this post was submitted on 20 May 2025
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ZOTAC showcased their next-gen handheld running Linux at Computex 2025 (lemmy.ml)
submitted 7 hours ago by mr_MADAFAKA@lemmy.ml to c/linux_gaming@lemmy.world
39 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ml3giSDF520 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pqnmUVGcGU

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[–] commander@lemmy.world 2 points 1 hour ago* (last edited 52 minutes ago)

One thing about these handheld is that i feel like they're price competitive with miniPCs and laptops with the same CPU/GPU

This and any other that will come with Linux out the box, guaranteed hardware drivers exist for everything so then it becomes about as appealing as a Steam Deck minus the price advantage Valve can do as a software store vendor. I already run a Legion Go with Bazzite.

What I'm waiting for now is a PC Handheld that weighs less than a Steam Deck that is solidly priced but is performance competitive with the Z1 extreme devices. At that point I would actually feel comfortable recommending them to people on the fence. The weight, price and minimum performance to be able to play at least Switch 2 level games. I think that'll be the UDNA generation of AMD APUs

[–] swelter_spark@reddthat.com 4 points 1 hour ago

Nice. Always good to see more handhelds that run Linux.

[–] juipeltje@lemmy.world 16 points 5 hours ago

The fact that it's not just using steamOS like lenovo is very interesting to me.

[–] ogmios@sh.itjust.works 12 points 5 hours ago (2 children)

I like how the Game Gear lost hard to the Game Boy, but now their design is the standard for handheld consoles.

[–] commander@lemmy.world 3 points 1 hour ago (1 children)

I had family with a Sega Nomad. I thought that thing was a unit and I was so jealous of it. Now everything's significantly bigger than that. I remember how anything over 4.3" 16:9 phone display was too big to be portable. PC Handhelds go up to I think 10 inches now with GPD Win and the lightweight one soon being a Switch 2 is 7.9" 16:9 display

[–] timbuck2themoon@sh.itjust.works 1 points 46 minutes ago

Had a nomad too. Thing was awesome. It was a tank but super fun.

[–] moody 20 points 5 hours ago (2 children)

The Game Gear ate batteries like they were Tic Tacs, and it needed 6 of them at once. I don't think it's the design that held it back. It's the power usage, and the lack of Tetris.

[–] grue@lemmy.world 2 points 1 hour ago* (last edited 1 hour ago)

It was also gigantic compared to the Game Boy. Between that and the fact you needed to carry an AC power brick or 12v cigarette lighter adapter (or both) pretty much all the time unless you were swimming in AA battery money, you ended up carrying the thing around in what was basically a damn purse, like this one (more pictures on linked page):

And that's the smallest of the several first-party SEGA cases for it!

Needless to say, despite its technological superiority to a Game Boy, I didn't play mine nearly as often as I would have had a owned a Game Boy instead, just because it was so cumbersome to take places.

[–] pinball_wizard@lemmy.zip 3 points 2 hours ago (1 children)

the lack of Tetris.

Columns was... also a game where things fell vertically...

[–] moody 2 points 1 hour ago

Columns was not an interesting or addictive as Tetris. It also didn't come with the console.

Tetris and the Gameboy being sold together was a massive boon to both of them.

[–] Ulrich@feddit.org 8 points 6 hours ago

HX370 running Manjaro Linux.

[–] sonalder@lemmy.ml 10 points 7 hours ago (4 children)

I wonder why they choose to go with Manjaro and not Arch directly.

[–] BlueSquid0741@lemmy.sdf.org 2 points 1 hour ago

Orange Pi has been working with Manjaro on a steam deck clone (with touchpads). Make Zotac bought/licenced their design?

[–] commander@lemmy.world 1 points 1 hour ago* (last edited 1 hour ago)

I would bet that for Zotac, they still want a support/integration contract and maybe Manjaro have setup to actually have a business plan now. SteamOS, maybe going to Valve for support is more expensive or they're not staffed well enough to onboard Lenovo, maybe Asus and any of the actual big PC vendors

[–] loutr@sh.itjust.works 2 points 2 hours ago* (last edited 2 hours ago)

Yeah, with Arch the install and initial setup is the hard part, but they do that for you so I don't get the point of going with Manjaro.

[–] HelloRoot@lemy.lol 21 points 7 hours ago* (last edited 7 hours ago)

They asked chatgpt and it told them that it is more stable.

[–] just_another_person@lemmy.world 7 points 7 hours ago (3 children)

"next-gen" how? Valve is getting first dibs at the next AMD SoC as far I've heard, and that's still a year or two away from release. Doubting this runs Nvidia, because Nintendo is kind of the single license for that at the moment, and it's not cheap OR very performance per-watt compared to AMD.

[–] Ptsf@lemmy.world 6 points 4 hours ago

Unreleased product with unannounced specs beats competitor currently or about to be sold. More news at 11 Tim.

[–] brucethemoose@lemmy.world 3 points 6 hours ago* (last edited 6 hours ago) (2 children)

Valve is getting first dibs at the next AMD SoC as far I’ve heard

This is huge if true, as Van Gogh (the Deck chip) was a seperate "line" than all the overly CPU-heavy laptop chips other handhelds are using at the moment.

[–] just_another_person@lemmy.world 5 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

Both sides have accidentally spilled the beans on this. AMD outed a new upcoming chip for their existing "handheld wins" (aka Steam Deck), Valve has confirmed they are already working on their next handheld, but then also said there "will be no Z2 Steam Deck" after AMD already outed their work on the next chip.

So that's Valve getting a chip AMD has already confirmed they are working on, and no other manufacturers have mentioned or have the sales numbers to get AMD interested. That's it right there.

https://www.gamesradar.com/platforms/pc-gaming/valve-shuts-down-steam-deck-2-speculation-as-amd-says-its-building-chips-for-a-stronger-handheld-there-is-and-will-be-no-z2-steam-deck/

[–] spiffpitt@lemmy.world 1 points 6 hours ago

valve standalone vr headset then?

[–] MentalEdge@sopuli.xyz 3 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

It's absolutely true.

Last I read, they're in no hurry, but Valve and AMD are both ready to create a new chip like it once the tech has advanced enough that putting one together makes for a substantial boost in what you get for the same price and power envelope.

[–] brucethemoose@lemmy.world 1 points 6 hours ago* (last edited 6 hours ago) (1 children)

...once the tech has advanced enough that putting one together makes for a substantial boost in what you get for the same price and power envelope.

It already does.

Its more a question of economics of scale. Taping out a single custom chip is extremely expensive, like hundreds of millions of dollars before a single chip is sold.

AMD could make a custom Strix Halo SKU for Valve (think a 6-core X3D CCD, a 32-40CU GPU clocked low for efficiency) for much less. Perhaps something like that (a custom multi-die configuration of Strix Halo's successor?) is what Valve opted for.

[–] MentalEdge@sopuli.xyz 1 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

Well yeah. But I used the word "substantial" together with the word "price".

If the return ain't worth it, it's not "substantial" yet, and hence "It already does." is a false statement.

[–] brucethemoose@lemmy.world 1 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

Yeah. But what I’m getting at is the economics may hint at what valve is planning.

Maybe AMD isn’t making a “specialized” monolithic die like Van Gogh? Perhaps Valve is simply customizing blocks of AMD’s existing product (die) stack, which is more financially plausible.

AFAIK one of the current issues with Strix Halo for a handheld would be high idle power, but maybe the next generation is better in that respect.

[–] MentalEdge@sopuli.xyz 1 points 5 hours ago

I think they'll do whatever makes sense.

I'm just saying Valve and AMD are on the same page about making it happen when and if it makes sense.

For now, the first steamdeck is still great.

[–] MentalEdge@sopuli.xyz 2 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

The AMD chip they are using has "AI" in the model name.

[–] TropicalDingdong@lemmy.world 2 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

did they shove a strix halo in it?

[–] just_another_person@lemmy.world 3 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

Lolz no, it's just the XDNA. It's going to be minimally useful at best.

[–] TropicalDingdong@lemmy.world 1 points 4 hours ago

wake me up when they shove a strix halo in

[–] HelloRoot@lemy.lol 4 points 7 hours ago (3 children)

Hurray, one more un-innovative Steam Deck clone.

[–] _cryptagion@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 1 hour ago

Wider adoption of handheld PCs is nothing but good news for gamers. Especially if those PCs are running Linux.

[–] lorty@lemmy.ml 6 points 2 hours ago

Hey at least this one seems to have trackpads

[–] pennomi@lemmy.world 33 points 7 hours ago (3 children)

I’m cool with that, more choices is better, even if they’re fairly similar.

[–] user224@lemmy.sdf.org 7 points 4 hours ago (1 children)

Yup. Most smartphones are very similar, yet I am happy it's not just one Samsung out there.

[–] loutr@sh.itjust.works 2 points 2 hours ago* (last edited 2 hours ago)

I agree, but as a mobile dev I wish they'd leave the OS alone instead of "optimizing" it, creating new exceptions to the rule and edge cases in the process...

[–] Goretantath@lemm.ee 1 points 4 hours ago

As long as it brings down prices of others, competition is good.

[–] entwine413@lemm.ee 4 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

This one looks like my wife could actually hold it too.

The deck is great, but it's definitely bulky and heavy.

[–] sonalder@lemmy.ml 5 points 5 hours ago

As a SteamDeck owner I must say it doesn't feel heavy at all and the weight is really well balanced, but yes it's quite bulky compared to a Nintendo Switch or Switch Lite for exemple.