EB: The SMACH Z is on track to ship to its Kickstarter backers this September, so 1500 PC gamers should be getting their hands on final production units this fall. Pre-orders are also open for September for three different models of the SMACH Z, so if you’re interested you can check them out and save 10% on the total cost over at the SMACH website. I would have much preferred to demo a playable unit to give you the best preview I could, but I can say that the team is very passionate about their product, and based on what I got to see and hold I do believe that it can pay off on its promises to allow PC gamers to take their style of gaming experience on the go, albeit with a slight reduction in visuals. The team did say that a playable unit will be at Gamescom, so more details and impressions should be coming out on it this August.
Nintendo Switch 2 upgrades portability with a bigger screen, 1080p handheld play, and Wi-Fi 6. Here's why it still matters in 2025.
As someone who travels for work I still care about portable systems.
I have found using remote play in a hotel room is an excellent experience in a major city as I've got my console hard wired to a gigabit connection at home however it's not perfect if power trips the console tends to go to the repair section and can't be booted remotely so it's a annoying call to family to power it on for me.
A hotel out of town or regionally though that can cause havok for remote play as I'm always on 5g using it hotel wifi is never good enough for a solid remote play session.
But leaving a stable location and getting onto a plane or train and there's little to no chance of a good experience with remote play thats where something like the switch 2 will really shine for me personally long haul flights are exhausting and one of my most hated things the switch has been invaluable for me and I'll absolutely be upgrading
Nintendo has always done it the best, handheld is in their genes. I do wish their dock could be like an egpu though and it make it much more powerful, it's a bit harder for me to play portable now for some odd reason, love just sitting on the couch with a big screen and controller. And ofc always great to have the portable option and for me it's best for smaller games.
IMO, 540P upscaled in portable mode to a 1080P screen using DLSS on the tensor cores will likely extend battery life using a lower TDP and provide much better anti-aliasing and similar clarity compared to native 1080P with med/low AA at a higher TDP. It’s just a better way to use a mobile chipset. That’s not a flaw or weakness, it’s a key benefit for the portable design of the platform.
"NACON Revolution X Unlimited is a premium device with a premium price - stacked with features like an LCD screen and built with Hall Effect tech for longevity."
THIS IS HUGE. Do you know how long i've been waiting for an XBox style controller with rear paddles, a touch pad and gyro? This is enormous. I spent 400 dollars on a custom PS5 controller with rear paddles just so I could have that - but it broke and i've been devastated ever since. Even that controller didn't let me use keyboard macros as buttons (specifically the rear paddles) because it didnt have XBox Elite support in Steam (obviously). This is the greatest controller feature list of any controller on the market. Finally. Finally! Ordering one soon.
The Vader 4 has all of these features for half the price, plus a few more bells and whistles. Just an example as their are a TON of other brands making better stuff.
Few consoles have ever felt as good a home for RPGs as the PS1. But not every RPG could go on to have the insane success of Final Fantasy.
I have a few copies of Threads of Fate, Azure Dreams, Lunars and Koudelka. I believe I own all of these
Seems like a cool device, but it's pricey as expected. Probably only going to sell to that niche audience with disposable income. Don't get me wrong, I would play the crap out of such a device if I owned one though.
No way this is shipping in September
Best handheld ever!
This is a Scam, jump out!
Specs are OK, but very expensive to buy and it's the only drawback for it.