Thehandheld gaming consolespace has blown up in the past couple of years, and it all started with the Nintendo Switch. The versatility that it brought encouraged other manufacturers to enter the market with their own versions, and this gave rise to the now highly popular Steam Deck, the ASUS ROG Ally,Lenovo’s Legion Go, and more. Now, the latest player to jump in is Zotac with its Zone handheld gaming device that is powered by an AMD Ryzen 7 mobile processor.
Zotac Zone
The Zotac Zone is the company’s first handheld gaming console that features a 7-inch full-HD 120Hz AMOLED display. It is powered by the AMD Ryzen 7 8840U CPU and Radeon 780M graphics. The console comes with Hall effect joysticks and triggers, two-stage adjustable triggers, two Quick Adjust radial dials, and two USB 4 ports.
The Zotac Zone was first showcased at COMPUTEX in June, but has not reached the shelves for customers to buy just yet. So, here’s everything you need to know about the Zotac Zone before it makes its way to retailers for the public.
Zotac Zone: Design and Form Factor
The form factor for a handheld gaming device has kind of plateaued, with most manufacturers sticking with the ‘screen flanked by controllers’ design. While this is true for the major brands like Valve, Nintendo, ASUS, Lenovo, MSI, and now Zotac, brands such as Ayaneo and others have released all kinds of handheld gaming form factors ranging from flip open tosliding screensto amore Game Boy-like design.
Steam Deck
Valve’s long-awaited portable console is here, and it’s taking the handheld gaming market by storm. Valve partnered with AMD to create Steam Deck’s custom APU, optimized for handheld gaming. It is a Zen 2 + RDNA 2 powerhouse, delivering more than enough performance to run the latest AAA games in a very efficient power envelope.
Asus ROG Ally
The Asus ROG Ally is the ultimate handheld system for PC gamers. Relying on the new AMD Ryzen Z1 series of processors, the ROG Ally can handle any game thrown at it. The 7-inch 1080p Full HD display with FreeSync Premium on the system provides gamers with a crystal clear and smooth gaming experience. The advantage of the ROG Ally is that it can run most Windows-compatible games and is compatible with Xbox Game Pass titles. It also comes with 3 months of Game Pass Ultimate. The ROG Ally also features an ergonomic design that makes gaming for long periods enjoyable.
The Zotac Zone features an AMOLED display that is flanked by fixed controllers. It has a more aggressive shape with pointed grips, the ergonomics of which could be questionable. At the back is a flip out kickstand, an RGB light strip, toggles for the adjustable triggers, and ventilation holes. The stereo speakers are located at the bottom.
Interestingly, Zotac has gone with a symmetrical design for the joysticks, much like the Steam Deck, but unlike most other handheld options. There are also dual trackpads like the Steam Deck, which makes using Windows 11 on the Zone much easier.
What’s also unique about the Zotac Zone is the radial dials under the joysticks that allow you to change system settings on the fly by simply rotating these dials.
Overall, the Zotac Zone has enough going for it in the design department to set it apart from the rest. It brings a combination of intuitive features and durability upgrades that fans of this form factor will surely appreciate.
Zotac Zone: Specifications and Performance
Powering the Zotac Zone is the eight-core, 16-thread AMD Ryzen 7 8840U with AMD Radeon 780M graphics. The CPU can operate between 15W and 28W, putting it alongside the ROG Ally X and Lenovo Legion Go’s Ryzen Z1 Extreme processor that can go up to 30W. On the other hand, the Steam Deck OLED’s Zen 2 APU has a max wattage of 15W, so you can expect better performance than the Steam Deck in both battery and connected modes. The Zotac Zone is backed by a 48.5Wh battery, 16GB of RAM, and a 512GB M.2 NVMe PCIe 4.0 SSD (2280), which is expandable via microSD card.
Steam Deck OLED
The Steam Deck OLED is the perfect handheld gaming console for gamers who wish to take their games on the go. It brings the entire Steam library in a handheld form factor that is ergonomic, grippy, and easy to use. The OLED model is an upgrade to the standard LCD model of the Steam Deck, and it boasts a slightly larger display that is brighter, sharper and refreshes at 90 Hz.
Asus ROG Ally X
The ASUS ROG Ally X is the successor to the ROG Ally, and it comes with a host of improvements. It is powered by the same Z1 Extreme APU but comes with 24GB of RAM and 1TB of storage with the M.2 SSD being a standard 2280 form factor. There is an additional exhaust vent to keep the mainboard cool.
For connectivity, it comes with two USB 4 Type-C ports, a 3.5mm headphone jack, Wi-Fi 6E, and Bluetooth 5.2. There is also a small front facing camera and the power button doubles as a fingerprint reader for Windows Hello secure log in.
What sets it apart from the rest of the competition and aligns it more with the Steam Deck OLED and the Nintendo Switch OLED is the 7-inch, 1080p, AMOLED touchscreen display, making these the only three handheld consoles with anOLED display. It can also refresh at up to 120Hz and boasts a maximum brightness of 800 nits. The display does have large bezels all around it, though.
Both the joysticks and the triggers use Hall effect technology so they will be highly accurate and more durable than the standard potentiometer-based joysticks. The triggers also have two stages of actuation, which can be controlled by the toggles at the back.
To keep the Zone cool, Zotac has implemented a fan and a triple heatpipe setup, which uses the heatsink array and strategically located vents for efficient heat dissipation, at least on paper.
In terms of real-world performance, full reviews will tell the complete story. However, the Zotac Zone has similar internal hardware to the ROG Ally X and the Lenovo Legion Go, so it’s reasonable to expect the same level of performance in games, with the added benefit of an OLED display.
Zotac Zone: Price and Availability
As mentioned earlier, the Zotac Zone was originally showcased at COMPUTEX in June, but has not made its way onto shelves just yet. There is only one configuration, and it is priced at $799. The company states that it is up for preorder in select regions, but is yet to be listed on major retailers like Amazon, Newegg, B&H Photo, and Micro Center.
Lenovo Legion Go
Lenovo Legion GO takes a page out of the Nintendo Switch’s playbook with its ability to separate the left and right controllers from the 8.8" 2500x1600 screen. The PC gaming handheld boasts one of the most powerful specs seen in a handheld device, but that comes at the price of battery life. Ultimately, any Windows-based handheld has its advantages and risks. However, Lenovo has done well to give its device enough reasons to intrigue handheld-leaning gamers.
MSI Claw
The MSI Claw is the first handheld gaming console from the company and it is powered by the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H processor and Intel Arc Graphics. It features a 7-inch FHD (1920x1080) display capable of 120Hz refresh rate. It packs 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, and comes with a Thunderbolt 4 port. The MSI CLaw is backed by a 53Wh battery and features hall effect technology for the joysticks an the triggers.
For reference, the Steam Deck OLED starts at $549 for the 512GB model, while the 1TB model costs $649. The ROG Ally X, only available with 1TB storage, costs $899. As for the Lenovo Legion Go, the 512GB model costs $600, while the 1TB model is priced at $750. The MSI Claw with the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H CPU and 1TBSSD is priced at $750 as well.
FAQ
Q: How much is the Zotac Zone?
The Zotac Zone is priced at $799 and there is only one configuration.
Q: Is Zotac a Chinese company?
The headquarters for Zotac are located in Hong Kong and the manufacturing is carried out in Dongguan City, China.
