The Smach Z will likely be released next month. With over $5 million in Kickstarter backing, it could be the ultimate Nintendo Switch killer.
According to a report by Mstars News, Spanish company Smach is putting together a handheld gaming device with the processing power of a PC. They are calling it the "Smach Z." It is short for Steam Machine (S.Mach).
The project officially started back in 2015 well before the Nintendo Switch. The handheld gaming device will be compatible with Steam games, and the project was able to raise more than $5,03,239 on Kickstarter.
The website continues to say that an AMD RX-421BD SoC will power the upcoming portable device. In addition, it will feature an AMD Merlin Falcon CPU with 2.1 GHz and an integrated AMD Radeon R7 GPU. This setup is allegedly powerful enough to play Skyrim or Overwatch. The base model also comes with 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of storage space.
The upgraded version of the portable device is called the Smach Z Pro. It doubles the storage and RAM to 128 GB and 8 GB, respectively. It will also sport a front-facing camera and 4G connectivity. Both versions will have a 6-inch screen and 1080p resolution. The portable gaming device is expected to launch in April 2017 and will cost $328 for the base model and around $548 for the Pro model.
However, Reddit users reacted to the company and Kickstarter campaign's claims. Some claim the gaming unit sounds too good to be true; others say the company is "shady." According to Reddit user bubar_babbler, the gaming unit and the Kickstarter campaign are all a scam. Apparently, Smach used to be behind ImasD which was behind several projects in the past. They were already sued by ARM, had an IndieGoGo project that ran out of money, and were also sued by Apple for producing iPad knockoffs.
Will the Smach Z eventually launch this year or are Reddit users correct in saying that it is too good to be true? Will it be able to rival the Nintendo Switch or will it more likely be similar to the Sony PSP? Share your thoughts and comments below!
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