SMACH Team Releases New SMACH Z Alpha Prototype Footage

cageymaru

cageymaru

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The SMACH Z alpha prototype for the upcoming handheld PC-based console is showcased in this video. The input control system for the device screams 'Steam Controller' as it features dual trackpads, HD haptic feedback, dual-stage triggers, back grip buttons, and fully-customizable control schemes. Players can create their own control mappings or download mappings from other players just like a Steam Controller. Also the controls are configurable so gamers can use other control schemes such as old school arcade layouts with the handheld console. The company says that the AMD Ryzen Embedded V1000 running at 3.6GHz with AMD Radeon Vega 8 graphics has 2.6 TFLOPS of power to play any current AAA PC game. Here is some additional footage of the device at the Tokyo Game Show from a press release.

This simple yet magic solution will permit you to play with a real D-Pad on your SMACH Z, add a second stick or add more buttons. There are plenty of combinations! The basic set of Z-Pads includes the D-Pad, 4 buttons and a joystick. The retro set includes 7 Z-Pads inspired in retro consoles to play emulators as with the original consoles. The Air Z-Pads set includes 4 Z-pads can be used with the touchpads at the same time, adding a new layer of possibilities.
 
Looks nifty but it will likely face the same problem of exorbitant cost as previous such attempts and it ends up that nobody other than gadge freaks will bother purchasing one. If priced right and running Windows games, I definitely would consider getting one.
 
It definitely plays PC games, all the demos have been running stuff from Steam. As for pricing, I believe they start around $600. Whether you believe that's too much for some sort of cross between a PC and a Switch is up to you.
 
the cost of this thing is going to be a lot. I wonder if the final product will actually be running windows or linux+steam+proton to cut out the windows tax. But then it will limit it to pretty much exclusively Steam games then, as I don't know if Origin/GOG or others have a linux client and compatibility layer.
 
sc5mu93 said:
the cost of this thing is going to be a lot. I wonder if the final product will actually be running windows or linux+steam+proton to cut out the windows tax. But then it will limit it to pretty much exclusively Steam games then, as I don't know if Origin/GOG or others have a linux client and compatibility layer.
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Pretend that you want to buy one and it lets you configure it. It runs Windows as an option.
https://www.smachz.com/shop/
 
cageymaru said:
Found this also.

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He only had "remote access" to the system and what was shown looked like it wouldn't even fit in the case. I still call bullshit. These mother fuckers have been so damn deceptive and full of shit about this thing for a LONG time now. Nothing will change them being scum bags.
 
The Mad Atheist said:
Don't like the D-pads, give me a Nintendo 8/16 bit era type, and they'll have my money!
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They have those also. If you go to their website and scroll down to the header "CONTROL ALL YOUR GAMES" you will see an animated GIF showing how you can change the controls out for retro controls like Nintendo pads and old arcade cabinets.
 
Mut1ny said:
He only had "remote access" to the system and what was shown looked like it wouldn't even fit in the case. I still call bullshit. These mother fuckers have been so damn deceptive and full of shit about this thing for a LONG time now. Nothing will change them being scum bags.
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Yeah I was reading a press release and there was mention of them being in talks to get them sold at Amazon and other places. That's what I'm going to wait for. 30 money back guarantee. Jeff Bezos seal of protection. :) Ha ha!

I don't back Kickstarter campaigns and I surely don't want to give the impression that others should. But I do want to show cool gadgets that others are working on. If these people can't pull it off then someone will eventually in the future.
 
cageymaru said:
They have those also. If you go to their website and scroll down to the header "CONTROL ALL YOUR GAMES" you will see an animated GIF showing how you can change the controls out for retro controls like Nintendo pads and old arcade cabinets.
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Thanks, looks like my browser didn't render their page right, glad they engineered that in their console.

"I don't back Kickstarter campaigns and I surely don't want to give the impression that others should. But I do want to show cool gadgets that others are working on. If these people can't pull it off then someone will eventually in the future."

GPD Win2 looks good, wonder how far they'll go for future systems.
 
Mut1ny said:
He only had "remote access" to the system and what was shown looked like it wouldn't even fit in the case. I still call bullshit. These mother fuckers have been so damn deceptive and full of shit about this thing for a LONG time now. Nothing will change them being scum bags.
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This one actually seems pretty legit based on the size. It's supposed to have a 6" screen so overall shape of the board appears to be fine. Not sure about the thickness but if it's about as thick as an XBone controller, that's not bad. With this one it doesn't need to be super thing but rather mimic the shape of a console controller. It does looks quite a bit thinner on their website. I still think that shape of their dev unit is pretty decent and close to reality, plastics and screen are very thin. They will likely have the smaller caps on the board as well as likely soldered RAM/SSD. I did look on their site and it does have prices, base model with a 4/64/no cam setup is $630 and one with 16/256 is a cool $1K. Previous such attempts had similar price point and basically totally failed as very few people thought it was worth that much. I realize it cost them a lot for R&D and to get any production going when they have a final unit (if they do) but it still has to be something that appeals to the market and market is willing to pay that price. At $1K for a decent unit with a 2 hours of game time, I'm really not sure.
 
Yeah, half of the games I would want to play on the go require a mouse anyway, and you're already sacrificing a huge amount of screen real-estate to make it portable.

An entry-level laptop would have similar gaming chops, and be a lot more flexible.

The only time I'd ever be able to justify something like this is if I already had the money to throw at an amazing gaming laptop, and just wanted to add to my options.
 
GPD Win 2, seems like pretty much same thing but with Core M. Can't speak for GPU performance, nor it seemed AMD Ryzen would be a power house at 15W. Either way, this one is a real product and is for sale. I had one of dinkier GPD computers in a sub $400 and it was a nice emulator box. Either way, prices are still to high as they target gamer market as performance on these devices is pretty low for a gaming machine yet price is very high.

https://www.amazon.com/November-Han...WQF9/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1542401409&sr=8-4
 
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I'm getting a "totally side-talkin'" vibe from this. Also: Holy smokes, it's expensive. The V1000 is a very cool platform, and I guess someone had to try this, but... I don't know. It's nuts.
Ocellaris said:
People who are easily scammed. They’ve been doing fake demos and putting out bullshit information for a while.

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This Gimena guy was a VC who bought in at a significant equity to afford president. That's not an unusual condition on investment. Calling it "shifting money" is just using charged terms.
 
The Mad Atheist said:
GPD Win2 looks good, wonder how far they'll go for future systems.
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Original GPD Win was either KS or IGG'd around the same time as the SmachZ, and it released relatively on time.

I backed their IGG for the GPD Pocket, which was released on time.

GPD Win 2, was also on track, and I expect the Pocket 2 will be too.

Feels to me that GPD is grounded in both technical, and manufacturing capabilities.
 
Where have I seen that form factor before?
Everything old, is new again!
1920px-Atari-Lynx-I-Handheld.jpg
 
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