GPD Win Max and One-Netbook OneGx competitor Smach Z debuted, but it already looks DOA

[Redaktion]

Smach has been showing off its much anticipated and delayed handheld games console at E3 2019, with promises that it will ship at the end of the year. 17 FPS in titles like Monster Hunter World for a starting price of US$699 though? No thanks.

https://www.notebookcheck.net/GPD-Win-Max-and-One-Netbook-OneGx-competitor-Smach-Z-debuted-but-it-already-looks-DOA.423830.0.html

[Brutus]

Many murmurs of very laggy touch controls. That is why the joycon is mostly used instead. This thing is not ready. Reddish light on that big Z button indicates battery running very low. Quite sure this thing will have awful battery life.

[Michael S]

200 grams is not 0.9 lbs. You should clarify that the Switch weighs 0.9 lbs not that the Smach Z is almost 0.9lbs heavier.

The lack of accuracy or understanding of PC optimization or power in this article is appalling, especially from the company that I normally trust for reviews. The Smach Z has double the graphical power of the current mobile gaming PC king, the GPD Win 2, and runs the most powerful SoC possible in that form factor. The chip it runs wasn't even available 3 years ago. Do you even know the system specs or did you just lap up unverified information and intentionally misrepresented that information to boot?

It's much more likely that the games weren't optimized for frame rate, considering I can play MHW at 25~ fps on a Win 2 with half the power.

[Neon]

Touch controls felt delayed in response. MHW looks quite lowres looking up close while movements can become jerky with slowdowns. Feels rather hot after a while. Smach D.O.A.

It doesn't take much to figure out why Smach got delayed again until end of the year. Bug fixing and maybe another redesign. More delays again.

[Alex Alderson]

200 grams is not 0.9 lbs. You should clarify that the Switch weighs 0.9 lbs not that the Smach Z is almost 0.9lbs heavier.

The lack of accuracy or understanding of PC optimization or power in this article is appalling, especially from the company that I normally trust for reviews. The Smach Z has double the graphical power of the current mobile gaming PC king, the GPD Win 2, and runs the most powerful SoC possible in that form factor. The chip it runs wasn't even available 3 years ago. Do you even know the system specs or did you just lap up unverified information and intentionally misrepresented that information to boot?

It's much more likely that the games weren't optimized for frame rate, considering I can play MHW at 25~ fps on a Win 2 with half the power.

Hi Michael,

Thanks for pointing out the weight conversion error.

I appreciate that the games on show may not have been optimized for the system, but you are cutting Smach an awful lot of slack.

It seems shortsighted of the company not to have even a few games optimized for units on display at E3, considering that the Smach Z has been several years in the making and that it costs at least US$699.

Also, if the Smach Z is not capable of running games like MHW at playable framerates in 1080p at certain graphics levels, then why highlight its shortcomings by pretending that it can?

It would also be strange to discredit a website and all its editors based on one article with which one disagrees.

All the best,

Alex

[Quix]

How do we know this isn't just the guts of a tablet or another mini pc shoved into a different shell? Smach has done it before and should have had the board on display if they want people to believe they have a real prototype. These guys have no credibility left.

[Scott]

Portions of this article are unfair to this device.  The GPD Win 2 is roughly the same price and requires the end user to tweak the majority of games to be playable.  Not every game will be playable on a handheld.  I am looking forward to the large library of steam games with "full controller support" that I can enjoy when I am not at the house.  This is not DOA, but it is not the advertised "plays all AAA games."  When this APU upgrades to a 7nm version, potentially with a new GPU architecture, it will be an even better product.

To make these portable gaming PC's more cost competitive, they should include egpu support and docked CPU overclocking to become a desktop replacement.  The difficulty there is having game profiles switch between docked and portable.

[Neon]

Some Reddit user reported that the touch controls are SUPER janky. He is not alone.

Another Ouya again.

#RIPSMACHZ

[earl cameron]

This is a bad take. How much is a ryzen laptop? how much is the only other competitor in this space? these questions seem like relevant ones to assess the value of the upcoming smach z. This blog is unnecessarily harsh and trying to be edgy. It's a niche product, and so it fits in a niche. a=b, b=a.

[Medallish]

As others have pointed out, this is a pretty bad take, this APU didn't even exist 3 years ago, and it's way faster than the GPD Win 2, you'd think a site called Notebookcheck would understand that there are limitations to a device powered by an APU alone.. This is the type of comment I'd expect from some tech-illiterate who doesn't understand that current technology can only bring us so far, and thinks that because the device is 700 USD, it needs to be an alienware gaming laptop.

[Grommit]

Do not preorder anything from them
If already preordered then just cancel it.
Wait until actual release

[Anonymous]

Smach Z has literally taped together purely decorative "prototypes" to show off at expos, so if this is going to be an actual product, I'll believe it once I see it.

We'll see if the final product will also have that famous 500ms input lag.

[Grommit]

Do not donate 10 bucks reservation fees for ''limited units''.