Zotac has revealed that the Zone will feature an OLED screen, something previously only available in PC handheld devices with Steam Deck OLED, as well as two-stage adjustable triggers like the Xbox Elite gamepad and anti-drift Hall effect joysticks. But did you know it also has symmetrical PlayStation-style joysticks, programmable knobs around each joystick, two Steam Deck-like trackpads, a small built-in kickstand, and a Windows Hello camera instead of a fingerprint reader? , and top and bottom USB4 ports?
This handheld is powered by an AMD Ryzen 7 8840U chip, and you don’t have to expect much from it – it’s basically the same 7840U found on previous handhelds, with the same Radeon 780M iGPU under the hood. But like the ROG Ally X and Lenovo Legion Go, it does get an upgrade to LPDDR5X-7500 memory, which seems to give the Legion a slight performance boost over the original Ally and a more modest 1080p resolution.
On a less happy note, Zotac also appears to be equipping it with a modest 48.5-watt-hour battery pack, which is smaller than the one in the Steam Deck OLED and larger than the 80Wh packs Asus and MSI just announced with their 7-inch 120Hz OLED The much smaller screen doesn’t support variable update rates any more than the Steam Deck’s screen. However, at 800 nits of brightness it does sound nice and bright, and I’m intrigued by the programmable slow dial.
As you know, Zotac was one of the first companies to experiment with AirJet’s fascinating solid-state cooling technology in mini PCs, and computer world’s Adam Murray took the opportunity to ask Zotac if it plans to use the technology in handheld devices as well. But while AirJet maker Frore Systems seems to think it could work, Zotac says the current AirJet isn’t designed to cool high-wattage wafers like the 8840U, and cost may also be an issue. Currently, the area only has a traditional fan and a few small vents to help keep it cool.
according to geek theory, the selling price in this area should be around US$800 in September this year. This is the upper end of the spectrum for consumer gaming handhelds, although the Ally X with a much larger battery is also available at this price.
Zotac, if you’re reading this: We’d love to hear details from you next time!
