AMD Ryzen Embedded V1000 Processor to Power SMACH Z Handheld Gaming PC

[silentbogo]

Not sure where all this "vaporware" talk is coming from

Fake prototypes and fake gameplay footage, maybe? Luring backers to their closed forum in almost every update since last year, in order to guide the attention away from IndieGoGo? Getting their campaign closed on Kickstarter for violating the entry rules? Lying about their "investor"? There's more, but I think we had a similar conversation over the Atari VCS not too long ago. The only difference is that Atari may eventually release something (by that I mean some underpowered and overpriced Bristol Ridge brick that will probably have less than 100 playable titles, including the 2600 classics). Smach team already ran out of money, so there is zero chance they make even a single fully-functional prototype (not the fake one), even less so - make it into mass production.

 

[king of swag187]

Not sure where all this "vaporware" talk is coming from, but I'd love to have one.

This has been proven to be a scam multiple times over

 

[lexluthermiester]

So AMD's faking it then? That's what you're all going with? Think that over for a few more minutes..

 

[king of swag187]

I'm not seeing what your seeing, let me back up. The actual product being talked about, the Smach Z, not the APU, has been proven many times over to be a scam. The V1000 exists and L1Techs have even done a video on it
https://level1techs.com/video/amd-v1000-embedded-sapphire-fs-fp5v-exclusive-first-look

 

[silentbogo]

So AMD's faking it then? That's what you're all going with? Think that over for a few more minutes..

We'll just have to wait and see. TGS starts tomorrow.

I'm not seeing what your seeing, let me back up. The actual product being talked about, the Smach Z, not the APU, has been proven many times over to be a scam. The V1000 exists and L1Techs have even done a video on it
https://level1techs.com/video/amd-v1000-embedded-sapphire-fs-fp5v-exclusive-first-look

What he meant, is that AMD made a press-release (a weird one, cause there is no word on either AMD or Smach websites) that they are attending Tokyo Game Show 2018. Supposedly they are showcasing Smach as a part of OpenPC tech.
Not sure if it makes it to the livestream, but some sort of info must pop-up somewhere afterwards.

 

[lexluthermiester]

I'm not seeing what your seeing, let me back up. The actual product being talked about, the Smach Z, not the APU, has been proven many times over to be a scam. The V1000 exists and L1Techs have even done a video on it
https://level1techs.com/video/amd-v1000-embedded-sapphire-fs-fp5v-exclusive-first-look

Oh, ok. Let's review;

AMD has announced it will be showcasing the SMACH Z in their booth presence at the Tokyo Game Show which commences later this week.

Yup, that's what it says. Hmm...

 

[king of swag187]

Except, its been proven to be fake. So again, how could that even be possible?

There we go. Even if they somehow have made a legit product, its just a garbage one in general and not worth its nearlly $700 price tag

 

[lexluthermiester]

Except, its been proven to be fake. So again, how could that even be possible?

There we go. Even if they somehow have made a legit product, its just a garbage one in general and not worth its nearlly $700 price tag

Every one of those videos are opinion pieces that have no credible citations. If you're going to provide examples, use credible examples, not click-bait fluff.

 

[silentbogo]

Every one of those videos are opinion pieces that have no credible citations. If you're going to provide examples, use credible examples, not click-bait fluff.

Smach Z themselves? I believe they've also wanted to showcase a proto on AMD's stand during Gamescom 2018, but....never attended.
Before that, it was supposed to be a working prototype at Embedded World, which ended up being an empty shell, a custom PCB with LEDs and an AMD Dev Kit, not even suitable to go into the shell.
The same setup (only w/ USB and HDMI hotwired to a laptop, cause you can see both wires and all you had inside was a MIPI driver w/ USB passthrough from gamepad), was used to showcase a "gameplay performance" during E3 in a shady hotel room press-conference.
Here's what one of attendees had to say about it:
https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=https://www.factornews.com/preview/e3-2018-premieres-inquietudes-a-propos-de-la-smach-z-page-1-44118.html&edit-text=

The most insight can be gained from their own reddit post (this includes some awkward mentions of their critics on youtube):

Spoiler

https://www.reddit.com/r/smachz/comments/971jdt

So, I'm not sure whether AMD is even gonna be hosting anything, cause that's the only semi-official piece of info on either Smach or AMD website confirming TGS attendance...

 

[VSG]

That Reddit post itself mentions the TGS attendance though.

 

[king of swag187]

Every one of those videos are opinion pieces that have no credible citations. If you're going to provide examples, use credible examples, not click-bait fluff.

There is a decent amount of credible evidence, summarized in the posts above

 

[silentbogo]

That Reddit post itself mentions the TGS attendance though.

Possible TGS attendance, possibly by Smach. It all boils down to whether the prototype is ready.
"Aiming to present" and "attending fo'reelz" are two different things.

 

[lexluthermiester]

There is a decent amount of credible evidence, summarized in the posts above

All I see is a rhetoric from nay-sayers about company trying to get a product to market, having a lot of challenges along the way and getting a lot of flak for some of it's missteps and failures. And yet they keep trying. What this reminds me of is Apple, Nintendo, Sony and oh yeah, AMD.

What is clearly absent from anything discussed or displayed thus far is any actual evidence of deception or fraud.

 

[StrayKAT]

All I see is a rhetoric from nay-sayers about company trying to get a product to market, having a lot of challenges along the way and getting a lot of flak for some of it's missteps and failures. And yet they keep trying. What this reminds me of is Apple, Nintendo, Sony and oh yeah, AMD.

What is clearly absent from anything discussed or displayed thus far is any actual evidence of deception or fraud.

Even if it was real, it's not a good design. It's billed as a handheld, but not handheld at all. At that point, you're just better off with a gaming laptop or something.

 

[king of swag187]

Them stating multiple times that they had a working prototype when it has either been just a laptop routed to a small screen or a off the shelf tablet board. That is deception, and againest Kickstarter's rules

 

[lexluthermiester]

Even if it was real, it's not a good design. It's billed as a handheld, but not handheld at all. At that point, you're just better off with a gaming laptop or something.

To me is seems like a different take on an existing example of a gaming focused ultra portable, like the GPD Win or Win 2. The Win2 is the more refined of the two, obviously, but both are based on Intel parts. The SMACHZ looks more ergonomic and is based on AMD parts. While the touch-pad parts of the controller section might be questionable, it may also be a more refined and better functioning version of the Steam controllers. Thus my optimism. I am reserving judgment until the final product is reviewed.

Them stating multiple times that they had a working prototype when it has either been just a laptop routed to a small screen or a off the shelf tablet board. That is deception, and against Kickstarter's rules

Prototypes not being the same as the final proposed unit is not a deception by any ethical, legal or moral description. No company EVER has produced a final product in a single go. There have always been concept, proof of concept, prototypes, near final prototypes and the retail ready products. Know your facts before speaking with a sense of authority.

 

[silentbogo]

Prototypes not being the same as the final proposed unit is not a deception by any ethical, legal or moral description. No company EVER has produced a final product in a single go. There have always been concept, proof of concept, prototypes, near final prototypes and the retail ready products. Know your facts before speaking with a sense of authority.

You are getting confused again. A prototype is an early version of the product which has its core functionality, but may not look the same as the final product.
A dumb/empty shell that looks like a final product is called a mockup. Mockups are not prototypes. A shell with a screen and a MIPI/LVDS driver is also technically a mockup of a console.

 

[StrayKAT]

I don't see how it's going to be much smaller if he keeps those Steam trackpads on (sidenote: Those are horrible btw.. the worst thing about them is they don't sustain movement, like a stick does. You find yourself dragging over and over to spin, unlike a stick which just lets you hold it in place. Not to mention that holding something in place has a better tactile feel to it. There's a sort of natural feedback to it).

edit: I'll also just point out what a bad idea PC based handhelds are because they inevitably NEED control and tweaking. They're not turnkey systems.. no matter how dumbed down you make them. You have manipulate text and configuration with PC gaming. Be it Windows or Linux.

Just having a gamepad as your only means of interaction is worthless. Just get a laptop and be done with it.

 

[king of swag187]

Hell, if you want something small, get something proven not to be a scam, the GPD Pocket

 

[StrayKAT]

Hell, if you want something small, get something proven not to be a scam, the GPD Pocket

I never heard of it before, but yeah.. that's pretty cool actually.

 

[king of swag187]

Check out Linus's video on it, it's pretty neat, the price is pretty high for it, but it's really cool device

 

[StrayKAT]

Check out Linus's video on it, it's pretty neat, the price is pretty high for it, but it's really cool device

Yeah, I just saw a listing at $800 for a gaming version. That's not cool. But the idea itself is very cool. If I was more enthusiastic about handheld gaming, I'd get something like that. With that price, that's probably all they are going to get (enthusiasts).

 

[Medallish]

You are getting confused again. A prototype is an early version of the product which has its core functionality, but may not look the same as the final product.
A dumb/empty shell that looks like a final product is called a mockup. Mockups are not prototypes. A shell with a screen and a MIPI/LVDS driver is also technically a mockup of a console.

Read the kickstarter update #2, it was never hidden that the prototype wasn't running on final HW, the whole "it's fake" nonsense comes from the fact that it turns out it didn't use clickarm tech by the guys who made the prototype, a company called Rhomb.io despite them claiming it was. The functionality was there though.

And yeah those SD&R videos are pretty embarrassing, why is he so focused on the investor being a doctor or not? The guy was never part of the campaign.

 

[king of swag187]

The whole "its fake" idea comes from the large pile of evidence that the prototypes where nothing more than the dust under my bed. Can you screenshot that update, as I wasn't able to find it or it was for backers only

Those videos are pretty pathetic IMO but they do provide a detailed case of the whole thing, albeit biased

 

[StrayKAT]

Still a bad idea, fake or not.

Wait, I said that already.

But seriously.. all kinds of people have great ideas. Ideas are a dime a dozen. Why is this getting attention? It's not even good.