By discovering the visuals of the AYANEO Next, it is difficult not to think about Steam Deck, the release of which was postponed, but also at the Nintendo Switch. This portable console, unveiled by its manufacturer at CES in Las Vegas, is presented as the evolution of its previous models. If many were waiting for the announcement of the presence of a Ryzen 6000 processor inside, it is ultimately a AMD Ryzen 7 5800U which is at the rendezvous, which is immediately a little disappointing.
If AYANEO is aware of having disappointed the assembly because of its choice of processor, the manufacturer is trying to make up for the rest of the specifications of its new device. He understands a 7-inch touchscreen IPS screen with a definition of 1280 x 800 pixels, a 4100 mAh battery, 16 or 32 GB of memory in LPDDR4x at 4266 MHz, and 1 or 2 TB of storage on NMVe SSD. The Ryzen 7 5800U is associated with a AMD Radeon Vega 8 2000 MHz. The handheld console appears to be operating using Windows 11, although AYANEO does not explain it on its site. The manufacturer’s previous machines run Windows 10 Home.
The three AYANEO Next references are differentiated by a variety of colors, but also by the combination of RAM and storage. The Next combines 16 GB of RAM with 1 or 2 TB of storage. The Next Advance combines 16 GB of RAM with 2 TB of storage, and also benefits from a signature on the back, a serial number in Morse code, and exclusive colors. Finally, the Next Pro has 32 GB of RAM and 2 TB of storage, with an additional color available.
In all cases, the console box has a cooling system made up of a radiator connected to two heat pipes and a fan. Two USB-C ports supporting DisplayPort and a 3.5mm jack are also featured. Finally, on the controls side, we find a proposal very close to the Joy-Con of the Switch, but with the presence of Hall effect sensors, intended to eliminate any risk of drift.
As the console does not yet have a release date, AYANEO remains elusive about which games will be accessible on the device. The manufacturer has, however, given some information concerning the performance of a dozen titles, not necessarily the most recent: we learn in particular that The Witcher 3 runs at 41 fps in medium configuration, Cyberpunk at 23.1 fps in high configuration and Metro Exodus at 42 fps in low configuration. Others do better, like Hades, at 330 fps in high configuration, but the game has lower requirements compared to previous titles.
The various models of AYANEO Next will, first of all, be financed via an Indigogo crowdfunding campaign. The standard Next version will be available from 1265 dollars on this occasion, against 1315 dollars, later on sale. For the Next Advance version, the prices will be 1345 and 1365 dollars in crowdfunding, and 1465 dollars on sale. Finally, the Next Pro will be sold 1465 dollars during the campaign, and 1565 dollars then. The campaign will start later in the year.
