Zotac's PC gaming handheld, the Gaming Zone, will be available for pre-order after Gamescom 2024

Zotac’s PC gaming handheld, the Gaming Zone, will be available for pre-order in select regions via “exclusive e-tailers” after Gamescom 2024 according to a press release shared earlier today.

Except Zotac is not quite clear on what these regions or countries are exactly since it did not list them in the same press release. A check on Zotac Singapore’s website does indeed reveal that the handheld will be available in Singapore, via the brand’s Lazada e-store as well as retail partners like Tech Dynamic. But as of this time of writing, the Gaming Zone is not listed on either website.

Gamescom 2024 takes place in Cologne, Germany, on 21-25 August. We can safely then assume that Zotac will share the exact availability and pricing next week. That said, we are expecting the handheld to be launched some time in September for an estimated US$800.

We had the chance to take a quick look at a very early build of the Zotac Gaming Zone at Computex 2024. Check out our video below.

Here’s a glance at the final specifications of the handheld:

• AMD Ryzen 7 8840U Processor with Radeon 780M Integrated Graphics
• 7-inch Full HD AMOLED Display, 120Hz Refresh Rate and 800 nits brightness
• Elite Controls with Hall Effect triggers and analog sticks
• 2-Stage Adjustable Triggers for hair-trigger or full-range precise input
• Radial Dials for on-the-fly system setting changes
• Dual Trackpads & full-sized symmetrical controller layout
• Dual USB4 Ports, Bluetooth 5.2 & Wi-Fi 6E
• Built-in Kickstand
• 1-month free XBOX Game Pass with every new ZONE purchase

Interestingly, Zotac is not going with AMD’s Ryzen Z1 (Phoenix) Extreme CPU nor Intel’s Meteor Lake Core Ultra series. Instead, the Gaming Zone will be powered by an AMD Ryzen 7 8840U (Hawk Point) processor. Technically, the Ryzen 7 8840U and the Ryzen Z1 Extreme (itself similar to the Ryzen 7 7840U) have similar specifications on paper with the only difference being the presence of an Ryzen AI NPU in the former. The Gaming Zone will also come with an AMOLED display, unlike the ROG Ally (and the Ally X by extension), Legion Go and MSI Claw that uses LCD.

The same press release also mentioned a docking station for the handheld that includes a DisplayPort output over USB-C and can house an additional two M.2 SSDs, and a water resistant hardshell case. These will be available for purchase separately.

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