AYANEO: World’s First Handheld Gaming Device
In the past few years, you have seen a gamer need to carry many things for quality gameplay. They used to have heavy desktop setups. If you consider laptops at that time, they were also heavy machines. As technologies advance, people are going for alternatives according to their convenience; hence they developed some attractive devices. Due to development, we are seeing many people handling gaming PCs. Traveling gamers require Nintendo Switch as a hybrid console. It is becoming popular around the world. So many companies are trying to gather information from audiences for portable, palm-sized gaming PCs.
Introduction to Aya Neo Gaming Device
In 2021 the Aya Neo was launched during the summer. Indiegogo crowdfunded it. After the launch, the behind studio quickly started working on the redesign with some better materials. They successfully launched two products, Aya Neo 2021 and Aya Neo Pro, late last year. Some companies were doing testing with it for one month. It passed almost all the tests and became a remarkable handheld PC. This device has premium build quality and great performance for its size.
The price of Aya Neo is quite high, which depends on its model. The price ranges from $925 to $1300. It is one of the best alternatives for a mid-tier gaming laptop, plus you get additional features of portability. Steam Deck can give tough competition to this device because it is less expensive. Aya Neo is worth the price if you are searching for a gaming machine in the market.
Features and Specifications of Aya Neo Gaming Device
The amount of power filled inside Aya Neo is a relatively sleek shell, surprising for everyone. The Aya Neo Pro comes with AMD Ryzen 7 4800U processor. This processor follows a base model of Ryzen 5 4500U. This device even has integrated with AMD Radeon Graphics. These all are mid-tier mobile processors which consume less power than other devices. For the smooth running of modern PC games, these processors require support from 16 GB RAM of DDR4X RAM. You can get an SSD of 1TB or 512GB. The Aya Neo has a 7-inch LCD IPS screen which displays at 1200 x 800 resolution, each with 215 pixels.
If you compare the overall specs of Aya Neo with Steam Deck, then
- Aya Neo offers a better CPU, while Steam Deck is known for a better GPU.
- Comparing the price of the 512GB Aya Neo will cost $275 more than the highest-tier Stream Deck with the same space.
- AYANEO works on Windows PC, while Steam Deck works on Linux-based operating systems.
Both devices are capable of running like a desktop PC. You can connect a keyboard and mouse and link it to the monitor. The majority of people purchase this handheld pc for gaming only. In case you are considering using it for general computing work, it may make a certain difference while working on this.
1. Designed Like a Switch
The first look of AYANEO will seem to be like a Nintendo Switch. In reality, it does not have detachable controllers, due to which it retains its general shape. AYANEO uses some low-profile thumbsticks and has a similar layout. The left thumbstick is above the D-pad, while the right stick is below the face buttons. It also has a conventional directional pad, providing a great feeling of using side scrollers. Rest other face buttons are positioned similarly to the Xbox controller. It also supports offline gameplay. It has triggers that help to make you feel like a natural spot for resting your index finger.
Just like other gaming controllers it also has other menu and settings buttons. On each side, there are four buttons. The AYANEO has 3 USB-C ports through which we can connect a charger and USB peripherals like a keyboard, mouse, adapters, and storage devices. It has a 3.5 mm headphone jack at the top next to the volume button, while the stereo speaker is at the bottom of the handheld device. You can also connect headphones through Bluetooth or 2.4 GHz adapters. The weight of the Aya Neo is around 650 grams which is 50% heavier than Nintendo Switch. There is ventilation at the backside, and you will not feel any strain after holding it for a long time.
2. Performance and Speed
The design of AYANEO is secondary, but the primary motive is to provide great performance. If it meets your expectations, then it is of no use. Fortunately, AYANEO is capable of handling different varieties of games. You can even run the two most popular games from Microsoft, Halo Infinite and Forza Horizon 5, with just a few changes to the settings. You may get 60 fps while playing Forza Horizon 5 with a medium setting. You may still get 30 fps while playing Halo Infinite, but it can be playable. Every game requires different settings, but for most games, you will get around 30 to 40 fps with the best visual performance.
It cannot run some high-end games for which people need to build a customized gaming CPU or laptop. The AYANEO can be a cloud streaming device with services like Stadia, Xbox Cloud Gaming, and GeForce Now. We see that most indie games are released for PC and various consoles. The AYANEO can be used as a Game Pass machine. There are multiple options through which you can play games on the Aya Neo. You can create a huge library of games without spending a lot of money on games.
The device gets hot after long use, but it does not hurt you at any level, even if it has a fan cooler. It isn’t easy to find a place on Aya Neo to keep your hand on rest at normal temperature.
3. Portability
All the gaming handhelds, including the AYANEO, have debatable portability. While advertising for Aya Neo Pro, it shows a five to six-hour battery life which is decent for a gaming handheld. It is true only if you are playing normal games, but if you start playing high graphics games, battery life gets reduced to half. If you are planning to purchase an AYANEO, you should purchase a portable battery pack. If you are using Aya Neo as a mobile Windows PC, it does not have additional peripherals. You may face some problems with Windows desktop on this handheld pc. It will show very tiny task buttons or icons on the screen, which may create a mess on the 7-inch screen.
The manufacturers are smart enough because they have designed a proprietary program called Aya Neo space which collects apps and games in a user-friendly style. After this, it becomes easier for users to swipe between multiple games.
4. Select Correct Model
The AYA NEO is available in two different models AYA NEO 2021 and AYA NEO Pro. The Aya Neo 2021 version has two storage, 512 GB or 1 TB, while the Aya Neo Pro is available with only 1 TB storage. The difference between both versions is almost negligible. The Aya Neo Pro is a little bit faster than the 2021 version. So if you want high speed, purchase the pro version; go for the 2021 version.
Conclusion
The Aya Neo is one of the best handheld gaming PCs that work on the Windows version. It offers great performance and is versatile enough. You can play almost all games, but you may get some fps between 30 to 40 only. It is sufficient for playing games in moderate settings. You can use it as a normal pc, but it will be difficult because of the small icon size. It is costly when you compare it with Steam Deck, but it is worth purchasing.
