Winners & losers: The memory crisis has claimed a major victim. The Ayaneo Next 2, a high-end gaming handheld powered by AMD's Strix Halo chips, was supposed to cost an already substantial $2,000 to $4,299. But inflated component costs would have pushed those prices even higher. Therefore, Ayaneo has canceled the device and suspended pre-orders.
In an update on its Indiegogo page, Ayaneo writes that even before the Next 2's launch, storage prices had been rising for several months, but the company was prepared to make little or no profit on the handheld.
But the developer didn't expect prices to not only continue rising, but also do so at an increased rate. The situation meant the total cost of the Next 2 exceeded the selling price, approaching twice the price that Ayaneo originally set.
The base model Next 2 was priced at $1,999, though early bird backers could get it for $1,799. The handheld packed an AMD Ryzen AI Max 385 processor, 32GB of RAM, and 1TB drive. There was also a top-end model with a Ryzen AI+ 395, 128GB of RAM, and a 2TB SSD for $4,299 ($3,499 for early birds).
Not wanting to potentially sell the handheld for up to $8,600 or constantly adjust the price due to changing component costs, Ayaneo has removed the product from all sales channels.
However, Ayaneo stressed that those who have already bought a Next 2 via the Indiegogo campaign will still receive the devices. It added that the after-sales service will not be affected, with sufficient spare parts being prepared and service and maintenance available to all buyers.
Ayaneo says the move doesn't spell the end of the Next 2 entirely. The company wrote that pre-orders were only being temporarily suspended, and that if storage prices return to more reasonable levels in the future, it may "consider" resuming sales of the Next 2.
Unfortunately, a return to reasonable levels could be years away. AI infrastructure continues consuming huge amounts of NAND and DRAM – and demand keeps growing.
SK Hynix and other major companies in the industry recently predicted that the memory chip shortage is going to last until 2030, which is a long time to wait for an Ayaneo Next 2.