Valve’s Steam Machine initiative hasn’t exactly been setting the world on fire, but at least one more hardware manufacturer is looking to provide a unique spin on a console-ized PC. The Smach Z promises to be a handheld computer with a 5”-screen and Steam controller-style input, and will be hitting Kickstarter soon.
If that sounds familiar, that’s because Smach Team (no, for real, don’t ask me how to pronounce that) was on Kickstarter just a couple of months ago seeking funds for the system. While they raised €160,984 in the week that their campaign was running, they weren’t on track to meet their €900,000 goal, so they pulled the plug early. Among other things, they cited the absence of a working prototype and the lack of details regarding the performance of their AMD processors as primary contributors to their lack of support.
Which, yeah–not having a demonstration model of something you’re asking money for is a big issue. Even then, I’m not sure I understand the device’s purpose. You’ve got specs built around integrated graphics and 4 gigs of RAM, which are not exactly cutting edge. Their own FAQ says ”Just, don’t expect a highend PC performance either!” That means that the system is probably best as an indie games machine, which also happens to be the one thing the Vita–which is quite a bit cheaper–is unequivocally good at.
On top of that, the Smach Z is beholden to the problem that all Steam Machines are. It’s built on SteamOS, which is Linux-based, which in turn means that there are thousands of games in the Steam library that won’t run on it. Since the device is ultimately just a PC, it would theoretically be possible to install Windows on it, but that’s not going to be an officially supported option.
This all sounds dour and gloomy, doesn’t it? Well, even if the Smach Z’s not for me, I hope it can find a niche and that the team can deliver a solid, successful product. The final version will be €349, or €499 for an edition with slightly improved specs and a higher resolution screen, though early backers will be able to get it a bit cheaper. (Those prices translate roughly to $380 and $540 for my dirty American compatriots.) You can check out the Smach Z for yourself at the official website.
