AMD has been at the core of almost every handheld gaming PC, and it might've solidified its place with its Ryzen Z1 processors built specifically with handheld gaming in mind.
The Ryzen Z1 is impressive, pushing the limits of portable gaming PCs. Here’s how the Ryzen Z1 processors could affect the portable gaming industry.
AMD Is Supplying the All-in-One PC Market With Its Ryzen Z1 Chips
AMD announced its Ryzen Z1 series processors on April 25, 2023, and it is taking the lead in supplying future handheld gaming PCs. Ryzen APUs have always been the go-to processors for handheld gaming devices because of their power efficiency and graphical prowess in a small package.
The Ryzen Z1 processors are marketed as an APU dedicated to handhelds, showing AMD’s intention of supporting the handheld market. The Ryzen Z1 series comes in two tiers: the Ryzen Z1, and the Z1 Extreme.
The Z1 has six cores and 12 threads and has four RDNA 3 graphical compute units while the Z1 Extreme has eight cores, 16 threads, and 12 RDNA 3 compute units. AMD claims the Z1 Extreme would be able to deliver up to 8.6 TFLOPS of graphical performance, which is close to a PS5’s 10.2 TFLOPS, on a handheld.
Handheld and Mini Gaming PCs Are Going to Flourish
In the first half of 2023, it's been quite difficult to get your hands on any handheld gaming PC as stocks are low and demand is high. The Ryzen Z1 chips could be the solution to that, as it’s a complete package, making it easier to build around it.
The Ryzen Z1 chips, for what they’re meant to be, are extremely powerful. They are mainly built for handheld gaming PCs that can deliver a great PC gaming experience on the go. However, they could also power portable mini PCs that compete against the Mac Mini for great prices.
If you already have a handheld PC like the Steam Deck, you don’t need a Mini PC. Here’s how to use your Steam Deck as a PC for your productivity needs.
We’re sure that Intel won’t leave AMD to have the handheld or portable PC market to itself. We might even see a gaming version of Intel's NUC Mini PC products, with an APU powered by some of its graphical compute units as Intel has put money into making graphics cards.
Handheld and Mini PCs Are Going to Be Cheaper
Mini PCs and compact PC builds are usually quite expensive. Intel’s NUC Mini PCs are only for productivity and Mac Minis have Apple’s price tag on it. The Ryzen Z1 could be the processor to fill the budget gaming Mini PC gap, while still rocking at productivity.
Looking at the handheld side of things, Asus ROG products aren’t known to be the most affordable. However, considering that the ROG Ally with the Z1 Extreme processor is only $699 according to Twitter leaker SnoopyTech, it wouldn’t be impossible to see competitors for only $600 or less.
As for mini PCs, it’s quite easy to imagine how affordable they could be. Think about the ROG Ally, but with a simpler cooling system, no built-in controller or screen, and just a simple box design with more IO ports; you’d easily have a mini PC for less than $500.
New PC Games Will Be Made With a “Handheld First” Mentality
With how affordable handheld gaming PCs are going to get, it wouldn’t be surprising that they would have an impactful amount of market share in the years to come.
If game developers want to capitalize on this, they will have to develop games to run great on Z1 processors to give handheld users the best experience. This doesn’t only benefit handheld gamers, but every PC gamer.
Suddenly, newer games are going to be made with a “handheld first” mentality and focus on efficiency for the Z1 processors. As developers focus on making their games easy to run, it’ll also make it easier for you to run games on lower-end PC parts, making PC gaming more affordable.
If you’re worried about your Steam Deck becoming obsolete because of the Ryzen Z1, don’t worry, here’s how to optimize your Steam Deck to run more demanding games.
AMD’s Ryzen Z1 Will Make Portable PC Gaming Mainstream
Small gaming PCs and powerful handheld gaming PCs have always been quite inaccessible to most; high demand, low supply, and expensive parts.
The Ryzen Z1 won’t be the most powerful processor, but it’s enough to power mini gaming PCs and the inevitable Steam Deck clones for affordable prices; pushing portable PC gaming to the masses.