It's been less than two weeks since Manjaro and Orange Pi announced a new console that aims to be direct competition to the Steam Deck. Although it seems clear that Valve's console has the lead in this area, Manjaro has also been working on a gaming operating system for some time, and that will be what his new console and the recently presented one use. Manjaro Slimbook Hero. Now, initially it is slightly below what the handheld PC offers.
The Manjaro Slimbook Hero is not yet listed project hardware main page, but there is one available in which we can take a first look. Although it is a laptop with the Gaming label, it is somewhat more discreet than the console, or at least in its most basic edition. On the Slimbook page there is an option to customize the components, and it can have 64GB of RAM and 4TB of storage.
Technical specifications of the Manjaro Slimbook Hero
| CPU | Intel Core i7-13620H 10 cores, 16 threads 4.90 GHz |
|---|---|
| Screen | 15.6″ WQHD 2560x1440px, 165Hz |
| Operating System | Manjaro Gaming Edition |
| RAM | 16GB RAM, up to 64GB DDR5 |
| Storage | 2x 2TB M.2 NVME SSD |
| Graph | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 8GB |
| Keyboard | RGB |
| Materials | Aluminum and ABS chassis |
| Audio | Exceptional Soundblaster Experience |
| Ports | 1x USB 2.0 2x USB 3.2 1x USB Type-C 1x HDMI Network ports and Mini DisplayPort 1x 3.5mm jack for microphone and another for headphones 1x card reader |
| GOAL key | Manjaro Logo |
| Price | €1399 base |
As extras, they offer 14-day trial of CrossOver 24, and software to run Windows applications.
The base price is €1399, and with that we will obtain a 256GB storage. If we want something more, we have to expand it from the options that Slimbook offers in its store. If we maximize it, with 64GB of RAM and 2TB of storage, the price remains at €2004 with taxes included. The wait to obtain it does not last more than a week.
Another device with Manjaro Gaming Edition
I am not 100% clear because it is not stated that way in the Slimbook store, but it is in the manufacturer promotion page. Manjaro on his website says «Play games with Steam launchers, Lutris and Heroic«, which does fit with part of what Manjaro Gaming Edition offers. But neither Manjaro nor Slimbook give more details. In that case, It is an immutable system which gets its software mainly from Flathub very similar to SteamOS. It has a console interface and a desktop interface.
I don't know if that's what gamers prefer, but it is what it is. Are you interested in this Hero?