AMD pointed out the fact that Valve itself will be leveraging the Z2 range, potentially giving us the first hint so far at what will be inside a prospective "Steam Deck 2," or perhaps a new more powerful variant of the Steam Deck 1. However, as some have pointed out online, it could be a misinterpretation by Videocardz, and AMD may simply be referring to Steam-powered third-party devices like the Lenovo Legion Go S.
AMD Ryzen Z2 specs
| AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme (2025) | 8 cores, 16 threads | Up to 5.0 GHz max boost | 24 MB cache | 15-35w configurable TDP | 16 graphics cores |
| AMD Ryzen Z2 (2025) | 8 cores, 16 threads | Up to 5.1 GHz max boost | 24 MB cache | 15-30w configurable TDP | 12 graphics cores |
| AMD Ryzen Z2 Go (2025) | 4 cores, 8 threads | Up to 4.3 GHz max boost | 10 MB cache | 15-30w configurable TDP | 12 graphics cores |
| AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme (2023) | 8 cores, 16 threads | Up to 5.1 GHz max boost | 16 MB cache | 9-30w configurable TDP | 12 graphics cores |
It's a hot time in the PC gaming handheld market
The PC gaming handheld market is experiencing rapid growth since its debut, with companies like GPD and its "Win" PC gaming handheld pioneering a huge explosion in variety in subsequent years. Nintendo is also known to be revealing a Switch 2 this year, and Microsoft and PlayStation both are supposedly working on their own handhelds too.
As gaming companies try to figure out how to find new users, handhelds have been tipped as a potential tool for cornering potential players in situations where they can't access their PC or home console. For Microsoft, the battle is increasingly becoming existential, too. Per previous leaks, the Lenovo Legion Go 2 range is expected to include a Steam OS-powered version to compete directly with the Windows-powered version. It'll lead to direct performance comparisons, potentially exposing Windows as a performance hog while Steam OS with its Linux-based gaming-focus takes the shine off Windows 11's gaming chops.
Microsoft is sending one of its hardware leads, Jason Ronald, to CES 2025 to discuss how Xbox is intending to improve Windows 11 for PC gaming handhelds on devices like the Lenovo Legion Go.
