WeChat and Huashui recently released the first XBOX handheld ROG XBOX Ally. In addition to the announcement that it will be equipped with a brand new operating system and an outstanding handle shape, another highlight is that it uses the new AMD handheld processors Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme and Z2 A. The most intriguing one is the high-level Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme, which is actually almost the same as the current Z2 Extreme. The only difference is that AMD has originally only used in computer processors such as HX. The NPU that is only available on 370 has been put back into Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme. What is AMD doing like this?
Although the Z2 family is a processor specially used for handhelds, it would be too emotional to put the NPU back into Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme to improve the game experience. It has been more than two years since Phoenix started to launch NPUs, and there are still no relevant killer applications. Currently, there is only one more mature application that seems to be relatively mature, but the most practical Recall has just launched a beta version recently, and it is still not a useful application. Not to mention the game, except for a few live broadcast software that can move the portraits of the Internet camera to the NPU to reduce the load on the CPU and GPU during the game, NPU still has the help of game experience.
If the NPU cannot help the handheld's game experience, why would AMD still put it back to the Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme? The author guessed that this might be required by the microscope. Although Copilot+ seems to be unsuccessful, Microsoft has not given up and has continued to promote OEMs to modify their hardware, including strengthening OEM introduction to Copilot keys, promoting the launch of Copilot+ PCs and providing marketing assistance.
Since the Z2 Extreme was originally a small change from the HX 370 that supports Copilot+ PC, it would not be difficult to put the NPU back, and why has the relationship between Micro and AMD been good. Recently, it announced that it would extend the hardware cooperation between the two parties. AMD will continue to assist XBOX in developing the next generation of home hosts and palm-to-handheld computer units, so it is reasonable for Micro to always use the NPU back to Z2 to make XBOX Ally smoothly become a Copilot+ PC.
In terms of actual applications, although NPU does not help the game experience of the palm, Microsoft also said that although XBOX Ally will use a new palm as an industrial system in the future, its base is still Windows, and users can still switch back to the traditional desktop mode, which means that the palm can still be used as a general PC.
In fact, when the MSI handheld Claw 8, which was equipped with Lunar Lake, was first launched, it once called out "the lightest Copilot+ PC", and also announced that it can be transformed into a public PC through Thunderbolt. If such a situation can be buried by consumers, it wouldn't be too strange to put the NPU back into Z2 Extreme and make the XBOX Ally become a PC.
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