The "SMACH Z" AMD + Linux Gaming Handheld Just Got Canned, For Now

SMACH Z, the handheld Steam Linux gaming system powered by an AMD SoC, is going back to the drawing board and they've decided to cancel their current crowdfunding campaign.

It was just one week ago that the Kickstarter campaign finally launched for the AMD-powered Linux gaming handheld focused around running Steam, months after it was first talked about. However, the SMACH Z Kickstarter campaign was canceled this morning while they re-think some elements of the design. In the initial week, €160,984 of the €900,000 goal was collected from 553 backers.

Reasons for stopping SMACH Z in its current form was the realization that the 900k goal was too high, there is much confusion over the AMD SoC, gamers wanting to see an actual prototype, and many people wanting Windows on this device rather than Linux.

SMACH Z is expected to relaunch at some point in the future. More details via this Kickstarter post.