Zotac unveiled the Zone Gaming Handheld earlier this year at Computex 2024 making it one of the headliners in the annual Taipei-based tradeshow. The Zotac Zone had received positive initial impressions from the media and enthusiasts thanks to its premium features and similarity to Valve’s Steam Deck. Today, Zotac has finally launched the product at Gamescom 2024, one of the largest video game trade fairs held in Cologne, Germany.
Zotac Zone Gaming Handheld
The Zotac Zone strikes a strong resemblance to Valve’s popular gaming handheld, the Steam Deck due to its inclusion of a touchpad, a rare feature among gaming handhelds. However, the Zotac Zone sets itself apart with its premium hardware and elite control features that are arguably well-executed compared to what we have in the market.
Powering the Zotac Zone is the AMD Ryzen 7 8840U, a Zen 4-based mobile CPU with RDNA graphics. Alongside the Ryzen 7 8840U CPU is a 16GB LPDDR5X 7500MT/s memory, a 2280 512GB Gen4 NVMe SSD, and UHS-II microSD card reader. The Zotac Zone supports AMD’s driver-level Fluid Motion display and FIdelityFX Super Resolution.
The Zotac Zone also uses a 7-inch 1080p 120Hz AMOLED display with an 800-nit peak brightness. Both triggers and analog sticks use hall-effect sensors, another rare feature among gaming handhelds. The triggers have radial dials which can be mapped to adjust specific settings without having to navigate through menus. It also has dual trackpads similar to those on the Valve Steam Deck and Lenovo Legion Go.
Connectivity-wise, you have two full-speed USB4 ports that are strategically positioned on the top of the bottom of the device giving the user flexibility depending on the usage. You also have Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2 support on the device but what surprised us is the front-facing camera and microphone as well a fingerprint reader embedded on the power button for Windows Hello support.
Zotac Zone Gaming Handheld Accessories and Inclusions
Alongside the launch of the Zotac Zone are two accessories to enhance the gaming handheld. You have the standard carrying case with additional storage for travel and protection. There’s also a docking station with expanded ports as well as a slot to connect another NVMe SSD to convert the handheld to a pseudo-desktop gaming pc. Each unit of the Zotac Zone will also come with a free one-month XBOX Game Pass Trial.
From August 21 to 25, 2024 Zotac will have a demo booth of the Zotac Zone at Gamescom 2024 located at hall 10.1, booth A-078.
Zotac Zone Pricing and Availability
The Zotac Zone ZGC-G1A1W-01 is already up for pre-order for $799 at select retailers in select regions. Unfortunately, there are no pre-order announcements for the Zotac Zone in the Philippines.
Zotac Zone Specs vs ROG Ally X
| Specs | Zotac Gaming Zone | Asus ROG Ally X |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | AMD Ryzen 8840U (Zen 4 with 8C/ 16T clocked up to 5.10 GHz) | AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme (Zen 4 with 8C/ 16T clocked up to 5.10 GHz) |
| GPU | AMD Radeon 780M ( AMD RDNA3 12CU up to 2.7 GHz) | AMD RDNA3 12CU up to 2.7 GHz |
| RAM | 16GB LPDDR5X-7500 | 24GB LPDDR5X-7500 |
| Storage | 512MB M.2 PCIe 4.0 2280 SSD | 1TB M.2 PCIe 4.0 2280 SSD |
| Battery | 48.5 Wh | 80 Wh |
| Port | Dual USB Type-C, MicroSD Slot | Dual USB ports, MicroSD Slot |
| Wireless | Wi-Fi 6E BT 5.2 | Wi-Fi 6E BT 5.2 |
| Weight | 692 gms | 678 gms |
| Dimension | 11.2 x 4.5 x 1.4 inch | 11.02 x 4.37 x 1.45 inch |
Grant is a Financial Management graduate from UST. His passion for gadgets and tech crossed him over in the industry where he could apply his knowledge as an enthusiast and in-depth analytic skills as a Finance Major. His passion allows him to earn at the same time help Gadget Pilipinas' readers in making smart, value-based decisions and purchases with his reviews and guides.
