Zotac has announced it is to launch a Steam Machine device featuring Valve's Linux-based Steam OS software pre-loaded, dubbed the NEN SN970.
'NEN is the ability to tap into your innate aura, hone it, and utilise it to further yourself,' Zotac explains in its press release, a sentence which is best left unexamined. Bizarre New Age philosophies aside, the NEN is claimed to be 'engineered from the ground up to game, with the mechanics of the PC fused with the genetics of console to be the most powerful small form Steam Machine.'
The company's claims are backed up by specifications which include a Skylake Intel Core i5-6500T quad-core 2.2GHz processor - not the Core i7 one might expect of 'the most powerful' machine it offers - along with a dedicated Nvidia GeForce GTX 960 graphics processor - the OEM version, a rebadged GTX 970M with 196-bit memory bus rather than the 128-bit of the retail version - with 3GB of GDDR5 video memory, supported by 8GB pre-installed system RAM with up to 16GB supported. A 1TB mechanical hard drive is supplied with Steam OS pre-installed, with an M.2 slot offering storage expansion. Two gigabit Ethernet ports, 802.11ac and Bluetooth radios are included, along with three USB 3.0 ports, one USB 3.0 Type-C port, two USB 2.0 ports, analogue audio, and a total of four HDMI 2.0 ports.
Buyers picking the system up can expect to find a small form factor casing - with full dimensions yet to be announced, though a quick comparison to a support DVD included in the box suggests the machine is around 200mm² with a claimed height of around 51mm - featuring an external power brick and bundled Steam Controller with USB receiver. A USB flash drive is also included, presumably to reinstall the operating system in case of trouble - which is a nice touch, given the machine's lack of optical drive.
UK pricing and availability have yet to be confirmed, with more information available on the company's official site.
'NEN is the ability to tap into your innate aura, hone it, and utilise it to further yourself,' Zotac explains in its press release, a sentence which is best left unexamined. Bizarre New Age philosophies aside, the NEN is claimed to be 'engineered from the ground up to game, with the mechanics of the PC fused with the genetics of console to be the most powerful small form Steam Machine.'
The company's claims are backed up by specifications which include a Skylake Intel Core i5-6500T quad-core 2.2GHz processor - not the Core i7 one might expect of 'the most powerful' machine it offers - along with a dedicated Nvidia GeForce GTX 960 graphics processor - the OEM version, a rebadged GTX 970M with 196-bit memory bus rather than the 128-bit of the retail version - with 3GB of GDDR5 video memory, supported by 8GB pre-installed system RAM with up to 16GB supported. A 1TB mechanical hard drive is supplied with Steam OS pre-installed, with an M.2 slot offering storage expansion. Two gigabit Ethernet ports, 802.11ac and Bluetooth radios are included, along with three USB 3.0 ports, one USB 3.0 Type-C port, two USB 2.0 ports, analogue audio, and a total of four HDMI 2.0 ports.
Buyers picking the system up can expect to find a small form factor casing - with full dimensions yet to be announced, though a quick comparison to a support DVD included in the box suggests the machine is around 200mm² with a claimed height of around 51mm - featuring an external power brick and bundled Steam Controller with USB receiver. A USB flash drive is also included, presumably to reinstall the operating system in case of trouble - which is a nice touch, given the machine's lack of optical drive.
UK pricing and availability have yet to be confirmed, with more information available on the company's official site.
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