Zotac Teases A Potent Handheld With Ryzen AI 9 HX 370, New Mini Gaming PCs And More
With Computex 2025 around the corner (it starts May 20th), we're starting to see some exciting new tech trickle out. In a time of global uncertainty with pricing and exports, this will be a particularly interesting Computex to watch. To that end, Zotac, a well-known brand that is an add-in board partner for NVIDIA, is teasing its next handheld model. Called the Zone 2, this handheld features AMD's Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 APU. While it is currently a prototype, Zotac tells us that it will have an OLED screen, too.
Gaming handhelds have been very popular during the last several years, with Valve's Steam Deck becoming a fan favorite. ASUS, much like Zotac, has had its eye on the handheld market with its ROG Ally, and is also working with Microsoft on an Xbox handheld. How will Zotac separate itself from a growing field of competitor offerings?
Gaming handhelds have been very popular during the last several years, with Valve's Steam Deck becoming a fan favorite. ASUS, much like Zotac, has had its eye on the handheld market with its ROG Ally, and is also working with Microsoft on an Xbox handheld. How will Zotac separate itself from a growing field of competitor offerings?
The potential Zotac Zone 2 handheld will have Manjaro Linux for its operating system, an interesting differentiator to the Windows-based ASUS ROG Ally/Ally X. Meanwhile, the Steam Deck runs on SteamOS, which is based on Linux and has been praised as one of the best in the business for handhelds. In my opinion, SteamOS has proven smoother in use compared to Windows-based handhelds.
Speaking of which, Valve is pushing its SteamOS onto other handhelds, most notably the Lenovo Legion Go S. This is likely a positive move, given the track record for SteamOS on the Steam Deck itself. It's interesting, however, that Zotac has chosen to go in a different direction while still embracing Linux.
Speaking of which, Valve is pushing its SteamOS onto other handhelds, most notably the Lenovo Legion Go S. This is likely a positive move, given the track record for SteamOS on the Steam Deck itself. It's interesting, however, that Zotac has chosen to go in a different direction while still embracing Linux.
Small sized PCs are also on the menu for Zotac's Computex 2025 product showcase. Some ZBOX mini PCs, such as the Magnus One, come packing NIVIDA GeForce RTX 50 series GPUs in very small packages. The Magnus EA has AMD's Ryzen AI Max CPUs and graphics integrated within them. Zotac also has some that are powered by Intel's Core Ultra Series 2, such as the ZBOX C and M series products.
Similarly, the ZBOX Pro embedded machines also have powerful hardware in small packages. Featuring the NVIDIA Blackwell RTX Pro MXM GPU, these devices are aimed squarely at AI and machine learning. While others do have a gaming focus, it is no doubt that AI and its use cases continue to dominate the narrative for any company in the technology field. While Zotac may not be a household name like NVIDIA or even ASUS, it is working with the same hardware to bring forth usable products for both consumers and enterprise business with these new devices.
Similarly, the ZBOX Pro embedded machines also have powerful hardware in small packages. Featuring the NVIDIA Blackwell RTX Pro MXM GPU, these devices are aimed squarely at AI and machine learning. While others do have a gaming focus, it is no doubt that AI and its use cases continue to dominate the narrative for any company in the technology field. While Zotac may not be a household name like NVIDIA or even ASUS, it is working with the same hardware to bring forth usable products for both consumers and enterprise business with these new devices.
