Zotac Zone 2: Ready to Shine on Computex Stage in 2025 with New Technology
Handheld gamers, mark your calendars. The Zotac Zone 2 is already preparing for its next public appearance, and it's arriving soon at Computex 2025. As we wait for the full reveal, Zotac has dropped some intriguing teasers about what its second-generation model will bring to the table, including a radical shift in its operating system.
A New Brain and a New Heart for the Zone 2
It seems Zotac is learning a lesson from its past. The Zone, which was built on the AMD Ryzen 7 8840U, came a bit too late to the fray. The Zone 2, however, is promising a more recent, refined prototype packed with the mighty AMD Ryzen™ AI 9 HX 370 APU. This speaks of a serious boost to processing and graphics, and that is always sweet music to portable gaming aficionados.
Perhaps the most interesting news, though, is the software. Zotac has announced that the Zone 2 will be "running an all-new Manjaro Linux-based OS specifically designed for Handheld PCs." This is a major departure from Windows, which drove the original model. A custom Linux distribution tailored specifically for handhelds could mean better performance optimization, a more streamlined user experience for gaming, and potentially better battery life.
What We Know (and Hope to Learn) at Computex
While Zotac showed an initial prototype in January at CES 2025, it appears the device is not yet ready for prime time. The Computex show later this month, May 20th through May 23rd in Taipei, should give us a much clearer sense.
We're particularly looking forward to hearing more details about this custom Manjaro Linux OS. What specific aspects will it feature. How will it compare with other handheld OSs like SteamOS. Details of this transition will be significant.
In addition to the new APU and OS, Zotac's Computex microsite also promises an OLED display in the Zone 2. This is a good feature, which should deliver rich colors and profound blacks for a more engaging gaming experience. The rest of the design should otherwise be just like the original Zone.
The actual question is when, precisely, the Zotac Zone 2 will go on sale. Presumably, Computex will also inform us of that. For the moment, at least, the prospect of a high-performance AMD APU, a custom Linux gaming operating system, and an OLED screen is sufficient to pique our interest.
