AMD has confirmed the Ryzen Z2 Strix Point processor for portable consoles - due out in early 2025

AMD has confirmed the release of the Z2 Extreme processor for portable consoles in early 2025. This information was revealed by Digital Trends journalists during a Q&A session with AMD and Microsoft employees.

The Ryzen Z1 and Ryzen Z1 Extreme chips are based on the Phoenix architecture, featuring up to 8 Zen 4 cores and 12 RDNA 3 graphics compute units. However, AMD has already launched the Strix Point processors, which boast up to 8 Zen 5 cores and 16 RDNA 3.5 compute modules. This upgrade is beneficial for future portable gaming devices, particularly since AMD is focusing on the energy efficiency of the chip.

Here’s a comparison of AMD processors for handheld consoles:

• Ryzen Z1 Extreme: 8C/16T (8x Zen 4) and 12 CU RDNA3
• Ryzen Z1: 2C+4c/12T (2x Zen 4 + 4x Zen 4c) and 4 CU RDNA3
• Ryzen Z2 Extreme: 12C/24T (4x Zen 5 + 8x Zen 5c) and 16 CU RDNA3.5

The difference between the Ryzen Z series and the Ryzen AI 300 series lies in the support for NPU, which is expected to be disabled in the console variant (though this is not confirmed). The first gaming consoles likely to feature the Z2 are the Asus ROG Ally 2 and Lenovo Legion Go 2.

The new Ryzen Z2 series is anticipated to be unveiled in early 2025. Although AMD has yet to provide specific timelines, the chip may be showcased at CES 2025.

Sources: Digital Trends, VideoCardz