Fresh releases rely on GPU driver optimizations to get the most out of the hardware from day one, and without AMD's drivers to back them up, RDNA-2-based handhelds, of which there are plenty, could essentially be rendered legacy hardware. It wouldn't make sense for the company to release specific updates for only its APUs (like the Ryzen Z1) but withhold those optimizations from the main driver releases for desktop and laptop SKUs. As far as we can tell right now, only third-party community support can be of assistance.
Valve is less affected by this fiasco since it uses the open-source RADV Vulkan drivers (for Linux), which the company optimizes itself without caring what AMD does on the Windows side. The real ramifications will be seen in something like the recently launched ROG Xbox Ally , which is powered by the Ryzen Z2A chip based on RDNA 2 architecture. We're talking about a brand new $600 device — nay, an "Xbox" — that might be out of support within a month of its launch. As far as console-like experiences go, that would certainly become one of the worst ones in history.
AMD still supports RDNA 1 and 2, but only for critical bug fixes and security updates, not new features — that luxury is reserved for RX 7000 and 9000 series now. Speaking of, as part of yesterday's update, AMD also disabled charging on the USB-C port on some RX 7900 series cards, a move the company has now confirmed was a mistake. The USB-C feature was not altered and remains operational just like before, with DisplayPort Alt mode and charging capability; not data transfer (which was never supported). In a statement to Tom's Hardware , AMD clarified:
"The release notes for AMD Software Adrenalin Edition 25.10.2 posted today included misinformation that has since been corrected. There is no change to USB-C functionality on the RX 7900 series GPUs in the 25.10.2 driver. There was an incorrect line in the originally posted release notes that has been removed, and the release notes have been updated."
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Reference reading
- https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/gpu-drivers/SPONSORED_LINK_URL
- https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/gpu-drivers/amd-decision-to-put-rdna-2-gpus-in-maintenance-mode-could-spell-trouble-for-handheld-gaming-systems-including-rog-xbox-ally-company-backtracks-on-rx-7900-series-usb-c-functionality-but-not-on-rdna-2-support#main
- https://www.tomshardware.com
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Informational only. No financial advice. Do your own research.