Hardware Unboxed experts warn that reduced support for RDNA 1 and RDNA 2 could affect not only Radeon RX 5000 and RX 6000 graphics cards but also handheld systems, including the recently launched ROG Xbox Ally.
The recent AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition 25.10.2 driver release has raised concerns among GPU owners. It contains signs that chips built on RDNA 1 (Radeon RX 5000) and RDNA 2 (Radeon RX 6000) are being shifted into maintenance mode.
PC Games Hardware later reached out to AMD for clarification, and the company confirmed that game optimizations and feature updates will no longer be provided for those generations; support will be limited to fixes for critical bugs and security vulnerabilities.
However, Hardware Unboxed points out that the consequences extend beyond desktop graphics cards. AMD’s move could also negatively impact portable gaming systems that use RDNA 2 — among them the newly released ROG Xbox Ally based on the Ryzen Z2A chip, as well as other devices using Ryzen APUs on the same architecture.
In turn, Hassam Nasir of Tom’s Hardware notes that, unlike desktop GPUs, mobile platforms depend more heavily on driver optimization; so ending regular updates could affect how newer games perform.
“We’re talking about an entirely new $600 device — effectively an ‘Xbox’ — that could be left without support just a month after launch. For a platform positioning itself as a console-like experience, this might go down as one of the most high-profile failures in recent memory.”
It’s also emphasized that Valve’s Steam Deck will be less affected because it uses the open-source RADV drivers on Linux, which Valve develops and tunes in-house.
Notably, the ROG Ally X flagship won’t be impacted since it’s based on the Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme chip with RDNA 3.5 architecture. Still, beyond the Steam Deck there are many RDNA 2-equipped devices on the market — including models from ASUS, Lenovo, MSI and other manufacturers.
Source: iXBT.games