TAIPEI—At Computex 2024, we saw a refreshed version of Asus’ promising ROG Ally in the ROG Ally X, and a future Intel “Lunar Lake” version of the MSI Claw, the original version which debuted to lukewarm reviews. These two competitors to category leaders like the Valve Steam Deck and Lenovo Legion Go are still in their relative infancy. But they aren’t the only attempts by PC-system and component makers to break into this emerging category of gaming device.
ADATA, best known as a maker of memory modules and SSDs for consumers and OEMs, has made a few pushes into the laptop market in recent years (take the ADATA XPG Xenia 15), with its most concerted gaming efforts under its XPG sub-brand. XPG aims to compete with the likes of Corsair with a full stack of gaming gear such as keyboards, mice, PC cooling, PC cases, storage, and more. The company showed off a prototype handheld called the XPG Nia, which will likely begin life as a Kickstarter.
Meanwhile, mini-PC veteran Zotac, best known for its compact desktops, is less prominent these days in consumer PCs, mostly serving commercial/vertical markets such as digital display signage and industrial applications with its mini systems. So it was a surprise to see the company hit Computex with a rather fully formed consumer handheld of its own, which it dubs the Zone. We took a look at both at the show.
ADATA XPG Nia: A Steam Deck Competitor From an Unlikely Source
Check out the video at the top of this story for more on the Nia and a quick look at its features, outlined by Luca Di Fiore, the company’s head of product. The Nia gets its name from Xenia, the XPG brand’s anime ambassador.
(Credit: John Burek)ADATA notes that this prototype handheld will have a couple of big set-apart features: the ability to upgrade both the storage and the onboard memory, and the ability for users to customize most parts of the device’s actual body, according to current plans. The component upgradability may be a surprise given the Nia’s form factor, but perhaps not given ADATA’s focus as a storage and memory giant.
(Credit: John Burek)The interesting bit about the memory upgradability is ADATA’s use of LPCAMM2 as the memory solution rather than ordinary SO-DIMMs. CAMM-style memory solutions showed up in a couple of unexpected spots at Computex (notably, in desktop motherboards; see our summary of the best prototypes we saw at the show), but the use of LPCAMM2 in this handheld is a definite first.
CAMM modules use a single low-profile memory module that has a compression-fit, screw-down interface with the mainboard. They were initially designed for thin laptops where reduced Z-height matters and an OEM wants the flexibility to configure the amount of memory in a given laptop model instead of resorting to a soldered-down design. (Dell was an early proponent and adopter of CAMM.) You’ll be able to access the memory hatch and the Nia’s SSD slot via the back panel, beneath the kickstand. The SSD, meanwhile, will be the short-board M.2-2230 (30mm long) type.
Want to Print Your Own Handheld?
Like the Steam Deck, the Nia will use an OS derivative of Linux. The core processing is up in air; at the moment, the prototype is using an AMD Phoenix APU, Di Fiore told us, though the AMD Z1 (used in some competing handhelds like ROG Ally) are a possibility. He also noted that ADATA will generate and share with the public the 3D files for the chassis parts, and even release info on the pinouts for the connectors.
(Credit: John Burek)The idea is to let the modding community have at the device and tweak it to their heart’s content. A newly printed grip could be suited for different sizes of hand, or an enterprising 3D printing aficionado could print parts in different or contrasting colors. Right now, the device is a little over a pound and a half, with ADATA aiming to reduce it by a few ounces before launch.
Another side effect of the community-sharing of the device’s enclosure and internals is an effort by XPG to make the Nia, long-term, a recyclable platform. The ability to extract the motherboard and deploy it later, in say, a 3D printed mini-PC case could let the Nia’s guts live on as a media server or other low-power system, once its useful life as a gaming handheld has passed.
(Credit: John Burek)The current iteration of the Nia employs a 7-inch screen that tilts upward, and is equipped with one USB-C port and a headphone jack. There’s a front-facing camera, and ADATA noted that this camera will be usable for the usual webcam functions but also support eye tracking for full-resolution rendering of only the areas of the screen that are in the line of sight (aka “foveated rendering”). This technology, which is being implemented with the help of AMD partner Eyeware, enables the on-chip graphics processor to conserve resources by concentrating its efforts on the areas where the eye rests at any given moment. (How much variability in gaze there will be across a 7-inch screen is another matter.)
ADATA expects the Nia to debut in 2025, likely first via Kickstarter, at price of around $500 to $600. Much of the device’s particulars—processor used, the outer colors, and more—will be derived from community feedback.
Zotac Zone: OLED, Adjustable Buttons, and Twin Touchpads
The body of the Nia we saw was 3D-printed; the Zotac Zone looks more fully formed. Still, this is a prototype model, though Zotac is aiming to have it hit the market sooner than the Nia, in 2024. The Zone is based on a current-latest-gen AMD Ryzen 8840U APU (unlike the Z1 in some of the competition) and is projected to sell for a price competitive with other Windows handhelds (around $700 to $800).
(Credit: John Burek)This is a Windows 11-based unit, versus the Linux-based Nia. The 16GB of DDR5 RAM on device isn't upgradable like the Nia's LPCAMM2 memory should be, but the included 512GB SSD will be an upgradable full-size M.2 Type-2280 module, versus the smaller-format SSDs used by some other handhelds. That's not the only storage expansion option; you also get a microSD slot on the bottom edge for additional storage expansion, and an SSD slot in the optional dock (more on that in a moment).
(Credit: John Burek)
(Credit: John Burek)The two big trigger buttons at the corners are likely the biggest deal on this model. You have a switch on the back of the body tied to each trigger button that lets you toggle between a deep, full-depth press and a hair-trigger shallow response. (The two shoulder buttons next to the triggers are not switch-adjustable.) That's a Zotac exclusive among devices of this kind.
(Credit: John Burek)On the rear are two more buttons that lie where your third through pinkie fingers will rest (some devices of this kind have four), bracketing a large ventilation area behind the screen. The vent area has a rim of RGB (not yet working in the prototype we saw) around it. Also back here is a flip-out kickstand, a nice touch if a bit flimsy in its current iteration, we found when manipulating it.
(Credit: John Burek)On the front face, you have twin touchpads, a la the Switch, and twin joysticks on either side of the screen, plus a D-pad in the upper left, and the typical A-B-X-Y four-button diamond array. In a unique and clever twist, the joysticks have a radial ring around each of them that you can rotate with your fingertips. The ring is programmable to various in-game functions or system settings, such as volume control. That's a feature that competing handhelds could and should "borrow" in their coming generations.
(Credit: John Burek)The screen on the Zone is AMOLED (parallel to the OLED panel on the Steam Deck) and looks brilliant and vibrant in person. it's a 1,920-by-1,080-pixel screen at 7 inches diagonal. The bezels do look a bit chunky, however. Like the Nia, the Zotac Zone has a front webcam, but this one supports Windows Hello. Here, it can be used for Face ID, as well as the usual webcam functions in Windows, for video calling and the like.
(Credit: John Burek)Connectivity is a bit more extensive than on the rawer Nia. You get two Type-C USB ports, one on the top edge and one on the bottom edge. A headphone jack resides on the top edge next to the upper USB. The speakers are on the bottom edge. They sounded adequate if unremarkable in the onsite demos, though it is hard to gauge in a wide-open and noisy show floor just how effective they will be in a quieter space.
(Credit: John Burek)Zotac will be offering a set of optional accessories for the Nia. One's a dock; one is a hardcase protector with a handle and pockets for cables and memory cards inside. Another is a wrist strap for the Zone, which we feel ought to be straight-up included in the box.
(Credit: John Burek)The dock has a flat top with flip-up panel; you seat the Zone upright in the slot that the panel creates when "open." You then plug a loopback cable from the dock's back into the USB-C on the top edge of the handheld. The dock has an Ethernet jack, an HDMI out, and two USB Type-As and a USB-C, plus a power connector. Plus, on the underside, there's an additional hatch for M.2 Type-2280 SSDs, so you can add a second SSD that's accessible as a second drive in Windows when the device is docked.
(Credit: John Burek)
(Credit: John Burek)We played a bit of Forza on one of the demo units, and the experience felt smooth. We had only a few moments with the device and getting used to the different input layout will take well more time than that. That said, the twin joysticks bracketing the AMOLED screen fell in natural spots under our thumbs, and we found ourselves much preferring the hair-trigger setting on the trigger buttons.
Look for the Zone later this year; we'll aim to get one in hand for review.