AMD’s Z2 Extreme Chip Revealed: A Gamedev Game-Changer for Next-Gen Gaming Handhelds

We’ve got some buzzworthy news from AMD: their new Z2 Extreme chip is reportedly set to drop in early 2025, according to Jacob Roach from Digital Trends. He heard it from AMD’s computing and graphics boss, Jack Huynh, who made the announcement on stage at IFA in Berlin. We confirmed the release date with AMD spokesperson Stacy MacDiarmid, but it seems they’re keeping quiet about the details for now.

What we do know is that AMD is partnering with multiple companies, so the chip might already be in the hands of handheld makers. It’s also likely based on their Strix Point tech, according to sources at Windows Central. That’s no surprise, given the name.

Huynh supposedly mentioned that he wants to play games like Black Myth: Wukong for three hours on a handheld, which is a nice upgrade from the current 45 minutes. Whether this is just a personal goal or a hint at what the Strix-based Z2 Extreme can do remains to be seen.

Now, let’s talk about the original Z1 Extreme. It was basically just a tweaked version of the Ryzen 7840U laptop chip, which needed a lot of power to run smoothly. Handhelds like the ROG Ally and Legion Go can turbo up to 40 or 50 watts to play demanding games, but that means their batteries drain quickly – usually in under an hour.

The Steam Deck’s semi-custom chip, on the other hand, runs at a much lower 15 watts and still manages better battery life. Maybe AMD will take a different route with the Z2 Extreme and create a bespoke handheld chip? That would be exciting.