A while back, we heard talk of a new portable Steam Machine coming out called the "Steam Boy". Not much info on what it was, how it'd look, when it'd release...until now. Resurfacing as "Smach Zero", the company behind it, Smach Zero (what a great name), has officially announced a price and a general ship date, along with a few basic specs.

Here's what we know now:

• The Smach Zero is expected to ship in Q4 2016, with preorders supposedly opening November 10 for $299/€299.
• The Smach Zero has 4GB of RAM, 32GB of internal storage, a 720p touch screen and HDMI output. EDIT: Other sources now confirm there is an SD Card slot for expandable storage, along with USB OTG.
• The Smach Zero carries an embedded G-Series SoC "Steppe Eagle" from AMD, with a Jaguar-based CPU and GCN-based Radeon Graphics.
• And, of course, the Smach Zero is going to launch with SteamOS and "1000's of Steam Games ready to play". EDIT: Sources claim the portable will be able to handle games like Cities Skyline, Civ 5, BioShock Infinite, Half Life 2, and Dota 2 no problem.

The video below is what the company released while at Gamescom on Saturday.



Source
EDIT: Additional Source

I'm quite interested in this project myself, I've always been fascinated by the idea of a portable game system that is essentially a PC, and this project so far looks to be exactly what I've been looking for! If this portable truly boasts a full x86 version of SteamOS, and specs enough to play a good amount of the Steam library, then I'd definitely be interested in giving one a purchase.

 

[Purple_Shyguy]

Those specs.... To play Steam games.

I dont think so. Whats the point of this? It will only play indie shit and years old games. I doubt it could run GTAV or CIV V

Also, buttons for a dpad? No.

 

[purupuru]

I like real buttons. Looks like they sacrificed functionality for media buz. I imagine this will stream games from your computer of steam console and have it's own games like the Vita

 

[CathyRina]

Portable Steam machines? That's what I'm talking about!
Now if only more PC games had a proper gamepad support. From my 35 Steam game library only 8 games support gamepads.

 

[Seroczynski]

I'm interested in what reviewers will say once they get theirs hands on this. There are quite a few uncertainties that I'd like to see answered before I even think about getting on myself.

 

[ody81]

There is an absolute shit ton of games that'd run like a dream on this thing, plus trackpads. I'm really curious.

BUT battery life, that's where it's make or break with any portable.

 

[RevPokemon]

I love the concept plus it looks cool but the buttons make me nervous plus its at crappy laptop in specs

 

[Foxi4]

G-series is nothing to scoff at, the same heart beats in the PS4 and the Xbox One. All things considered this sounds like a dream-come-true for people who want a portable PC. It may not run the latest releases, but with a huge backlog of PC games it will still run some classics well. I wonder if it'll be possible to cram Windows into this thing - it should be possible.

 

[RevPokemon]

G-series is nothing to scoff at, the same heart beats in the PS4 and the Xbox One. All things considered this sounds like a dream-come-true for people who want a portable PC. It may not run the latest releases, but with a huge backlog of PC games it will still run some classics well. I wonder if it'll be possible to cram Windows into this thing - it should be possible.

The issue is heating too. I mean how much will it over heat with I'm guessing no fan?

 

[Foxi4]

The issue is heating too. I mean how much will it over heat with I'm guessing no fan?

Not as much as you'd expect on a portable x86 chip. The days when ARM was the go-to for mobile hardware are nearing their end, you can get equivalent results on x86 these days.

 

[insidexdeath]

no external storage? How do they expect people to fit many games into a 32 GB storage?

 

[Tom Bombadildo]

no external storage? How do they expect people to fit many games into a 32 GB storage?

The video and the announcement from the devs never stated whether it had external storage or not, but I'd imagine it will at least include a microSD slot.

 

[RevPokemon]

Not as much as you'd expect on a portable x86 chip. The days when ARM was the go-to for mobile hardware are nearing their end, you can get equivalent results on x86 these days.

Pretty true I guess when you consider things like how more phones/tablets are using Intel.

 

[puss2puss]

Nice!.. but i would have prefer with real joysticks :/
..anyone knows the actual size of the screen? Looks like the same size as of the wiiU's gamepad but not sure,..
..would be awesome if one dy they make something similar, but upgradable! Imagine being able to cange te graphic card, ram, etc.. would be a dream portable gaming machine

 

[RevPokemon]

Nice!.. but i would have prefer with real joysticks :/
..anyone knows the actual size of the screen? Looks like the same size as of the wiiU's gamepad but not sure,..
..would be awesome if one dy they make something similar, but upgradable! Imagine being able to cange te graphic card, ram, etc.. would be a dream portable gaming machine

Issue would be power and size but an amplifier could work but we are some ways off but this is a nice step.

I just how you could put another Os on the system

 

[chavosaur]

Finally, I can play Sakura Clicker on the go.

 

[puss2puss]

Yah but it wouldnt be an issue since they could make components exclusivly for the portable gaming pc..like mini ram etc ..i can easyly imagine a new generation of computer parts made for portable gaming device..but i can also imagine the price... ...

 

[RevPokemon]

Yah but it wouldnt be an issue since they could make components exclusivly for the portable gaming pc..like mini ram etc ..i can easyly imagine a new generation of computer parts made for portable gaming device..but i can also imagine the price... ...

Yeah but it is nice for those who might want something higher end. I hope other companies dabble in this too

 

[potato3334]

if it is indeed near the power of a ps4/xbone, then that pricepoint is looking to be quite appealing. I wonder if emulators will be possible as well. but yeah, the inputs displayed there honestly look pretty meh

 

[RevPokemon]

if it is indeed near the power of a ps4/xbone, then that pricepoint is looking to be quite appealing. I wonder if emulators will be possible as well. but yeah, the inputs displayed there honestly look pretty meh

I doubt it unless you can change the os