Remember the SMACH Z? [Official Site] The portable Ryzen-powered gaming handheld that comes with either their Linux-based SMACH OS or Windows 10, well it's now up for pre-order. Selecting a SMACH Z unit with Windows 10 does add around £80.10 to the cost, so it will be interesting to see how many opt for the Linux unit.
Not that we suggest pre-ordering anything, but it's interesting to see that the project is still apparently very much alive. If it does get even reasonably positive reviews, it could end up proving to be a very interesting device for Linux gaming on the go. As someone who also owns a Nintendo Switch, I certainly understand how handy such a portable can be.
It comes in three models, the SMACH Z, SMACH Z PRO and the SMACH Z ULTRA. Here's the tech specs:
- AMD Ryzen™ V1605B with AMD Radeon™ Vega 8 Graphics
- 4/8/16 GB DDR4 2133MHz SODIMM
- 64/128/256 GB HD SSD m.2
- FullHD Touchscreen 6” 1920x1080
- Camera 5 Megapixels (PRO & ULTRA only)
- WiFi 802.11 b/g/n/d/e/h/i & Bluetooth v2.1+EDR/v3.0/v3.0HS/v4.0
- USB-C, USB-A, Micro USB, Display Port, SD card, Audio minijack
- Charger USB-C 20V 3A 60W. Plug EU/US/UK/AU
- SMACH OS Linux based distribution
You can slightly customize the build as well, so you can adjust the RAM, storage space, camera and the operating system.
On top of that, you can also get the optional "Z-PADS", which stick onto the haptic touch pads (although they don't seem to be on their store yet):
They say it will be available in "Q4 of 2018". However, there's been talk of it being some sort of scam, so I do urge you to be careful as always. I really hope it isn't…
What do you think to it? Let us know in the comments.
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
Back then the smackz was intended to be much less poweful, and much cheaper.
If they really succed i should get this final version for just a little more of 250$, wich is absolutley great. .... but actually that was the price i would pay for this. Maybe a little more, but surely i would never pre-order one at the current price.
That's the problem. They evolved their hardware, but they have also doubled the price, and i'm not really sure that was a good idea.
Last edited by Iperpido on 28 April 2018 at 3:08 am UTC
slaapliedje Apr 28, 2018
Quoting: GuestQuoting: slaapliedjeI wasn't thinking about using the Switch to play Linux games though, I have a PC for that.Quoting: GuestSeems a bit over priced to me especially now that you can dual boot Linux on the switch.Two things 1) with the reported specs has better hardware than the Switch. 2) Switch is ARM based, so non-opensouce games won't work.
But yes, I agree... too overpriced.
But, using Linux desktop on a handheld and playing official Nintendo games all on 1 device, you can't top that.
That's not to say the SZ is crap though, because it's not, just a bit overpriced.
Ah, see actually owning a Switch, it seems to be too small to really be useful for desktop usage, at least while portable. For me it'd be all about the emulators that Linux has, and being able to play on the TV, then pick it up and play it on the go.
The thing I don't get about Nintendo is that they're selling single arcade conversions for 6 dollars (like Moon Patrol) Who is going to pay 6 bucks for a game that is 30+ years old? If it was like 6 dollars for a collection of 6 old arcade games, I could understand...
The 'killer feature' of the Smach Z is that it's a portable Steam Machine, and I have 977 games listed as having Linux support in Steam right now.
TheRiddick Apr 28, 2018
Last edited by TheRiddick on 28 April 2018 at 5:17 am UTC
slaapliedje Apr 28, 2018
Quoting: monnefI own Switch, but this looks so good. Only downside I can tell is the price :(. I guess even for people from rich countries, like US, it's quite pricey.
The question is; does this have Switch like functionality (plug into a dock and it pops on the TV for instant switching between portable and not portable) because THAT is the best thing the Switch has going for it.
I don't this thing does that, though it does have direct DP ports and such, right?
My question is.. why on earth would you want a camera on a portable game system?
slaapliedje Apr 28, 2018
Quoting: lucinosIs there a review or any info about SMASH OS other than it is linux-based?
Yeah, one has to wonder what differences there are to SteamOS.
Quoting: TheRiddickHows the GPU power compared to the Tegra1 and 2 chips I wonder? Is Vega 8 1TFLOP iGPU?
You mean Tegra X1 and Tegra X2? There is no comparison on the internet because they are for different uses, specially this embedded version that is being used on Smach Z.
Still, if the power is close to the R5 2500U who also use Vega 8, it should be more powerful than Tegra X2 for Hardware accelerated tasks.
Game wise i dont know about running a game on linux for Tegra
ElectricPrism Apr 28, 2018
Quoting: Asuhah playing dota 2 on the move. Now you don't need to put it down even on the toilet...
Alrighty, gimme one! haha
Filthy casual, what kind of matches -- bot games =P
Just kidding mate, I'm a filthy casual myself, for dota to controller translation you can try the Steam Controller, it's mighty difficult to play on controller and be decent.
Last edited by ElectricPrism on 28 April 2018 at 11:49 pm UTC
Anyway, I hope it will be decent piece of hardware.
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