The AMD Ryzen Z2 will power the upcoming portable video game consoles.
AMD is unveiling the Ryzen Z2 at CES 2025, as a follow-up to its standout Ryzen Z1 chip.
AMD has unveiled its new Ryzen Z2 chip at CES 2025, following the successful Ryzen Z1 that powered the first ASUS ROG Ally. Expected improvements include higher performance and potentially longer battery life. However, those hoping for a Steam Deck utilizing the Z2 should keep their expectations in check, as a Valve employee has stated that "there is no and there will be no Steam Deck with Z2."
The Ryzen Z2 lineup is led by the Z2 Extreme model, which features eight cores, a maximum speed of 5GHz, and 16 RDNA 3 graphics cores. On the other hand, the most basic model is the Z2 Go, which has four CPU cores and 12 graphics cores. The latter could be useful for more affordable portable devices, especially those aimed at game streaming rather than local playback.
AMD has not yet shared performance metrics, but the Ryzen Z2 is expected to be available in the first quarter of 2025 in updated versions of the ASUS ROG Ally and Lenovo Legion Go. Meanwhile, Valve has indicated that it is avoiding a race for increased power, although rumors of a possible Steam Deck 2 suggest that some upgrade may be on the way.