Man, where do I even start with this? So I wandered over to Zotac’s booth at Computex 2025—boy, do they have a sweet new toy to show off. I mean, who wouldn’t stop by when there’s a shiny handheld gaming gadget in sight? They’re calling it the “Zone 2” at the moment. Kind of a boring name if you ask me, but whatever. They might change it, or they might not. Personally, I’d go for something snazzy like “GameBlaster 9000,” but hey, I’m not in marketing.
Anyway, this thing’s got a 7-inch AMOLED screen. Yep, 7 inches. Not gigantic, but not too small either—like Goldilocks and the just-right porridge of screen sizes. And it’s running on some fancy tech—an AMD Ryzen AI HX 370 APU, which sounds like it could power a spaceship or something. Zotac’s breaking the mold here, ditching the typical Windows or SteamOS. Instead, they’re rolling with Manjaro Linux. Pretty bold move, right? Like juggling chainsaws kind of bold.
Oh, and here’s a bit of background. Remember their first Zone handheld? That was last year’s model. Seems like ages ago. It had AMD’s Ryzen 7 8840U, which, for the tech geeks, was a big deal back in December 2023. But Zotac, they’re like that friend who’s always fashionably late. Mostly trailing behind the competition, but at least they don’t rush the good stuff.
Peeking inside this bad boy, it’s all about power—12-core setup, Radeon 890M graphics, and some AI thingamajig that does 50 TOPS. Whatever that means. I can barely juggle 5 tops. Zotac’s even thrown in options for 24/32GB LPDDR5x RAM and a 1TB SSD. I mean, who has time to worry about storage when you’re trying to save worlds or conquer kingdoms?
And this screen! Got a refresh rate of 120 Hz, 800-nit brightness, and HDR support. Did I mention the built-in kickstand? It’s like a shout-out to the Nintendo Switch. Very cozy for tabletop gaming—unless, like me, you knock stuff over.
Software-wise, it’s riding on an immutable version of Manjaro Linux with Proton handling game compatibility. But, if you’re feeling rebellious, you can switch to Windows. Just know, some multiplayer games might give you grief over cheats. Not fun, but it’s like borrowing your sibling’s clothes—some things may not fit right.
Battery life’s about the same as the older model with its 48.5Wh battery. Ports? Yep, more than you’ll know what to do with: USB4, a microSD slot, and a good old-fashioned 3.5mm jack.
Just waiting on Zotac to spill the beans on when we can actually buy this thing. Pretty sure there’s a big crowd waiting to pounce. Oh, and don’t forget—Tom’s Hardware has more updates. Follow them on Google News unless you’re living under a rock or something.
