After gaming handhelds such as the Steam Deck OLED, Zotac is now also launching a gaming machine on the go. We were already able to check out a pre-production model of the Zotac Zone handheld at Computex. We tried out the finished product at Gamescom. It can already be pre-ordered for 850 euros with 512 GB of storage space and is intended to compete with the Asus ROG Ely X, which costs 900 euros.
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The Zone also uses Windows 11, so that a mobile games console with a connected mouse, keyboard, and monitor becomes a mobile PC. Additionally, Zotac is in talks with Valve to bring Steam OS to the Zone handheld as well. The AMD Ryzen 7 8840U processor is on the same performance level as the Z1 Extreme from the ROG Alley or the Lenovo Legion Go. For RAM, Zotac opted for 16GB LPDDR5X-7500.
Strong OLED colors
Only the launcher software for the handheld gaming PC was not yet finished. At launch, the software will offer users the option to choose the installed store, games and set their personal performance profile (a beta version of the software can be seen on the cover photo above). Online retailers Alternet and Caseking are planning deliveries around September 12. The final product appears to be of high quality, fits well in the hand and, at 690 grams, is slightly heavier than the Alley X (678 grams) – although the battery is noticeably smaller at 48.5 watt-hours (Alley X: 80 watt-hours).
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The seven-inch OLED multi-touch screen with 1080p resolution, 120Hz refresh rate and HDR support is particularly attractive and colorful. According to Zotac, it achieves up to 800 nits of brightness for good visibility outdoors. Unlike the colleague The Dangerous “Stick Drift” to stop. The easy-grip buttons and sensitive touch surfaces were also impressive.
Rotary controls and customizable triggers
The two sliders can also shorten the lever travel of the analog triggers if desired. Quick trigger pulls in shooters mimic a short “hair trigger” in firearms. However, we liked the relatively flat control pad, which makes a clicking sound every time you enter a direction, and we were much less happy with it than the Asus. An interesting little gimmick are the two knobs around the stick that allow you to adjust brightness, volume or other specified functions. These “dials” also make a slow clicking sound when turned because they don’t move continuously. Perhaps even simulated arcade oldies could be played this way, for example Ball With its rotary controller.
A fan kept the device pleasantly cool while playing Forza Horizon 5. However, the racing game’s benchmark was four frames behind Eli. It should be noted that the Zone software is not yet final and no performance mode can be set yet. Later you will be able to choose between 15 and 28 watts.
If you don’t want to use the fold-out stand to set it up, you can buy the Zotac dock for 80 euros, which also folds-out. Among other things, it is equipped with two USB 3.2 outputs, Ethernet and an M.2 SSD slot. There are two USB 4 ports on the handheld itself with their thin sockets in USB-C format. Overall, the Zotac Zone could be a sensible and somewhat cheaper alternative to the Ally X, which performed better in some points and weaker in others in the first test game in Cologne.
(JPW)
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