In June last year, a company called Smach announced the SteamBoy, a portable game console designed to run PC games on Valve's SteamOS platform. Now, more than a year after its announcement, Smach has revealed that the Smach Zero (the new name for the SteamBoy) will be released to the public in... late 2016.

The Zero will apparently go on sale on November 10, 2015, the same time as other Steam Machines from companies such as Alienware. However the handheld device won't actually ship out to customers until the fourth quarter of 2016, which is a long time to wait if you hand over money at the end of this year.

Apparently the specifications for the Smach Zero haven't changed since the device was first announced last year. You'll be getting an AMD G-series SoC with a Jaguar-based GPU and GCN graphics, 4 GB of RAM, 32 GB of internal storage, and a 5-inch 720p touch screen display. There's also HDMI out, Wi-Fi connectivity, and optional 4G for gaming on the go.

While these specs seem okay right now, in a year's time the device might be outdated before it even hits store shelves. Of course, Smach might decide to update the internal hardware of the Zero between now and when it ships in over a year's time.

The Zero will be able to play "more than 1,000 games" from a user's Steam library on launch day, but as it runs SteamOS rather than Windows, not every game will be compatible. The handheld console's display is flanked by two touch pads, and there's a range of input buttons on the front and rear of the device.

When the Smach Zero goes on sale later this year it will cost $299, or €299 for those in Europe. Apparently this is just a pre-order price that may change closer to when the device ships. Will you be willing to fork out this sort of money for a device that doesn't ship for over a year?