AMD Ryzen APU Handhelds See Millions Sold; Steam Deck Remains the Top Choice

In the last three years, the gaming market has witnessed a significant trend: a large portion of handheld gaming devices sold are powered by AMD Ryzen processors.

AMD’s Dominance in Handheld Market Forecasts a Significant Milestone by 2025

Handheld consoles have been around for quite some time, but it wasn’t until Valve introduced the Steam Deck in 2022 that the ability to play PC games on handheld devices truly gained momentum. Fast forward three years, and we’re now seeing a variety of handhelds from major brands such as ASUS, MSI, and ZOTAC dominating the market.

One notable similarity across most of these devices is their reliance on AMD CPUs, with exceptions like the MSI Claw 7/8 AI+. Ever since Valve’s decision to integrate a custom AMD Zen 2 CPU, many manufacturers have opted for AMD’s faster chips. This trend was somewhat expected given that Intel’s Meteor Lake series was only released towards the end of 2023, and companies like Lenovo and ASUS had already made their moves with products like the Legion GO and ROG Ally.

Even with Meteor Lake’s introduction, many manufacturers preferred AMD Zen 4 chips, and numerous vendors are now transitioning to Zen 5 processors. As the International Data Corporation (IDC) recently revealed, the majority of handheld shipments from 2022 through early 2025 are AMD-powered. This is a point of pride for AMD, with Saša Marinković, AMD’s Senior Director of Consumer Marketing, expressing his delight on social media platform X.

Frank Azor, from AMD’s Consumer and Gaming Marketing, echoes this sentiment, stating, "It’s incredible how we’ve gone from virtually nothing to a burgeoning category that ships millions of units, in just a few short years."

The IDC’s research indicates that nearly 6 million Windows and SteamOS-based handheld units were shipped over the past three years (2023-2024). They anticipate another two million units will ship in 2025, with most of these leveraging AMD’s processors. The report primarily focuses on the most popular models like the Steam Deck, ASUS ROG Ally, Lenovo Legion Go, and MSI Claw 7, offering a comprehensive overview of dominant players.

Interestingly, it appears that over half of these 6 million units were Steam Deck sales, suggesting they may have surpassed the 4 million mark. While the Steam Deck might not offer the fastest performance compared to its competitors, its user-friendly SteamOS has significantly boosted its popularity against Windows-based alternatives.

Intel’s efforts with its Lunar Lake chips are noteworthy, yet if AMD introduces its Strix Halo to handheld gaming, Intel will face tough competition. This would remain true unless Intel’s upcoming Panther Lake series proves to be exceptionally strong in integrated GPU performance. Meanwhile, AMD is unveiling its new Ryzen Z2 series, ensuring the handheld gaming market remains fiercely competitive.

The handheld gaming industry continues to be an exciting space to watch, with AMD clearly establishing itself as a leader, showing both innovation and resilience in this rapidly evolving market.

News Sources: The Verge, @SasaMarinkovic