Smach Z, Steam’s Portable Console, is Winning it on Kickstarter

By: Eva Escribano
Published: Oct 20, 2016
at 12:06 pm

The second campaign of the Smach Z is being on a roll these days. It will have two versions, Haptic touchpad controls and full access to more than 10K games of Steam’s wide library.

Valve’s next toy is called Smach Z but it is also known as Steam’s portable console or “Steamboy.” The initiative of bringing Steam’s ample library to a more portable device is not exactly new nor has it set the world on fire. Valve already presented the prototype last year.

However, it’s with this second Kickstarter campaign that they have finally reached their target and will therefore start manufacturing it. Their goal was to get 250,000 Euros and they have already surpassed this number. The campaign will be active for another month still, which is great news for all tech lovers out there.

If you are thinking in getting this console, you should know that they are working on two models: the normal one will cost 249 Euros (around $360) and the Pro ranks on 449 Euros (around $650). According to their scheduler, the first shipments will happen on April 2017 already.

The Smach Z in a Nutshell

The Smach Z is looking rather nifty, with its 5”-screen and Steam controller-style input. Apart from its gaming qualities, the handheld system is also meant to be a small computer, embracing both Windows 10 and Linux. This means that you can also install any game or program that you want, it even supports emulators. The console brings also haptic touchpad controls, which are special adapters that are attached to either touchpad and offer plenty of combinations. As for the battery, it will have a total life of around 5 hours.

Smach Z will come in two models although both of them are powerful enough to “play almost any game on Steam.” The differences between the Smach Z and the Smach Z Pro fall on the technical side, of course. Here’s the full list of specifications for you to check: