Zotac Zone Pro: Launch timeline revealed for first true Steam Deck OLED rival

A few months have passed since Zotac last exhibited its next Zone gaming handheld. Initially presented during CES 2025 in January, the second Zotac Zone then reappeared in May at Computex 2025 running a Manjaro Linux fork. At the time, the device was known as the Zotac Zone 2, which Zotac has now clarified is wide of the mark.

Instead, it has brought its next gaming handheld to Gamescom 2025 as the Zotac Zone Pro to distinguish it from the original model we reviewed last year. In part, Zotac has added the 'Pro' moniker because of the handheld's optional 32 GB RAM and AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 APU, which it shares with other modern gaming handhelds like the OneXFly F1 Pro (curr. $1,439 on Amazon). Precious little else appears to have changed from the original Zotac Zone though, for better or worse.

According to PC Games Hardware, Zotac has indicated that it hopes to launch the Zone Pro this October. Incidentally, this is the same release month as the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X. Full pricing and availability for Zotac's second gaming handheld remain unknown at this stage. Likewise, it is unclear when Zotac will reveal these crucial details yet either.