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[llien]

Over the last four years, the portable Steam machine concept has grown from being just an idea, to a full-blown product under the name ‘Smach Z’. The handheld gaming PC has had a long and somewhat troubled development, but it looks like the device will finally make its way out this year, and with better specs than originally pitched too.

Originally, the Smach Z was going to ship based on an AMD Carrizo APU. However, lilputing has since learned that it will now ship with an AMD Ryzen V1000 series embedded processor instead, with Vega integrated graphics to boot. Specifically, the Smach Z will contain the AMD Ryzen Embedded V1605B processor, which according to the folks behind the handheld, should offer similar graphics performance to a Ryzen 5 2500U desktop chip.

In total, buyers will get a 4C/8T processor with a 15W TDP, a 2GHz base frequency, 3.6GHz boost, and a 1.1GHz Radeon Vega 8 GPU, similar to the one found in the Ryzen 3 Raven Ridge APU.

The display on the Smach Z will be 1080p, but you’ll likely have to run most Triple A games at a lower resolution to get good frame rates. In the long run, Smach CEO, Daniel Fernandez, would like to see the handheld compete with the Nintendo Switch, though it still needs to come to market first, which will hopefully happen later this year.

Kitguru

 

[Bogroll]

If the price was right i would be interested, no more than the Switch please, much more than the switch i would look at a 1050 laptop instead as i think its around the same kind of performance of the top of my head.

 

[Two Pikachus]

Hmm I wonder how this would compare to the GPD Win 2. Going off of GHz alone, quite well. Well, assuming it exists.

 

[Social]

This will never launch

 

[Horsemama1956]

I would be interested depending on price but having to lower the resolution is kind of a deal breaker. Would prefer a lower native resolution screen.

 

[Blam]

This should blow the GPD out of the water.

 

[Frenzy-kun]

In order to compete with switch they need an absurd ammount of marketing money. I don't know where they are going to get it.

 

[JohnSpartanLee]

No dpad, no thanks.

 

[TheShadowLord]

No dpad, no thanks.

left haptic should be able to use as a d-pad I think. It's not what you're talking but it's not entirely impossible.

 

[IbizaPocholo]

 

[IbizaPocholo]

 

[IbizaPocholo]

 

[IbizaPocholo]

 

[DoctorEkkoUK]

This looks like the sort of thing you always see in those kickstarter scam videos on youtube.

 

[Tesseract]

that thing is never coming out

 

[alabtrosMyster]

The display on the Smach Z will be 1080p, but you’ll likely have to run most Triple A games at a lower resolution to get good frame rates. In the long run, Smach CEO, Daniel Fernandez, would like to see the handheld compete with the Nintendo Switch, though it still needs to come to market first, which will hopefully happen later this year.

Kitguru

Compete with the switch, with PC games... I'm not sure if it will address the same people, but it will run emulators without the need of a hack!

Now we need actual pictures of a working prototype before we get too happy.

 

[Petopia]

This hand held is a scam there's a youtube channel debunking everything this handhelds alleged claim that theyre trying to be.

 

[Bolivar687]

I wish they would drop the right trackpad, that shit just doesn't work.

 

[SonGoku]

1080p YIKES WHY?
Whats the point in slapping a 1080p screen on in if all games gonna be sub native.

Should have gone with a 720p screen smh

 

[Zannegan]

I wish they would drop the right trackpad, that shit just doesn't work.

I wish they'd drop the left. The right is great for aiming and camera control--much more natural and nuanced than a stick, IMO--whereas the left is basically used for pinch to zoom and navigation in games built around mice. I know it's almost a necessity for some genres, but I'd much rather have a D-pad.

 

[Kenpachii]

Pretty sick how far handheld gaming has come.

 

[Chairman Tickles]

Specs and design are nice, screen size does not match specs, name is awful, lack of d-pad is an unmitigated disaster. Haptic touch pads can go eat shit. Dead on arrival.

 

[Bolivar687]

I wish they'd drop the left. The right is great for aiming and camera control--much more natural and nuanced than a stick, IMO--whereas the left is basically used for pinch to zoom and navigation in games built around mice. I know it's almost a necessity for some genres, but I'd much rather have a D-pad.

You can't keep tilting the aim to the side, though, you have to just line it up, which just isn't natural for me.

 

[Zannegan]

You can't keep tilting the aim to the side, though, you have to just line it up, which just isn't natural for me.

Fair enough, though there several simple fixes for that, like momentum. I think many are comfortable with sticks now (and taking for granted that there will be generous auto-aim factored in to every modern shooter), but few remember how awkward it was to learn to control the camera with a stick in the first place.

Meanwhile, it's hard to argue that a sufficiently large, accurate, and low latency touch surface isn't mechanically better in every way. I think if more controllers had this option available, then fewer games would have auto-aim turned on as a default.

 

[IbizaPocholo]

 

[IbizaPocholo]

 

[Boss Mog]

So this shit is real? it always looked like the biggest of hoaxes.

 

[IbizaPocholo]

Smach Z handheld gaming PC prototype gets an in-depth preview (videos) - Liliputing

Smach Z handheld gaming PC prototype gets an in-depth preview (videos)

liliputing.com

 

[Bullet Club]

And here's The Witcher 3:

 

[IbizaPocholo]

 

[Spaceman292]

That's the worst name I've ever heard.

 

[PeterBazooka]

1024 x 576 / 30fps / low settings...?

This thing is going to bomb hard.

Which is too bad because I'd love to have my Steam library on the go.

 

[stranno]

That's the worst name I've ever heard.

Game.com?

 

[RaptorGTA]

Game.com?

Game.com active!

What about Cybiko?

 

[DESTROYA]

While I was looking forward to this device the price just killed all my hopes for getting this type of system, your better off getting a switch.

 

[Soleil rouge]

I could never get used to the steam controller's flat joystick things so I'll pass on this one.

 

[DonF]

that new video...doom looks like its running at 20 fps.

 

[Kittehkraken]

Cheapest model is $1000CDN.

I'd rather just play AAA games that look like ass on the Switch.