Regarding the processor products announced from CES 2023 earlier this year to the recent ones, AMD's senior director of consumer and gaming client business, Renato Fragale, explained at Computex 2023. He also discussed the recent product development for handheld game consoles and the first use of ASUS.ROG AllyOfRyzen Z1 series processorsExplanation of related questions.
Renato Fragale stated that AMD previously used a single series of processors to meet the needs of diverse product applications. However, since then, AMD has divided its HS and HX series product lines into more niche markets. Having achieved relevant results, AMD is now considering different product market expansion directions.
In addition to its past collaborations with Sony's PlayStation and Microsoft's Xbox game consoles on customized processors, and observing that more and more Chinese companies, such as AYANEO, are using low-power processors and Windows operating systems to build PC-level handheld game consoles, the idea of bringing its processor products to the handheld game console market has emerged.
With the experience of cooperating with Valve on the customized processor of Steam Deck, AMD is more confident in the customized processor code-named "Pheonix".Ryzen 7040 series processorsBased on the same Zen 4 architecture CPU and RDNA3 display architecture GPU, the Ryzen Z1 series processors are also built on the same Zen XNUMX architecture CPU and RDNAXNUMX display architecture GPU.
A dedicated handheld processor product built with AMD's ideas
Unlike previous custom processors developed in collaboration with Sony, Microsoft, and Valve, the Ryzen Z1 series processors are built entirely with AMD's design concepts for handheld game consoles. Based on different performance requirements, the standard Ryzen Z1 is launched, as well as the higher-performance Ryzen Z1 Extreme, which is first used in ROG Ally.
Even though they're based on the Ryzen 7040 series processor design, Renato Fragale explains that the Ryzen Z1 series processors still manage to achieve higher performance within a 9W TDP. They even incorporate Radeon Super ReSolution (RSR), which upscales 720P graphics to 1080P. FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR), which improves display efficiency, will also be available later, significantly enhancing the actual gaming experience.
However, Renato Fragale also stated that the initial user experience of ROG Ally, which uses Ryzen Z1 Extreme, is indeed not as good as the Steam Deck, which has a higher degree of hardware and software integration. However, he also emphasized that subsequent updates released in cooperation with Microsoft will make the actual user experience even better.
This will not only allow AMD to expand its market development opportunities beyond PCs, but also potentially expand its opportunities for customized processor cooperation.
AMD's idea for creating the Ryzen Z1 series processors is naturally based on the continued growth of the market for handheld game consoles using the Windows operating system. Therefore, it hopes to attract more companies to join the ranks of handheld game console manufacturers by creating Ryzen Z1 series processors specifically for handheld game console design needs.
The Ryzen Z1 series processors, coupled with Microsoft's potential upcoming improvements to the Windows operating system for gaming, are expected to create new development opportunities in the existing PC market. Furthermore, in addition to simplifying the development of handheld gaming consoles, AMD's previous experience collaborating with industry partners on custom processors will undoubtedly attract more companies to adopt custom processors, enabling them to achieve even greater hardware and software integration, naturally creating greater growth opportunities for AMD.
Renato Fragale further emphasized that the Ryzen Z1 series processors will definitely not be a one-time development product, and subsequent designs will continue to be launched in the future to meet the design needs of handheld game console products.
