Jacob Roach / Digital Trends
We take in the floodgates undetermined on a new grasp of handhelds atComputex 2024 . After the success of devices like theSteam DeckandROG Ally , smaller companies like Zotac , Antec , XPG , and Adata are all scram in on the handheld cult , eye a slot among thebest hand-held gambling PCs . It might be the bad time to secrete a young handheld , though .
Although it ’s not bad to see competition among hand-held gaming PCs , we ’re face down the next generation of mobile chips from AMD and Intel . These raw chip are said to descend with a big boost to efficiency and computer graphic carrying into action , both of which have massive significance for a hand-held gambling personal computer . If you ’re in the market place for a new handheld , do n’t be swayed by the new crop of twist show up — it ’s best to wait for now .
Big chip implications
The Crux Australis of the tarradiddle here arrive down to chip . At Computex , AMD foretell itsRyzen AI 300 processorsand Intel previewed its upcomingLunar Lake coevals . Both are fluid chips contrive for laptop computer , which is exactly what we ’ve encounter in devices from theSteam Deck OLEDto theAyaneo 2S. And these processors looka lotfaster than what we presently have in handhelds .
Both follow with update graphics . For AMD , it ’s using the RDNA 3.5 architecture , which is a revision of the architecture we ’ve seen in desktop graphics cards like theRX 7900 GRE . It may be a rescript , but it ’s much faster . Early leak bench mark show the Ryzen AI HX 370 scoring around 40 % higher than the Ryzen 9 8945HS . Keep in mind as well that the Ryzen 9 8945HS is more powerful than the potato chip we see in most handhelds .
It ’s not just AMD , either . Intel ’s Lunar Lake chips make out with the next - genBattlemage architecturefor nontextual matter . Although we do n’t have any leaked benchmarks , Intel tell that the graphics chip on Lunar Lake is up to 50 % quicker than what we saw in the previous generation . In some cases , it can surmount even high-pitched . For instance , Intel implement hardware support for the ExecuteIndirect command , which is a vulgar command found in DirectX 12 game .
Intel even showed the computer graphic runningF1 24at 1080p and 60 frames per second ( fps ) , and that was with the gamy graphics preset andray tracingenabled . That ’s unheard of performance on the handhelds we have now .
Lunar Lake Xe2 running F1 24 at FHD @ 60 FPS using XeSSpic.twitter.com/dM39X9qWN7
& mdash ; Hassan Mujtaba ( @hms1193)June 4 , 2024
As we ’ve seen with devices like the Steam Deck , a newfangled chip does n’t always net much higher performance . In the eccentric of Ryzen AI 300 and Lunar Lake , however , we ’re deal with unexampled graphics architectures that take care upward of 50 % quicker than the previous generation . Even a fraction of that performance would be massive for a handheld , where you often have lean margins to accomplish suave performance in demanding games .
We do n’t have Ryzen AI 300 and Lunar Lake CPUs yet , but they ’re arriving shortly . Some handhelds , such as theMSI Claw 8 AI+ , have already committed to a Lunar Lake chip , and that machine is set to arrive in September . The crop of handhelds were seeing now will sure as shooting be outclassed at this point next year , and peradventure even within a affair of calendar month .
All about efficiency
The flipside of performance with Lunar Lake and Ryzen AI 300 is efficiency . Both range were plan to compete with theSnapdragon X Elitein laptop , which promises unheard of battery life for Windows laptops . Getting a taste of that battery life in a handheld could change everything when devices like the ROG Ally can choke in as niggling as an hour under a full load .
Intel has described Lunar Lake as a “ radical humiliated - tycoon computer architecture , ” and that ’s more than merchandising fluff . The chip uses a intercrossed computer architecture with performance ( P ) cores and effective ( einsteinium ) cores , but unlike former generation , Intel is focalise mainly on the E - essence . They ’re the main performance driver , while the phosphorus - nucleus simply abuse in for more demanding workloads . That should mean you ’re draining less battery when sit on your desktop or playing light game , which would protract your battery life .
AMD has n’t made such bluff title about efficiency yet , but Ryzen AI 300 is shape up to save battery . Aleaked benchmarkshowed the Ryzen 9 HX 370 ticktock its last - gen similitude despite endure in a “ understood ” carrying out mode . These modes mostly reduce mogul as much as potential , so if AMD is capable to reach last - gen performance while only sipping mightiness , that ’s a potent testament to the efficiency of Ryzen AI 300 .
As with carrying out , we have to wait until these chips are in reality here before seeing if AMD and Intel ’s claims hold up . Leaked bench mark and demos show promising progress , however . Even if we ’re able-bodied to see identical execution to the last generation of handhelds , that would be o.k. if it comes with a big increase to battery life . That ’s especially lawful for Windows handhelds like theMSI Claw , which can suck down ability even on the Windows screen background .
Best to wait
Although refreshes like theROG Ally Xpromise better bombardment life sentence and extra features , right now is n’t a swell time to corrupt a handheld gaming PC . I suspect most sword are already looking toward the next genesis of splintering for complete redesigns , and the MSI Claw 8 AI+ is a will to that . At the very least , if you ’re set on buying a handheld gambling PC now , I would n’t pay full price for it .
Hopefully we ’ll see some next - gen handhelds in a matter calendar month . If they ’re coming , I distrust we ’ll hear about them toward the beginning of next twelvemonth . By that point , last - gen options will have fall in price , and you ’ll be capable to mark a deal .
Outside of new processors , a novel batch of handhelds also come with all of the benefits of a 2d propagation . As we ’ve seen with the Steam Deck OLED , software improvements can completely transmute the handheld experience . An updated ROG Ally or Lenovo Legion Go can do good from the same improvements .
Between software , performance improvement , and barrage animation increases , the next generation of handhelds is exciting . Unfortunately , that put a damper on the rooms of handhelds that were just denote .
