Salt required: Smach claims it will showcase the Smach Z at E3 2019 next week

Smach knows how to tease its fans. It has been over four and a half years since the company launched its first Kickstarter campaign for its Smach Z handheld console, with a second following in October 2016. Since then, Smach has run into several production issues, including a key hardware partner severing ties in 2017.

Earlier this year we reported on the Smach Z Alpha prototype, which Smach demonstrated running games like Civilization VI, Cuphead, GTA V and StarCraft II among others. Now, Smach has taken to YouTube to announce that it intends to bring to a finalized version of the Smach Z to E3 2019.

Smach also seems to have incorporated backlit haptic touch pads, which were not present on the Alpha version. The company presented a version of the Smach Z at the Embedded World 2019 conference in March that also had backlit haptic touch pads, but the ones in the latest video appear to be blue rather than green as they were at Embedded World. Perhaps the colour is customizable, but Smach has not announced that at this stage. The company is currently taking pre-orders for the following models:

• Smach Z: 4 GB RAM/64 GB storage. No camera - US$629 (retail: US$699)
• Smach Z Pro: 8 GB RAM/128 GB storage. 5 MP camera - US$809 (retail: US$899)
• Smach Z Ultra: 16 GB RAM/256 GB storage. 5 MP camera - US$989 (retail US$1,099)

There is still no official word yet on a firm release date other than a speculative 2019. Smach states "free shipping worldwide. Receive it in September." under the FAQ on its website, but we would take this with a healthy amount of scepticism at this stage. Smach Z at E3 2019 next week, will it really happen? Let us know in the comments what you think and whether it will be released before the start of the next decade.