AMD's Z2 series of processors for handheld gaming devices has been expanded with a pair of new chips, namely the Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme and the Ryzen Z2 A. From AMD's naming scheme, one would assume that the two are quite similar, but if you've kept track of AMD's Z2 product lineup, you're most likely already aware that there are some major differences between the three older SKUs and this time around, we get a further change at the low-end. The new top of the range chip, the Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme appears to be largely the same SoC as the older Ryzen Z2 Extreme, with the addition of a 50 TOPS NPU for AI tasks, which appears to be shared with many of AMD's mobile SoCs.

However, the new low-end entry, the Ryzen Z2 A appears to have more in common with the Steamdeck SoC, than any of the other Z2 chips. It sports a quad core, eight thread Zen 2 CPU, an RDNA 2 based GPU with a mere eight CUs and support for LPDDR5-6400 memory. On the plus side, it has a TDP range of 6-20 Watts, suggesting it would allow for better battery life, assuming devices based on it get a similar size battery as a handheld based on one of the higher-end Z2 SoCs. ASUS is using both of these chips in its two new ROG Ally handheld gaming devices, but Lenovo is expected to follow shortly with its own handheld devices.

ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) is proud to announce an all-new series of Ally handhelds built from the ground up with improved ergonomics and a seamless player-first user experience. Developed in partnership with the incredible team at Xbox, the new ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X offer best-in-class ergonomics and a full-screen Xbox experience that marries the best of Xbox and PC gaming in one cohesive package.

"We wanted to take our handheld to the next level, but we could not do it alone." said Shawn Yen, Head of the Consumer product team at ASUS. "This revolutionary partnership with Microsoft allowed us to forge a brand new device with ROG muscle and the soul of Xbox." The ROG Xbox Ally sports an AMD Ryzen Z2 A Processor with incredible power efficiency, while the ROG Xbox Ally X offers the new AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme Processor for next-level gaming performance. Both launch holiday 2025 in select markets, with additional markets to follow.

ASUS has unwillingly revealed its upcoming ROG Ally 2 handheld through FCC filings and certification images, offering an early glimpse at two distinct models. According to Indonesian certification entries and a linked US FCC listing, the Ally 2 will launch in both black and white finishes. The black version includes a dedicated Xbox button, suggesting tighter integration with Microsoft's gaming services, while the white model adheres to the traditional ROG control scheme. This latest reveal follows ASUS's April 1st teaser of "Project Kennan," which showed an animated fusion of an ROG Ally and an Xbox controller, hinting at a formal collaboration between the two companies. Under the hood, the black edition of the Ally 2 represents ASUS's most ambitious handheld to date. It employs AMD's Ryzen Z2 Extreme processor, an eight‑core chip rated at 36 W, paired with 64 GB of LPDDR5X‑8533 memory. In contrast, the white model will feature AMD's Aeirth Plus APU with four cores operating at 20 W. These hardware choices position the black version as a high‑performance Xbox-linked system, while the white version aims to balance power efficiency and sustained battery life.

Both variants are confirmed to sport a 7‑inch display with a 120 Hz refresh rate. Notably, the screen bezels appear unchanged from the original Ally and the higher‑end Ally X. The new design instead focuses on ergonomics, with larger rear grips that resemble those of a traditional controller. The top-mounted I/O includes a pair of USB Type‑C ports, and side‑view images suggest a somewhat bulkier profile. However, the final weight and comfort will depend on ASUS's manufacturing refinements. No powered‑on images have emerged, so details about display quality or software remain unverified. We assume it could support the standard Windows 11 OS, with SteamOS being an option since we reported multiple software patches for ASUS ROG Ally on SteamOS. With multiple certifications now completed in Indonesia, the United States, and Korea, ASUS seems poised to announce the ROG Ally 2 at Computex 2025. Enthusiasts are now left to await official specifications, pricing, and availability when ASUS takes the stage next month.

Lenovo announced the latest additions to its Lenovo Legion ecosystem of gaming devices, accessories, and software today at CES 2025, delivering a deep bench of devices across a wide range of form-factors that give gamers of all levels powerful options to game their way in pursuit of 'reaching their impossible'. These new devices include:

• The Lenovo Legion Go S (8", 1) and Lenovo Legion Go S (8", 1) - Powered by SteamOS, gaming handheld devices featuring an 8-inch screen with VRR support, a chassis sporting fused TrueStrike controllers with adjustable trigger switches and hall-effect joysticks, and the world's first officially licensed handheld powered by SteamOS.
• The Lenovo Legion Go (8.8", 2), a gaming handheld prototype device planned to feature a native landscape OLED display, up to double the RAM compared to previous generation, and a bigger battery.
• The redesigned Lenovo Legion Pro 7i (16", 10), Lenovo Legion Pro 5i (16", 10) and Lenovo Legion Pro 5 (16", 10) laptops, with new aggressive design language, more performance, and new Lenovo PureSight OLED display options.
• A fully redesigned Legion Space gaming software solution that unifies all Lenovo Legion device settings, syncs with all Lenovo Legion ecosystem devices, provides access to all games in one library, and features a suite of new AI-powered features that help gamers up their game, their streams, and their enjoyment.
• The Lenovo Legion Pro 34WD-10 monitor, a PureSight OLED display with gaming-specific features to give competitive gamers an edge on the map.
• Lenovo also announced other new additions to its Legion and LOQ laptops and desktops, the latest Legion Tab, and a selection of Legion accessories to complement the gaming devices.

At this point, it's basically taken for granted that Lenovo will be launching its cut-down Legion Go S gaming handheld at CES 2025, and a fresh leak from Evan Blass via The Verge points to another Legion Go handheld—a direct replacement for the current-generation Go—launching alongside the Go S. While the Go S will supposedly be powered by the less powerful AMD Ryzen Z2G and its Radeon 680M iGPU, the full-fat Legion Go 2 will likely use a more powerful processor and iGPU, suggesting that a Ryzen Z2 Extreme SoC is on the way.

Perhaps the most compelling thing about the new Legion Go handheld, though is that it will reportedly feature an OLED display. Despite the new display tech, though, the Legion Go 2 will supposedly have the same display size, detachable controllers, and FPS mode, although the images shared by Blass show significantly rounder controller edges, which should make the chunky handheld less cumbersome to hold. The leaks make no mention of SteamOS or a Steam button for the Legion Go 2, suggesting that it will still be a Windows-first gaming handheld, and the Legion Space button is still present on the face of the Legion Go 2 featured in the leaks.

The second generation of AMD Ryzen Z-series processors for handheld gaming consoles, will be led by the Ryzen Z2 Extreme. There will also be an affordable Ryzen Z2 (non-Extreme). We've known for some time that the Z2 Extreme is based on the 4 nm "Strix Point" monolithic silicon, with some optimization (the highest bins to facilitate the best energy efficiency); but now we have a few more details thanks to a leak by Golden Pig Upgrade. AMD's engineering effort with the Z2 Extreme will be to give the console the most generational performance uplift from the iGPU, rather than the CPU.

The "Strix Point" silicon features a significantly updated iGPU from the previous-generation "Phoenix." It's based on the more efficient RDNA 3.5 graphics architecture, which is better optimized for LPDDR5 memory; and comes with 16 compute units (CU), compared to 12 on the "Phoenix." The Ryzen Z2 Extreme will come with all 16 CU enabled. The CPU is where some interesting changes are planned. The "Strix Point" silicon features a dual-CCX CPU, one of these contains four "Zen 5" CPU cores sharing a 16 MB L3 cache, while the other features eight "Zen 5c" cores sharing an 8 MB L3 cache. For the Ryzen Z2 Extreme, AMD is going with an odd 3+5 core configuration. What this means is that the Ryzen Z2 Extreme will have 3 "Zen 5" cores, and 5 "Zen 5c" cores. The L3 cache on the CCX with "Zen 5" cores has been reduced to 8 MB in size. On paper, this is still an 8-core/16-thread CPU with 16 MB of L3 cache (same as "Phoenix,") but now you know that there's more going on.

Today at the Amplify Partner Conference, HP Inc. announced new products and solutions to usher in the next era of hybrid work for everyone with a comprehensive set of computing solutions for hybrid flexibility. With only 22 percent of workers describing themselves as 'thriving' in hybrid work, it's clear companies are still figuring out how to make hybrid work. "Most companies want to move past the 'forced return' to the office era of hybrid work," said Alex Cho, President of Personal Systems, HP Inc. "The challenge is, they're not sure how to. We believe the future is hybrid flexibility, which delivers the best of the home and the office to workers everywhere."

According to HP's Future of Work study, 80 percent of workers want to be in the office some of the time, but many companies continue to struggle to get workers back in the office. HP research suggests that the most significant barrier to a return to office is a sub-optimal technology experience. In fact, 89 percent say technology is the most important factor driving return to office decisions. Similarly, of those who report thriving in hybrid work, 90 percent believe that access to the right technology and tools leads to a positive work experience. To accelerate employees' return to work, the right technology is required for optimal work setups, enabling success for companies and their employees.

Today, HP Inc. unveiled new additions to the Z by HP portfolio, built for professional creators and power users who need performance, reliability, broad hardware expandability, and the versatility to get the job done in any work environment.

More than ever, today's workforce needs the right technology and tools to be productive, connected, and collaborative, whether working from home, in the office, or somewhere in between. As 80% of professional creators and power users want to continue working from home either full or part-time even after offices reopen, flexibility in how and where they work is critical. Additionally, 40% of workers need to move around the home for meetings during the day, reimagining the idea of office mobility. HP is adapting its technology to meet the needs of the mobile workforce by incorporating powerhouse performance into dense form factors with ZCentral 4R, Z2 Mini, and ZBook Fury, and including "beyond the box" innovations for anyone from IT decision makers to architects and data scientists.

ARCTIC presents the latest edition of its popular Z and Z Pro monitor arm series while also introducing the all new W1C wall mount. All products are available now in stores and in the ARCTIC Webshop.

The new Gen 3 models of the monitor mounts - Z1 (Gen 3), Z2 (Gen 3), Z1 Pro (Gen 3), Z2 Pro (Gen 3) and Z3 Pro (Gen 3) - are characterized by maximum load capacity, endless flexibility, a simple mounting system and high-quality manufacturing. With a new matte black finish and reworked cable management, the Gen 3 monitor arms differ both visually and functionally from their predecessors. All Gen 3 models have an easily accessible USB hub with four ports and are suitable for both large screens and ultrawide monitors. Extensions are available for the Z Pro Gen 3 series, which allow users to mount one or two additional monitors on top. In addition, the Pro models come with a Micro-USB power supply.