AMD Ryzen APU Handhelds Soar in Sales, Yet Steam Deck Remains the Top Choice

Over the past three years, it’s become pretty clear that AMD Ryzen chips dominate the world of gaming handhelds.

Predicting Success: 8 Million Handheld Units to Ship by the End of 2025

Handheld gaming devices have been around for a long time, but those capable of playing PC games didn’t really take off until Valve introduced its Steam Deck in 2022. In these three short years, we’ve watched as more and more companies, including big names like ASUS, MSI, and ZOTAC, have jumped into the handheld market.

A common thread among most of these handhelds is their choice of processor. Almost all of them, except for a few like MSI’s Claw 7/8 AI+ models, run on AMD CPUs. Valve’s decision to use a custom AMD Zen 2 CPU with the Steam Deck set the trend early on. This was a smart move, considering Intel’s Meteor Lake processors only hit the scene at the tail end of 2023, after companies such as Lenovo and ASUS had already released models like the Legion GO and ROG Ally.

Even with Meteor Lake available now, most manufacturers are sticking with AMD’s Zen 4 chips and are even moving towards the newer Zen 5. That’s why when IDC shared its latest figures on handheld shipments from 2022 through early 2025, it was no surprise to find that AMD had the lion’s share. AMD’s own Saša Marinković took to social media, platform X, to revel in this achievement.

"From Zero to Hero, in just four years. Vast majority of these handhelds are powered by @AMD," tweeted Saša Marinković.

Frank Azor from AMD’s Consumer and Gaming Marketing division didn’t hold back his enthusiasm either:

“I think it’s amazing. This didn’t exist three years ago; we went from nothing, zero, to incremental category creation in the millions of units.”

IDC’s market research paints a clear picture: in the past three years, nearly 6 million handhelds have shipped, and the projection for 2025 hovers around another 2 million. A significant portion of these devices, including popular models like the Steam Deck, ASUS ROG Ally, and Lenovo Legion Go, rely on AMD processors.

As we delve into the specifics, it’s interesting to note that the Steam Deck might make up more than half of those 6 million units, possibly surpassing 4 million. Even though it’s the slowest among its peers, the Steam Deck’s success can be credited to its seamless user experience with SteamOS, offering an appealing contrast to those running Windows.

Now, Intel hasn’t been idle—they’ve made strides with their Lunar Lake chips. But AMD’s new Strix Halo could shake things up if it hits the handheld market, potentially outpacing Intel unless their upcoming Panther Lake series brings something truly impressive to the table. Plus, AMD’s Ryzen Z2 series is on the horizon, setting the scene for a fierce competition in the gaming handheld industry.

News Sources: The Verge, @SasaMarinikovic