Ayaneo gaming consoles enter the US market starting at $399 from Best Buy

[zohaibahd]

What just happened? Gamers in the US now have a new option for portable PC gaming as Ayaneo, a Chinese handheld console manufacturer, makes its official entry into the American market. The company's 7-inch Next Lite and 8.4-inch KUN models are now available nationwide at Best Buy and the company's website.

Ayaneo isn't a household name like Nintendo, Sony, or Microsoft, partly due to the limited availability of its products. Until now, its consoles were only accessible to US customers through imports from third-party retailers or ordering directly from China. However, that's about to change.

Ayaneo's latest devices are now available through Best Buy, providing American buyers a more accessible purchasing avenue. Domestic availability means faster shipping, expedient returns/repairs, and the ability to buy at retail stores for instant gratification. It also offers the brand more mainstream visibility beyond the niche enthusiast crowd.

The two Ayaneo models cover a wide range of performance and pricing. The flagship 8.4-inch (2560x1600) KUN, powered by an AMD Ryzen 7 7840U, offers 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD storage, and a beefy 75Wh battery. However, its $999 price tag faces stiff competition from the ROG Ally with its superior AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme chip, more RAM, more storage, and larger 80Wh battery in the same price bracket. There is also the 8.8-inch Lenovo Legion Go at $749.99, which sports the same chip.

It's worth mentioning that Ayaneo updated the KUN with the faster Ryzen 8840U chip, but it isn't available yet.

Ayaneo's 7-inch Next Lite might be a better value proposition for the budget-minded. A Ryzen 7 4800U APU powers the handheld and has 16GB RAM and a 512GB SSD. It sports a 500 nits 1280x800 display, but the obvious attraction is its $399 price tag. This device undercuts rivals like the MSI Claw by $100-300. The closest competitor is perhaps the baseline 7-inch ROG Ally that sells for $500. However, these handhelds are also faster than the Next Lite's aging integrated Radeon Vega 8 graphics.

While performance isn't always everything for Ayaneo fans, it might need to release more models offering a better value to appeal to a broader audience.

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Ayaneo gaming consoles enter the US market starting at $399 from Best Buy

 

[yRaz]

The lite version is basically manufactured e-waste. Noway should you buy a handheld gaming machine with Vega graphics. Why even make it? At $400 all they're selling is disappointment. The base model steam deck is $400, better hardware for the same price. Also, you can put windows on the steam deck if you really want to.

The $1000 version doesn't make sense, either.

 

[Rudyduu]

The lite version is basically manufactured e-waste. Noway should you buy a handheld gaming machine with Vega graphics. Why even make it? At $400 all they're selling is disappointment. The base model steam deck is $400, better hardware for the same price. Also, you can put windows on the steam deck if you really want to.

The $1000 version doesn't make sense, either.

For that price it would be fine for esports games and basic computing in a small form factor. The $1000 version isn't for people on a budget and neither is any portable in or near this price range.

 

[yRaz]

For that price it would be fine for esports games and basic computing in a small form factor. The $1000 version isn't for people on a budget and neither is any portable in or near this price range.

I don't think you understand the concept of every other option offers more for less money. There is no reason to buy this. The ROG Ally X is better in every way for $300 less.

 

[ZedRM]

The lite version is basically manufactured e-waste.

No it wasn't. The lite version was never intended to blow anyone's doors off, but it's hardly junk. Don't exaggerate.

 

[yRaz]

No it wasn't. The lite version was never intended to blow anyone's doors off, but it's hardly junk. Don't exaggerate.

Compared to other options in the same price range,(less, for that matter) it is absolute trash. The 4800u is a terrible chip and should be sold new in anything in 2024. Vega graphics were dated when they were NEW and this has the cut down version running on DDR4 instead of HBM2. Heck, atleast throw in an APU with the 760M in it

 

[ZedRM]

Compared to other options in the same price range,(less, for that matter) it is absolute trash. The 4800u is a terrible chip and should be sold new in anything in 2024. Vega graphics were dated when they were NEW and this has the cut down version running on DDR4 instead of HBM2. Heck, atleast throw in an APU with the 760M in it

All I'm reading in this response is "blah, blah, blah". The 4800U is a damn decent SOC for the cost and despite it's "Vega" GFX, performs very well for it's class(1280x800 screen). Your failure to see those facts does not change reality.

 

[yRaz]

All I'm reading in this response is "blah, blah, blah". The 4800U is a damn decent SOC for the cost and despite it's "Vega" GFX, performs very well for it's class(1280x800 screen). Your failure to see those facts does not change reality.

My issue is that it's more expensive than other options that are signicantly faster than it. The 4800U is the slowest SOC in any gaming handheld while they are also charging a premium. The 760M is faster and there is nothing that this handheld is going to do that would make use of the 8 cores in the 4800U. It's the wrong chip for the job and at this price, it's not competitive with any other handheld.

If this was priced at $250 or $300 then those compromises might be acceptable.

Handhelds also need a motherboard standard so you can swap out the internals preventing the whole thing from becoming e waste

 

[ZedRM]

My issue is that it's more expensive than other options that are signicantly faster than it.

No it isn't or they'd use something else. The whole reason it's an option is because of the inexpensive price AMD is selling those SOC's for. Come on, use common sense.

The 4800U is the slowest SOC in any gaming handheld while they are also charging a premium.

$400 is hardly a premium..

Handhelds also need a motherboard standard so you can swap out the internals preventing the whole thing from becoming e waste

Interesting and solidly good idea. Not going to disagree. Good luck getting anyone to do it.

 

[yRaz]

No it isn't or they'd use something else. The whole reason it's an option is because of the inexpensive price AMD is selling those SOC's for. Come on, use common sense.

They probably did get the 4800U for a deal, but they're charging prices the same price for it as faster options. the problems with these SOCs is that every tiny bit of performance matters at these scales. I'm certain they got a good deal on the 4800U, but they aren't passing that onto consumers

$400 is hardly a premium..

So in this market segment, every penny counts for the people shopping in this price point. I don't care if things like 4090s are a bad value as the people buying them don't have a budget. People buying devices at this price point are in the "I need to get the most for my money" segment. That's a sentiment that I strongly sympathize with as that was me when I got into tech. I view this device as anti-consumer due to their choice of hardware and that's really where my issue with it lies.

Interesting and solidly good idea. Not going to disagree. Good luck getting anyone to do it.

I think its more likely to happen than most, but I think that's because most of these devices have good screens, batteries and controllers. People would rather pay $300 for a new board in their $800 ROG Ally than pay another $800 for a new device. In the same way that there are multiple versions of raspberry Pi's, I think there will be after market companies selling made to fit boards with new hardware. Once they see a demand for that type of product, you'll see the big guys make a standard so they can get their peice of the pie.