Over the past three years, it’s clear that the majority of gaming handhelds flying off the shelves have been equipped with AMD Ryzen processors.
### AMD’s Rising Dominance: Forecasting 8 Million Handheld Units Shipped by 2025
Handheld gaming devices might not be a new concept, but their ability to play PC games truly took off with the launch of the Steam Deck in 2022. Fast forward three years, and we’ve witnessed a surge of handhelds from big names like ASUS, MSI, ZOTAC, and others entering the market.
A common thread among these devices is their reliance on AMD CPUs, with notable exceptions such as the MSI Claw 7/8 AI+. Starting with Valve’s decision to utilize a custom Zen 2 CPU from AMD, most manufacturers opted for these faster AMD chips. This wasn’t surprising, given that Intel’s Meteor Lake chips didn’t become available until late 2023, by which time Lenovo and ASUS had already unveiled their Legion GO and ROG Ally models.
Even after the introduction of Meteor Lake, AMD’s Zen 4 chips remained the popular choice for many handheld manufacturers. Since then, a trend has emerged, with more companies adopting AMD’s Zen 5 processors. This is reflected in IDC’s recent data showing AMD-powered handhelds leading the shipment numbers from 2022 through the beginning of 2025. This fact certainly gives AMD something to be proud of, and their Senior Director of Consumer Marketing, Saša Marinković, couldn’t resist sharing some pride on X.
From Zero to Hero, in just four years. Vast majority of these handhelds are powered by @AMD pic.twitter.com/0Cjg90pdlN
— Saša Marinković (@SasaMarinkovic) February 25, 2025
Frank Azor, another key figure in AMD’s Consumer and Gaming Marketing division, echoed this sentiment:
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 reveals that approximately six million Windows and SteamOS-based handhelds were shipped over the past three years, from 2023 to 2024. Looking ahead, predictions for 2025 suggest around two million additional units, primarily featuring AMD processors. This data considers the most popular and successful models, such as the Steam Deck, ASUS ROG Ally, Lenovo Legion Go, and MSI Claw 7.
Interestingly, over half of those six million units are thought to be of the Steam Deck, potentially surpassing four million sales already. The Steam Deck, though not the fastest among its competitors, has won user preferences thanks to its intuitive interface through SteamOS.
Intel, while holding its ground with their Lunar Lake chips, might face a tougher challenge if AMD’s Strix Halo finds its way into more gaming handhelds. Competing with AMD’s performance could prove difficult unless Intel’s upcoming Panther Lake series brings a significant leap in iGPU capabilities. Meanwhile, AMD continues its momentum with the release of the new Ryzen Z2 series, ensuring the gaming handheld arena remains fiercely competitive.
Sources: The Verge, @SasaMarinikovic
