Embark on a Gaming Odyssey: Zotac's Zone is a Truly Unique Steam Deck Challenger

Zotac's Zone is a unique take on the Steam Deck formula, boasting innovative hardware choices and a stunning OLED screen.

Embark on a Gaming Odyssey: Zotac’s Zone is a Truly Unique Steam Deck Challenger

The world of portable gaming just got a whole lot more interesting with the introduction of Zotac’s Zone, a handheld gaming PC that’s packed with unique hardware choices. While it may resemble the Steam Deck at first glance, this device boasts some innovative features that set it apart from the competition.

A Familiar Yet Unique Design

At first glance, the Zone looks eerily similar to the Steam Deck, but it’s the little things that make all the difference. For starters, it’s the only Windows-based handheld to feature two trackpads on either side of the screen, and the only one to offer analog sticks below and to the inside of the device, in a PlayStation-style layout. These hall effect sticks are designed to eliminate stick drift, and they’re surrounded by circular scroll wheels that can be assigned to various functions.

A Visual Treat: The OLED Screen

The Zone boasts a stunning 7-inch, 120Hz OLED screen that can pump out an impressive 800 nits of brightness, putting it on par with some high-end phone screens. This makes Zotac the only major supplier to offer an alternative to the upgraded Steam Deck OLED.

Under the Hood

Powering the Zone is a Ryzen 8840U APU, paired with 16GB of DDR5 memory. The device also features a 512GB M.2 SSD in the full-length 2280 size, making it easy for users to upgrade their storage capacity.

Other Unique Features

The Zone also features a “clicky” d-pad, beloved by fighter fans, and switches between clicky and full-length mode for the triggers, similar to the Xbox Elite controller. The device also boasts USB-C ports on the top and bottom, a deployable kickstand, and a front-facing camera for Windows Hello login.

Hands-on Impressions

Our hands-on experience with the Zone revealed a device that’s roughly the same size as the ROG Ally, with speakers that fire from the bottom instead of the front face. While the ABXT buttons felt a little mushy, we’re hoping that’ll be ironed out before the device hits the market.

Availability and Pricing

Zotac hasn’t revealed a precise release date or pricing information for the Zone, but we can expect it to hit the market sometime in the second half of the year.

Zotac’s Zone: A Unique Take on the Steam Deck Formula