To some, the Zotac Zone will be another needless brick in the handheld wall. I don’t completely disagree with the fact too many portable PCs are biting at the Steam Deck’s ankles, but I’m always happy to see new contenders try to innovate. With that in mind, I do think the graphics card maker’s attempt at an on-the-go gaming experience justifies its existence, and if the early sample I’ve been testing is anything to go by, things are off to a promising start.
Commanding a $799 price point, the Zotac Zone is priced to take on best gaming handheld contenders like the Asus ROG Ally X. That’s an unfortunate Achilles heel for the portable, as I see it as a souped-up Steam Deck OLED rival with something to offer enthusiasts. Rather than going all out on specs no one asked for like the Lenovo Legion Go, this Ryzen 7 8840U APU device feels like it has enthusiasts' interests at heart. In turn, that helps it feel like a device that’s made for your hands rather than something stuffed with laptop guts – long may that pattern continue.
