This Handheld Boasts Twin Trackpads, Jog Wheels, Adjustable Triggers, and OLED Display, the Zotac Zone. Combines Elements of Valve, Sony, and Microsoft Consoles in One Device.
It’s handheld season, and the Asus ROG Ally X and MSI Claw 8 AI Plus aren’t the only second-gen Windows gaming handhelds making waves — GPU manufacturer Zotac has officially unveiled its Zone at Computex, and it brings some unique features to the table.
Zotac had already teased that the Zone would feature an OLED screen, a rarity in PC handhelds apart from the Steam Deck OLED. Additionally, it boasts two-stage adjustable triggers akin to an Xbox Elite gamepad and drift-resistant Hall effect joysticks. But there’s more: the Zone includes symmetrical PlayStation-esque joysticks, programmable dials around each one, twin Steam Deck-like trackpads, a small built-in kickstand, a Windows Hello camera in place of a fingerprint reader, and both top and bottom USB4 ports.
The handheld is powered by an AMD Ryzen 7 8840U chip, which is similar to the 7840U found in previous handhelds and includes the same Radeon 780M iGPU. However, like the ROG Ally X and Lenovo Legion Go, the Zotac Zone upgrades to LPDDR5X-7500 memory, which has shown to provide a slight performance boost over the original Ally, especially at a more modest 1080p resolution.
One downside is its modest 48.5 watt-hour battery pack, which is smaller than the Steam Deck OLED’s and significantly smaller than the 80Wh packs announced by Asus and MSI. Additionally, its 7-inch 120Hz OLED screen does not support a variable refresh rate, similar to the Steam Deck’s screen. On a positive note, the screen is quite bright at 800 nits, and the programmable jog dials are an intriguing feature.
Zotac was one of the first companies to experiment with AirJet’s innovative solid-state cooling technology in a mini-PC. PCWorld’s Adam Murray inquired whether Zotac planned to integrate this tech into a handheld device. Although Frore Systems, the maker of AirJet, believes it could work, Zotac indicated that the current AirJet isn’t designed to cool chips as high wattage as the 8840U and cost might also be a factor. Consequently, the Zone features a single traditional fan and a couple of small vents to manage cooling.
The Zotac Zone is expected to cost around $800 when it launches in September this year, according to Geeknetic. This price point places it at the higher end of the consumer gaming handheld market, similar to the Asus ROG Ally X, which also launches at this price but boasts a significantly larger battery.
Zotac, we’re eager to get more details from you next time!
