Could this be the year of Linux for gaming?
Ah yes, the Zotac Zone—that somewhat boring handheld gaming PC with a nice screen that struggled to make it to market. (Seriously, has anyone else seen it in stock anywhere since its supposed September 2024 launch date?). It looks like Zotac might have given up on that first version entirely and instead started to prep for a new and very different version.
Apparently, a second, ‘advanced’ version of the device is going to be announced at Computex next week, and will run an operating system based on Manjaro Linux. That’s according to VideoCardz, which claims to have word from a Zotac PR to that effect:
“Alongside the already announced Zone handheld, there will be an advanced model equipped with the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 APU, running a new operating system based on Manjaro Linux.”
That there will be a Zone 2 (if that’s what it ends up being called) itself isn’t news, nor is the fact that it’ll use a Ryzen AI 9 HX 370, as we’d already seen as much at CES earlier this year. What is news is that the new version will run on a Linux-based OS, and this won’t be SteamOS.
Based on industry expectations, it will soon be time for non-Valve SteamOS handhelds to hit the market. We’ve known SteamOS would be coming to more than just the Steam Deck for a long time. Last year, there were SteamOS branding changes in December that hinted the time might be approaching.
Since then, a beta was made available for download, and official SteamOS release notes marked the “beginnings of support for non-Steam Deck handhelds“. And just a couple of days ago, Valve added a compatibility rating for non-Steam Deck SteamOS handhelds.
The first handheld that will use SteamOS is the Legion Go S, and that’s been open for pre-order for a while now, but we expect other handhelds will follow suit.
That’s why it’s peculiar that the new Zotac Zone is going for a Manjaro-based OS, because so far it’s been largely assumed that handhelds will run either Windows 11—as the first Zotac Zone did—or SteamOS.
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It sounds like the Zotac Zone 2 will run something more bespoke. Admittedly, I’m basing that on the fact that the Zotac PR reportedly used the phrase “based on Manjaro Linux” (rather than just “Manjaro Linux”), meaning it’ll be a custom offshoot. Well, that and that the PR reportedly said it’s “running a new operating system” (emphasis mine). And Manjaro Linux, by the way, is based on Arch, just like SteamOS. It’ll be able to use the Proton compatibility layer just as SteamOS does to get games up and running.
We already know custom Linux operating systems other than SteamOS can work well, too. There’s Bazzite, for instance, a Fedora-based Linux OS that aims to replicate a lot of what SteamOS does.
Of course, Zotac’s new Manjaro-based OS could turn out to be awful, but there’s a chance it could work well. And if it does, it’ll be exciting to have another handheld OS competing in the space.
Assuming, that is, that the new Zone handheld actually hits the market—something I don’t have massive confidence in, given how the launch of the first one went. There’s not long to wait to find out, I suppose, because Computex starts in just a few days. Hopefully, we’ll get some hands-on time with the operating system.
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