All articles tagged with #handheld gaming pcs
Disabling CPU Boost on handheld gaming PCs like Xbox Ally and ASUS ROG Ally can improve game performance, reduce heat, and extend battery life by preventing thermal throttling and inconsistent frame rates, especially in GPU-heavy titles. The process is simple through Armoury Crate SE, allowing users to toggle between raw speed and cooler, smoother gameplay based on their needs.
The ROG Xbox Ally and Ally X handheld gaming PCs sold 1,000 units in their launch week in Spain, with most sales of the more expensive Ally X. Despite limited marketing, these niche devices have a modest market presence compared to mainstream consoles like the Switch 2 and PS5, which sold thousands of units in the same period.
Microsoft has introduced a new "compact mode" for its Xbox PC app, making it more user-friendly on handheld gaming PCs. The update collapses the sidebar into icons, freeing up screen space. The mode is designed to work well with devices like Asus' ROG Ally and Lenovo's Legion Go, and Microsoft is collaborating with manufacturers to enable Compact mode by default on handheld devices. Additionally, the Xbox PC app now only displays unread notifications in the drop-down menu and includes a Gaming Services Repair Tool for troubleshooting. Xbox consoles also receive improvements, such as the option to select a specific Japanese keyboard layout.
AMD has announced the Ryzen Z1 and Z1 Extreme chips, designed specifically for handheld gaming PCs like the Steam Deck. The chips combine 6 or 8 Zen 4-based CPU cores with 4 or 12 RDNA 3-based GPU cores, using AMD's latest architectures and a 4 nm manufacturing process to outrun the Steam Deck's APU. The Ryzen Z1 can run games about 55 percent faster than the Steam Deck, according to AMD. The Asus ROG Ally will be the first handheld gaming PC to use the Ryzen Z1 chip.
AMD has announced the Ryzen Z1 and Ryzen Z1 Extreme, two 4nm processors aimed at handheld gaming PCs. The Ryzen Z1 Extreme offers up to 8.6 teraflops of raw graphic performance, while the Ryzen Z1 has enough for a theoretical 55% increase in raw graphical potential over Valve's custom Zen 2 plus RDNA 2 "Aerith" chip. Both processors are temporarily exclusive to Asus, but AMD says we may see other partners in the future with these or future Z chips.