I DESPERATELY Wanted to Love This... - AyaNeo Air

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The handheld PC space has been crazy over the last couple of years with the Steam Deck, GPD WIN, and AyaNeo vying for a spot in your backpack. The AyaNeo Air Pro is here, but can a smaller chassis and a beautiful 1080p OLED screen make up for its hardware shortcomings?
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MUSIC CREDIT
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Intro: Laszlo - Supernova
Video Link: • [Electro] - Laszlo - S...
iTunes Download Link: itunes.apple.com/us/album/sup...
Artist Link: / laszlomusic
Outro: Approaching Nirvana - Sugar High
Video Link: • Sugar High - Approachi...
Listen on Spotify: spoti.fi/UxWkUw
Artist Link: / approachingnirvana
Intro animation by MBarek Abdelwassaa / mbarek_abdel
Monitor And Keyboard by vadimmihalkevich / CC BY 4.0 geni.us/PgGWp
Mechanical RGB Keyboard by BigBrotherECE / CC BY 4.0 geni.us/mj6pHk4
Mouse Gamer free Model By Oscar Creativo / CC BY 4.0 geni.us/Ps3XfE
CHAPTERS
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0:00 Intro
1:00 AyaNeo
2:27 The Screen
3:55 Form Factor
6:30 Performance
9:18 Battery
10:04 Conclusion
12:45 Outro

[@leonsutliffe9572]

I didn't realise how much I valued LTT not having midrolls, untill this one happened. And tbf I normally watch the ads at the start abt the end, but the midrol seemed so jarring. Putting in the floatplane one wasnt too bad, as that's something I'm used to and it was very short. Maybe it's just me with these opinions idk

[@AllahDoesNotExist]

Watch with adblock

[@franklynotyourbussiness9401]

Definitely not just you. I heard many times how linus prided himself of being in the sweet spot of ad friendly and audience friendly with placing sponsor segments. I really do hope that it was just a one off and they'll not gonna repeat that on the main channel.

[@ArniesTech]

Gotta make the coin Ca-Ching, right? 💪😂💰

[@infoeducardo6915]

I thought the video was over... Was gonna exit the video

[@rowan-paul]

well I understand it because at the end it's easier to skip by just ending the video but I'd like it better if they did it like with TechLinked, not in the middle of a segment but seperate (and its own timecode)

[@4ney]

I'm loving the competition and innovation in this handheld space. I'm super excited to see what comes out in the future!

[@meowmageddon]

What competition? Steamdeck's price alone puts it far ahead of any of this, trash(comparatively). These are all dead on arrival. Why even Purchase anything with worse specs for double and triple the price? Formfactor? Again.. specs on the steam deck. Lol

[@LuchsYT]

@@meowmageddon Tell me you're a Steam Deck fan without telling me you're a Steam Deck fan

[@Wilqu5677]

@@LuchsYT he is right tho lmao

[@dynamicide]

It’s really exciting to see this because naturally as more molds for handheld displays become common and components become more commonly produced because of demand, prices should become a lot more reasonable. Or rather, performance should be a lot more reasonable. In 5 years I’m sure we’ll be playing AAA titles on handhelds that have more reasonable prices. And if we figure out lower latency technology for cloud gaming and phones then that’s always an option too. The Backbone controller on my iPhone already runs Xbox cloud streaming really well. If we figure the latency out then that would be the solution to battery life, performance, and cost allowing the focus to be more on ergonomics. Super excited to see the future.

[@meowmageddon]

@@LuchsYT I don't own any of these. Lol not even steamdeck, so it's a pure outsider perspective.

[@LtdJorge]

It's pretty clear the Air is more for emulation, big CPU with small GPU. The Deck is for Steam games. Even if both work for every category.

[@shadeymcbones6707]

I love the fact that they're also becoming cheaper, which means they're becoming a better competitor to valve with the steamdeck

[@ALmaN11223344]

They'll only be able to go so far, they'll release what Valve releases up front about 1-1.5 years down the line with comparable performance per dollar because they lack the sheer scale that Valve has been able to operate at and the audience that they were able to market to.

[@alvallac2171]

*means

[@shadeymcbones6707]

@@ALmaN11223344 of course, but the fact that there are already a lot of handheld pc's to choose from means this is obviously nore than a niche market

[@ALmaN11223344]

@@shadeymcbones6707 I believe that still means it’ll just scale, the lesser company made devices will probably still not get any closer to conglomerate devices out the gate…there will just be more of them.

[@GruppeSechs]

Valve are trail-blazing in that way, as far as actual handheld PCs are concerned and not just the Switch's gatekeeping pocket console.

[@SilverKnight16]

The Air with RDNA2 graphics is basically all I'd ever need to play any video game I'd ever want. I almost pulled the trigger on this version just because...I mean, look at it. It's gorgeous. But yeah, definitely gonna wait for an RDNA2 variant.

[@XzaroX]

May want to wait for GPD Win 4 then, it'll basically be exactly that, but with GPD's signature built-in keyboard (Sliding screen).

[@benhuynh7891]

They're coming out with the plus model for 399 with the rdna 2 later on

[@wradale]

Tooling mismatch is a deal breaker for me.

[@blax722]

I love the design of these but I can't imagine playing without trackpads anymore. Also I am concerned about the screen size. Steam Deck has already a small screen for some games, making them hard to play or straight up unplayable because of the small text and UI elements.

[@inigosusaetaherrera4230]

@@XzaroX aya is launching a sliding screen one too, with a 6800u

[@XIIchiron78]

It's actually wild the way technology has come together in the last few years without me really noticing.

[@khaledm.1476]

It's more like AMD GPUs was stagnating for so long, Vega graphics were already on death's door and should've been ditched years ago. I can't believe AMD was so pathetic before RDNA came

[@ArniesTech]

I feel like it gets crazier and crazier and happens quicker and quicker 😅😵‍💫

[@TheNpcNoob]

@@khaledm.1476 I think your confused between APU and GPU

[@khaledm.1476]

@@TheNpcNoob Isn't RDNA 2 the first time AMD was competitive on the high end for the longest time. I stand by my statement about AMD being mostly filler till RDNA showed up, I mean for 10 months on the market turing was dominating. AMD's only alternatives were gpus competing with the 1060 while the 2060, 2070 and 2080 were already released

[@illyaeater]

@@khaledm.1476 That's cuz they were broke

[@wildwilie]

Please dont start putting in midroll ads LTT. I dont mind you guys have your LTT store or floatplane insert but leave it at that.

[@dianaalyssa8726]

Nice to see how far things have come. Steam Deck and OLED Switch give a lot of price/market competition.

[@SoniasWay]

Kudos to the editors for always doing such an amazing job

[@andyony2]

Yep, Linus' Team has so many great people!!!

[@MikeyMobes]

production value of LTT 📈

[@PrecisionAcc]

Hey 😉

[@foxonrails4140]

They deserve a raise, don't they?

[@Toastyisburning]

Bot comment

[@WhatAboutZoidberg]

The real key of the Deck is all the alternative controls. How would this system run mouse only games? The trackpads are amazing & the gyro aiming is actually really fun. Steam custom input plus fully customizable controls is incredible. I made a one handed controller mode on my Deck when i broke my wrist so I can keep playing.

[@travisschneider3011]

I'd say the best thing is the community control setups already done for you.

[@p410n3]

Totally agree. I will never buy another handheld without gyro AND capacitive sticks. In games like shadow of war you can get away with only enabling gyro when you're using the bow (left trigger, kinda like botw) but in 1st person games lifting my thumb of the right stick is like you would lift your mouse on a PC. Games like dishonored and borderlands are so much better this way. I can actually headshot with the snipers in bl now compared to when I played on switch

[@p410n3]

Also FlickStick rulez

[@NGEvangeliman]

not to mention the software surrounding those control options, being able to play almost anything with some tinkering that can be done with the fairly intuitive menus? that's incredible work on valves part. infact the software and OS on the steam deck are so surprisingly good, that pretty much any entertainment hardware and software companies should be taking notes.

[@raikohzx4323]

I mean, just run Steam games and you get the full compatibility and the Steam Input stuff because that's just built into Steam period, not solely the Deck. However, I'm still going for a Deck.

[@MrBeetsGaming]

When I built my new gaming PC I traded my old one for a onexplayer and I've really enjoyed having it so far. It's pretty interesting to see how little power it takes to run even AAA games with low settings and lower resolution. Just imagine 20+ years from now when we have ones that are as powerful as today's gaming PCs.....

[@TRENKROM]

This was the best review of this handheld Ive seen yet. "OLED indie machine" is exactly what I need and though you pointed out its compromises you identified exactly who would like it

[@killapoof]

The B-Roll in this video is fire. Those shots of the Ayaneo with all the other handhelds around it are great

[@TheStoneProduction]

:O

[@bartender_billy6229]

I just can’t see myself dropping laptop prices on a handheld. The tech is there, but for $1500, you can build a pretty solid PC. Sure, if you have boatloads of cash to just throw around, that’s great, but there’s a lot more people out there that are struggling to get by financially and can’t justify dropping that much for a handheld that will be outdone the following year.

[@Cavi587]

Well, if you're of that mentality then of course you're not the target audience. Nobody says you have to get this device. It's for people who can justify having a small gaming device that will allow them to play their Steam libraries and such on the go. I'd rather invest that money into my PC as well, but if I had more money and an already upgraded PC, I would consider such device as I have quite a long commute to and from work every day. Would be fun to play some games on the train.

[@khaledm.1476]

Linus talks about the most expensive model with 2tb of storage, the 512gb aya neo air pro is 650$ which is the same price as the steam deck 512gb. It comes with an oled screen, hal effect joysticks that never drift and have much more accurate deadzones, has about 75% of the performance of the steam deck while the steam deck is 50% heavier, comes with native windows support which means access to all the pc games and is optimised for windows unlike the steam deck. The only problem is what Linus mentioned, aya themselves will make this device obsolete by announcing a better and cheaper device 1-2 months later

[@cthomas025]

This is why I think that people who believe that SteamDeck (or any other handhelds like in this video and others of the like) is going to decimate Nintendo's market share are delusional. Plus add to the fact that the Nintendo is a known name, you can just grab one walking through Wal-Mart, Target or Best Buy on a whim. Plus you know that the Switch (at launch) and Nintendo's next console will have a 5+ year support plan in place, so the games will be designed and optimized specifically for that hardware for years.

[@theevildice83]

Plus, with a dock and potentially an external GPU enclosure, you've got yourself a hybrid handheld/full desktop device.

[@theevildice83]

@@cthomas025 I don't think anyone is saying that any single device in this emergent industry is gonna "decimate" Nintendo's market share, but once the first few generations of these hybrid handheld desktop PC devices are out of the way and they iron out kinks and bring down manufacturing costs, I can absolutely see these making a big dent in the PC market.

[@luijo633]

The portable PC fight is a very interesting yet underrated one.

[@BugEnthusiast]

I dont plan on getting a handheld, but it’s really nice just seeing two devices with such clear differences, with clear different use cases. Good stuff, love the friendly competition.

[@muneeb-khan]

Alternative opinion: if it plays all the games you’d want in a handheld don’t feel bad for getting it. Like Linus said it’ll run Indie games easily and emulation should work well.

[@jonathansoko1085]

Logical take: If you are happy, then who cares and why would you feel bad for buying something?

[@BA-oy9uo]

true, however if you can wait for a huge performance uplift for the same price, then do it as well. But everyone's entitled to spend their money the way they want to

[@CarbonPanther]

@@jonathansoko1085 Because as a money conscious person you wouldn't spend double the money to get something that doesn't do twice as many things?

[@LudusMachinae]

alternative opinion: if it plays al the games you want and you're happy with its performance don't look up negative reviews and feel bad when they're negative despite that being very clear in the title. Thats your own fault.

[@thunderarch5951]

I mean, you can buy emulation stuff for less than half the price, but ok i guess?

That sure is a beautiful device, but I'll wait until the next generation like you said. This thing with a better GPU sure will be amazing.

[@diszturr7009]

beutiful, like me ?

@@diszturr7009 I don't even know who you are, let alone how you look. So yes, perhaps.

[@diszturr7009]

@ Thanks, im love you do much. i had so huge crush on you owo :3

​@@diszturr7009Cease this.

[@diszturr7009]

@ What ? why ?

[@johnsmith-mo6kz]

I'm mostly just excited for what steamdeck will do for linux since when windows 10 stops being supported I plan to go linux

[@TheDarksteel94]

I absolutely love the design and the colours on the Ayaneo Air!

[@Thommygun-qv7um]

THE reason for me to get a Steamdeck over the competition (if I would ever buy a gaming handheld) is the position of the right joystick. The trend set by the Switch to move it down is just stupid. My right thumb is not attached to my wrist. Why does no one else gets that?

[@mskiptr]

Because Xbox i guess (Yes, asymmetrical controllers are plain ugly. DualShock 2 ftw)

[@Thommygun-qv7um]

@@mskiptr I totally like it on the Xbox-controller (or the Nintendo Pro Controllers as well). But on that devices it makes sense and works from an ergonomic point of view, because the grips are angled and there is enough space. That does not work the same on a typical handheld. And I am not a fan of Sonys controllers, never was. The old ones (up to PS4) were tiny and cramped, my thumbs always colided. It seems to be better on the PS5 now... Still: symmetrical joystick on the handheld, assymmetrical ones on the gamepad pls...

[@rollerskdude]

Here here

[@emezgi42]

bc you can pair it with a controller ratio

[@StrikeNoir105E]

@@emezgi42 Are you really going to buy and use a separate controller for a supposedly portable machine that already has a built-in controller, and has portability as its main selling point?

[@717mm]

Watching this to feel better about buying a Steam Deck

[@slendydie1267]

Steam Deck is just so hard to beat but AyaNeo looks like a good competitor hopefully they succeed because those are some cool products.

[@yangmaster24]

At this point, Steam Deck killed the competition, price and performance wise. Unless other competitors released at least similar performance and similar price (and steam os) I will choose a better performance and price over a better screen anyday

[@numalesoybea1348]

@@yangmaster24 "and performance wise" Most of the latest handheld gaming PCs have superior performance to the Steam Deck since they use newer chips.

[@rincis2280]

The midroll ad placement was quite jarring. Your flow of the videos gets destroyed by it. I hope this is just a test, but please consider these comments.

[@RTZ205]

Yeah! The hidden ads really get annoying!!!!

[@SSYoung125]

It looks so similar the PlayStation Vita.... which had an OLED display..... if sony would have just supported the psp with games or did a psp ultimate that was unlocked to windows support it could have been so cool. Oh well what could have been

[@joshuasterling2144]

I always wanted the Vita, but the custom storage killed it for me and I suspect it was a major factor in its demise. Shame too because Sony makes great hardware. I remember watching Spiderman on my PSP and being amazed at the quality of the display.

[@kwedl]

@@joshuasterling2144 The main problem for a lot of people really was the storage. If micro SD adapters came out years earlier or it was as easy to homebrew as the DS, the Vita would have probaly sold way better and in turn got more games.

[@smack5472]

All Sony has to do was switch to SD cards for storage and the Vita would still be relevant today. Gimping the storage on it and charging through the nose for storage killed it.

[@mikeymaiku]

@@smack5472 too bad proprietory was the norm until the esrly/ late 2000s

[@jay-1172]

@@joshuasterling2144 I have the OLED vita and just like you said, the storage and game prices essentially killed it for me. I kept it in its case for years until recently and modded it, and now its an amazing device as there is a game cartridge to micro sd card adapter. There are even fan ports to the vita that never released or English translations to games that never got them. You can download any game from any region.

[@degeneratepervert6255]

Steam Deck is still my favorite. I hope that the other handhelds will catch up soon in terms of price to performance.

[@travisschneider3011]

They won't any time soon, they add nice things that cost way more than the features they provide. They have to play the waiting game till the deck is obsolete.

[@lndnfsu2]

steam is selling the deck at no profit tho

[@OMGERRORWTF]

Steam deck doesn't have thunderbolt. I have a 2070 super sitting on a table and if I got a handheld, I'd want to give it the graphics power of a ps5 on the go and be easy to carry to something like a hotel and hook it all up. I don't care about laptop performance so a handheld could entirely replace a laptop for me. All I care about is thunderbolt, good screen, good buttons on the device, a processor that has enough speed and cores, and decent enough build quality not to be rickety I'd crush indies on the display in portable use, and use a portable gaming setup when visiting my dad or whatever. My main PC weighs about 60 pounds and I don't care about mobile performance when I can just game on a 4k HDR big screen with a water-cooled monster. However I need a $500ish handheld with basically USB 4 with integrated thunderbolt, and a processor that doesn't get bottlenecked by a 2070 super and controls as good as the older Xbox one game pad. Steam deck comes close but it's screen sucks ass, it's CPU is weak and no thunderbolt or USB 4 Also I need an E-GPU that supports water-cooling cards

[@perlundgren7797]

@@travisschneider3011 The "problem" is that they might have to compete with the next version of Steam Deck at that point.

[@travisschneider3011]

@@OMGERRORWTF those GPU docks are nich and cost as much as a deck

[@SLDoughts]

I am super stoked to see the handheld gaming boom. It's amazing.

[@CrazYTactiC]

Thanks for the quality audio and video linus and team!

[@nikolaitoxvaerd]

The design is stunning i love the illuminated sticks

[@DaxtonAnderson]

After seeing the out-of-box experience BitWit had with it, it's a hard no for me until SteamOS starts coming to other handhelds

[@charlesm.2604]

@@CurdiNotTaken But Linux and gaming is a big no no for anti cheats. I'd prefer subscribing to a cloud gaming platform and use whatever handheld has the best screen, audio and ergonomic.

[@RomanBellicTaxi]

​@@charlesm.2604quite a few anti cheats work out of the box on Linux. Game devs just need to enable it and it's mostly super easy.

[@jeremybarber2837]

I am very very stoked about the handheld boom going on. Nice honest review, good work!

[@hayden.A0]

Although there still aren't many worthwhile products in this category, it's very nice to see that this kind of device is constantly improving, a few years down the line we could have some truly compelling options.

[@KeiRetroGaming]

I have one and it's great all things considered. Don't expect to run it over 10w due to thermal restrictions but that being said it still runs everything I've tried on it flawlessly for the most part. Sadly I got the standard air and it feels more like a "single sitting" device than an all day thing. It does charge extremely fast regardless so you don't have to wait long for it to charge. The screen is phenomenal and it's a great indie machine but you really need to know the device's limitations before jumping on this purchase. If you want it for indie titles, emulation or older AAA games and you're fine with charging it after you're done playing then you'll be pretty happy with it. Windows 11 isn't great but it's usable here... All in all it's still a pretty awesome little device and I'm happy with my purchase!

[@Sad_King_Billy]

The trade-offs are getting fewer and fewer with each generation of these hand-held PCs. Aya is so close!

[@eedoamitay3341]

I have the regular Air and I am loving it so much; plus you can get the TDP up to 25watts if you are near a socket and then you can play a lot of AAA games at 720p low settings 60fps, its really just a fun device overall to play around with. Definitely has significant drawbacks but its so much fun

[@KaosPCtech]

I love all these handhelds that LMG shows off in there videos, soo good.

[@TheRogueAdventurers]

Getting emulators set up on my steam deck was surprisingly easy, and i haven't had to adjust any settings so far.

[@trapical]

For real, I spent months waiting for my Deck looking forward to playing modern games. It finally arrived and I've been using it play emulators almost exclusively. It's not that it _can't_ run modern games, but holy crap is it an AMAZING emulation beast.

[@IanMcc1000]

Yeah they are definitely what I play most. Very little effort to get set up. Probably 95% of stuff works straightaway with a a few tweaks here and there. The only thing that is tricky is using the touchscreen, unless it's resting on something. The touchpads can help but sometimes you have to touch the screen.

[@TheoHiggins]

Funny to see this topic come up after I've just finished 3 days of sorting all my emulators out. I'd say the process was straightforward but faffy. Especially trying to stop multi-disc PSX and PS2 games from making multiple library entries, configuring my screen layout for DS games, figuring out how to get Switch and PS3 emulators working, and learning that manual GPU clocks help those two out IMMENSELY. But now I'm done and ready to actually play some games. Just not Kid Icarus or The Great Ace Attorney since those still run like doo doo and have a bad screen layout (thanks Citra)

[@bandito241]

@@TheoHiggins I don’t know about Switch but PS3 emulation is a bitch on any PC like device 😂

[@crashniels]

@@TheoHiggins There are multi disk patches afaik

[@Baby_boodle]

I wish its battery life was like a smidge longer. I hope that there gets to be a very good lightweight linux distro for this thing and that it extends the battery life while retaining the ability to play indies and such. I really like this form factor and all.

[@controversialtalks]

Wow this video is so beautifully shot and edited I had to watch twice

[@Francisco1994]

i love my aya neo air!!!, sure it has a lot of issues but when everything clicks and i am playing on the most comfortable handheld console i have ever held it is just perfect.

[@UndermobzRec]

PS Vita had a really nice oled, too bad it was ''too soon''. I wasnt actually, I loved that thing, but if id come out around the switch it would have been so much better, and ofcourse the sd cards.

[@imjody]

I miss my PSP 2000. That thing was a ton of fun back in the day. Sony was figuring this handheld gaming stuff out 12+ years ago! 😎

[@EngiNetion]

The vita itself was "too soon", it was released at the time which mobile gaming was on rise... It could really be a worthy opponent to the Switch...

[@MrJcTTK]

doesnt help either that most games from japan never made it to the states

[@EngiNetion]

@@tim3172 oh yeah, that too... 32gb card was like the 50% of the whole console's price...

[@Xbob42]

The Vita had a terrible OLED, what're you talking about? I have one right here, you can barely tell it's an OLED. It was far too soon. It looked pretty good at the time but has aged very poorly for what you expect when you see "OLED."

[@Jhoglund218]

We are almost to the point where I find this worth the money. Can’t wait to see what happens over the next few years.

[@Goalier95]

Love, love, love the 2022 handheld gaming PC landscape!! Getting the GPD WIN Max 2 alongside my Steam Deck for the ultimate work/play/media consumption setup. Since getting the Steam Deck, my gaming laptop has just been collecting dust.

[@rosaria8384]

Seeing these handheld gaming consoles make me happy. The opportunity to play anything in an hour or two... without having to haul the largest rigs...I can't wait to see the future of it

[@itsyaboybanana502]

linus media group, thank you for making such entertaining videos everyday!

[@austinwilson930]

I would love to see LTT do a 6month review of the steamdeck

[@BetterWithKinect]

6:23 I love the 3DS status LED crying for help after its 5 minutes on charge for this shot

[@thefappingfive2170]

The Home Improvement reference was absolutely perfect! haha!

[@AliFakhruddin]

Getting a Steam Deck in Dubai would take ages, if not months. So i opted for Aya Neo Air Pro. Its a perfect form factor plus if it can run old and indie games better than its a pretty good deal considering the availability. It can still run most AAA games at 30 fps which is good for me, since i dnt care much abt fps. This one has a great form, design and it actually looks like made for gamers. Deck on the other hand is still the best but it has its own issues and man its gonna take long to get here.

[@vclyxy7400]

I have never icked so fast for a linus video lmao

[@filthyneutral5801]

hilarious lmao

[@dannyl434]

This better be a good turn around because I already have a deck and this sounds so good so far!

[@asmrdestiny]

Loved your review! I opted to get the 5825U+16GB+1TB model. Steam Deck is just wayyy too big and I love the 1080p OLED screen on the Air!

[@zstewart93]

Competition in this space is amazing but I will continue to support Valve as much as possible as they continue to demonstrate commitment to furthering Proton and gaming on linux in general, whereas these competitors are mostly just looking to move units.

[@roundduckkira]

Well Aya is looking to use its own OS in the future too, and it's Linux based too. Obv not ready yet tho so still Windows

[@Terepin64]

@@roundduckkira How much you wanna bet it'll be a fork of SteamOS?

[@roundduckkira]

@@Terepin64 actually maybe not the biggest bet in some ways because Aya would want more than Steam, I mean most likely a SteamOS fork but SteamOS really isn't special beyond the prototypeish version of Steam with the new big picture mode

[@butterscotchpanda]

@@Terepin64 Of course it'll be a fork of SteamOS, because SteamOS is an excellent baseline to start working from. That's like complaining that Mint (the OS I use) is a fork of Ubuntu, despite the fact that Mint is, for me, infinitely better in a hundred little ways that add together to make it by far my favourite OS that I've ever used (and I have used _many_).

[@kiloneie]

@@roundduckkira They doln't have the means to do that. This handheld of theirs is their response to just how successful Steam Deck is, and it's still not enough. By the time they would be able to get price competitive to Steam Deck(whatever version of it by that time), Valve will probably expand into the smaller form factor/more premium one already. I don't doubt Aya will continue to exist for a long time, but Steam Deck is the beginning of the end for them and everyone else in the handheld market. Valve is just that big, operating at profits for doing not all that much, they can do whatever the hell they want, and Steam Deck shows it. Also Steam OS is NOT just a cost cutting method for them not using Windows, but it's also a response to Microsoft's very edgy practices and their Windows store etc. You want Valve to keep succeeding for years to come. And no Steam OS is not just a prototypeish version of Steam with big picture mode, it's quite a bit more. It gives you a very easy way to use/play the Steam Deck and monitor and control it's hardware, something no other device really has, especially the hardware control.

[@lethauntic]

I love that the console handheld market is getting bigger. Ever since the Switch showed everyone how great gaming could be even on in a handheld, only not as limited on power, everything has only gotten better. Though I'm constantly surprised at just how cheap the Steam Deck is for the overall power and utility. Seems like that itself might be hard to beat. That and the idea that a thumbstick going bad means that the console isn't effectively damaged, being able to easily change it, is icing on the cake.

[@StrikeNoir105E]

Gabe Newell pretty much stated that they're making Steam Decks at a loss just to get it to the price point they needed for it. Valve is only able to do this fearlessly because a lot of their profit comes from Steam, and their plans for the Steam Deck is more to introduce people to Linux gaming while also showing the world how a handheld gaming PC should be done.

[@Icybubba]

@@StrikeNoir105E Yeah Valve has the same benefit Sony or Microsoft or Nintendo does. Microsoft can sell Xbox's at a loss because they will make it up with Game Pass and XBL Gold subscriptions and game purchases. Sony can sell PlayStation's at a loss because they will make it up with PSN+ subscriptions and game purchases Nintendo can sell Switch's at a loss because they will make it up with Switch Online subscriptions and game purchases. And Valve can sell Steam Deck's at a loss because they will make it up with everyone buying Steam games

[@neoqueto]

Imagine having this as your main PC. Always with you. Come back home, plug it into a dock to charge it and run a display off of it and BT keyboard and mouse (or also off of USB). The next generation looks much more promising. GPD's lineup is probably even more suitable for that purpose.

[@AnnoyingAshleyTV]

you handheld pc content is superb linus GG

[@thecremeegg]

I think the Aya looks fantastic, the Steam Deck is just obscenely large, one of the reasons I didn't get one. If they could give the Aya a better GPU and keep the size the same I'd be all over it

[@j8ckfi]

Honestly if more of these were just on Amazon they'd be more viable, having to buy from indiegogo just doesn't seem like a good idea

[@khaledm.1476]

I mean just buying from valve is also slow. All these handheld devices aren't available from retail

[@fuxbox]

??? That makes no sense

[@71ruinsigil]

They'd probably be more expensive if they were on Amazon

[@TheoHiggins]

I imagine they simply don't have the manufacturing capacity (and perhaps profit margin) required to sell on Amazon. To steal Linus' Framework explanation, they're not a big enough company to just build 50,000-100,000 of the things (numbers entirely pulled out my arse) and stick them up on Amazon for the masses. They need to reinvest their profits from each batch back into manufacturing the next batch/next generation of product. Even though the Steam Deck absolutely murders anything GPD or Aya have in terms of value, I imagine they'll still keep happily chugging along and growing as companies since the only people buying their products up until now have been enthusiasts with a lot of money (like Linus), and those people will still be in the market for something higher end than the Steam Deck if available. So maybe someday we'll see products like this on Amazon, but right now your best chance is probably the Steam Deck in 6-12 months once they've finished clearing their backlog and can finally put them up for direct sale through Steam, and then eventually retailers (well maybe, but surely if they want the things to sell they need to get them out there).

[@Infyra]

Some of the lower specced handhelds from recent years have ended up on amazon, stuff from anbernic and powkiddie, but as already mentioned, you will pay a lot more for that 1 day shipping instead of reserving a unit directly from the company months ahead.

[@blank3406]

This is the only channel I've seen care about these Ayaneo devices

[@flamesword300]

I love handhelds. I’m really enjoying all the competition in the PC handheld space. Hope more OEMs start making PC handhelds. I also hope we start seeing Snapdragon G3X handhelds soon as well. More options is only/always good. Plus maybe IF they’re successful Microsoft and Sony consider releasing their own handheld consoles.

[@DuyNguyen-yx2vd]

Damn, this is getting real close to taking my money. Everything is basically competing against my S22 Ultra running Parsec at this point, and Aya is probably leading the charge.

[@stanbasov42]

It's great that so many new handhelds are coming out. Sony, we want Vita2!

[@nwhome9615]

It's awesome to see all this competition. All more inpressive is that most of the handhelds worth buying are running Ryzen chips.

[@JohnPaulBuce]

its soooooo beautiful

[@Michael-ft3vg]

I wish more companies would do the clamshell design like the GPD win 1 and 2 or the DS. It feels way more ergonomic.

[@knightoflothric4365]

Yes

[@wetteryan]

I have been saying this since switch first came out. I got it and I was like "this is insanely cool and amazing value for the money but... I really really love my 3ds xl for it's clamshell design". It's just way better piece of mind that a screen protector. But I understood that switch wasn't strictly probable and that half it functionality I wouldn't be handling the device itself. BUT. Then they put out switch lite and that's the one that would be perfect for a clamshell. Doesn't have to be dual screen. Just a nice hard shell.

[@charlesm.2604]

This is no joke the reason why I scratched my old PSP and this is the only piece of hardware I've ever broke (never even dropped a phone), so even careful handling isn't enough.

[@briannemeth9417]

This is going to b

[@MmntechCa]

It is great to see the handhelds going through a renaissance. Back in 2012-ish, people seriously thought smartphones would be the death of them. I agree that the Air needs a bump to RDNA2. AMD isn't making any off-the-shelf Rembrandt APUs with a 15w TDP though. Deck is still the way to go even if it's a chonker. More powerful, and Valve has more skin in the game long term. But this is something I can see doing very well in Asians market due to its small size and lighter weight. Deck to me is something you more play around the house or on vacation, not day-to-day on transit or something.

[@gracepierce1024]

if they think we went from 100-200 dollar items to paying for these as the prices go higher and higher they have another thing coming.

[@itsdeonlol]

The design is very cool!

[@lmperioz]

I've been on the verge of buying this for a couple of weeks but didn't pull the trigger yet. It's visually perfect, but the things that scared me off are import fees to UK (no idea how much unless I buy), battery life, performance, speakers. If they can improve those things I'll absolutely buy the next gen one

[@SuperM00b]

The battery test was probably more of a sign of how energy efficient the OS’s are more than the hardware. If you had holo iso or ubuntu running on the Ayaneo it would most likely perform better.

[@ThompYT]

But still probably less than the deck's

[@Manimal747]

Aya Neo competes with themselves with how fast they release/announce new devices. Its the most brain dead marketing I've ever seen. Waiting on your pre-order for aya neo air? Guess what, we're releasing a better one before you receive it.

[@MeGaDwarf2008]

This time around, they've listed their whole model stack beforehand. So you could see that Air is the final 5560/5825 version, while there's gonna be an upcoming Neo 2, cheaper Neo 2 geek, and premium-tier Slide and Next. Also, their whole marketing for Air was focused on real life game performance, so you could see if it's enough for the games you want.

[@maxque2841]

@@MeGaDwarf2008 found the fanboy

[@GSBarlev]

Great Review. Really enjoyed watching it on my new Steam Deck.

[@jppotato17]

Man, the switch really started a revolution with these devices!!!

[@marcosvictor4935]

I really hope valve can supply us with a replacement OLED screen for the deck at some point.

[@abdur1300]

wait for Steam Deck 2 release in 2027

[@jeofthevirtuoussand]

I can't wait to have handheld devices with graphene battery... being able to have 12h instead of 3h of playtime. Or boosting the hardware spec because graphene doesn't degrade with heat and can bear it really, really well as well as letting it go .

[@kiloneie]

Don't get your hopes up, graphene tech has been hyped and talked about for at least 15 years(about the time i heard of it), and NOTHING has come out of it because it's vastly too expensive.

[@jeofthevirtuoussand]

@@kiloneie 10 years ago it was 300 000$ for a 1kg , now in 2022 it's several 100 of$ for a 1kg. They discovered a way to create high-quality graphene out of plastic waste The last step to make it worldwide is to build more facilities . We are really, really close to see it. At first there will be hybrid solutions such as ion lithium graphene. Can increase life span several times. And hold more energy for the same space. Then there will be silicone based graphene. And after than once all the infrastructure are developed, pure graphene battery. Probably around 2024 earliest and 2030 as latest. 2 month ago a company developed some battery 🔋 pill format The only thing holding back graphene is literally the rate of production.. wich isn't a lot due to low amount of facilities

[@vxiiduu1629]

graphene is just a buzzword, like flying cars. you can basically ignore anyone talking about "graphene"

[@Thewaterspirit57]

Graphene is expensive tho. Don’t expect seeing it any time soon :S Maybe for batteries in a few years, but possibly never for hardware, as it would have to have better performance than normal silicon stuff. Also no way would anyone make a handheld device that gets really hot intentionally 💀 those things are meant to be at a good enough temp so you can hold them without it literally hurting

[@jeofthevirtuoussand]

@@Thewaterspirit57 charging generate heat . But unlike ion lithium batteries you wouldn't be stuck waiting 2h for a full charge , getting your hand of the console for 15 minutes should be alright as the batteries dissipate heat as fast . And the heat of the battery while playing would about about the same degree of temperature as ion lithium. But lasting much longer.

[@Jdbye]

If you aren't happy with the dimming of the Aya Neo Air, you could simply use PC software to tweak it further, since adjusting the pixel brightness from the PC side directly affects the screen brightness of an OLED.

[@VicVergalito]

Ayaneo has had my eye for a few years now. I wanted to get the air but I just cant settle for the vega graphics. Soo nthough, theyre gonna nail it. I know it!

[@nincapoo]

The steam deck is not too large. In fact, a handheld that I can actually hold and play for hours without hand cramping was one of the biggest selling points for me. I immediately "noped" the aya neo air because of how small it was.

[@cube_head]

Same. To me “portable” means I can fit it in my backpack and take it on a plane or bus easily, not necessarily being able to fit it in my pocket.

[@deathtrooper2048]

@@cube_head A laptop and controller can already do that

[@abstractedbluestar9245]

@@deathtrooper2048 ah yes take the laptop and controller to the toilet “your laptop is going places” 😎

[@Thewaterspirit57]

The only reason why the steam deck feels better in your hands, is because it has good grips for the sides :S That thing is far too big for handheld and on the go use. It’s just way too clunky

[@hussamfauzi]

Dang that little thing got better specs than my laptop.

[@HeyPatch]

I'm still rocking my psp 1000 that i bought on launch day back in 2005. still works great :) its also funny that the YAYNEO light has smiler specks to my current desktop

[@jnub]

oh my god i loved that you didnt do a sponsor transition at the beginning that was so awesome

[@jnub]

i literally typed this right before you did a sponsor transition in the middle of the video completely ruining the flow. disappointing.

[@GFourGadget]

This form factor has so much potential, I believe that it will dominate the gaming market soon

[@MyCoolStrawSir]

Ever since PSP came out I thought it was the future. I would love a steam deck with native 4G connection or even 5G connection. It is portable and I would love to play multi-player with friends.

[@jpxyUA]

You'll kill the battery with 5G bruh, sorry to say. Better to go for a small factor laptop with SIM compatibility

[@krisaim]

I've got the 8Gig version and it plays all my games flawlessly.☺️

[@smidlee7747]

One of the things I've noticed with the Stream Deck when I play it in my adjustable bed is the heat in the center of the console. I sometimes have the bottom edge leaning on my leg and when running a game at 25 Wh+ after a while it gets uncomfortable hot. I try to imaging holding AyaNeo Air at the size of the Switch running 25+ Wh and how hot it would get in my hands. When it comes to playing low graphics indy games on a handheld Switch is still a good choice due to it's size and low wattage without getting too warm. A game like "Into the Breach" is perfect to play on the go with the Switch.

[@LeoN-wc9od]

Maybe Valve should sell oled screen replacement for steam deck.

[@o3ovan]

They’re already doing so much!! …but that would be super fuckin cool

[@LeoN-wc9od]

@@resyntax Samsung not going to make oled screens to valve due to copyright issues? It's more like save the good stuff for the next gen.

[@LeoN-wc9od]

@@resyntax Whatever, they can still make it for money and all that legal nonsense it's all about money.

[@LeoN-wc9od]

@@resyntax You're saying they literally can't do it? Is that what you're trying to say. That they cannot get a license for it? They did it to save good stuff for the next gen and I'm pretty sure they are working on it behind the closed doors.

[@Kriothic]

A big one would be the repairability, valve done a great job making parts available, and you can now send your steam deck for repairs.

[@adrianpaulcabano5978]

I remember there's an announcement AyaNeo had in YT for their new handheld called AyaNeo Geek that has Ryzen 6th gen APUs in them. You might want to check that out as soon as it's released.

[@jnez]

Love the handheld content. 💕

[@Slimeay]

The comparison data really illustrates just how impressive and seemingly impossible the steam deck actually is for the price

[@lukasperuzovic1429]

Bigger companies can afford to bargain more for parts and supplies, and even have custom SKUs made for custom parts. Smaller companies are stuck making stuff at a higher cost and forced to use mostly off the shelf parts.

[@Slimeay]

@@lukasperuzovic1429 it's not just about the money because even at 3x the cost the performance still can't match what valve has developed

[@lukasperuzovic1429]

@@Slimeay That is debatable at best

[@muskwasis1705]

I'm waiting for a handheld with batteries inside of super chunky grips. I think that's the best design change and will allow for faster charging.

[@bakayarou023]

I bought my steam deck recently and I love it to bits!

[@lethauntic]

It would be cool if one of these was made to look steam-punk-ey, or something a little more industrial. I love the look of the AyaNeo don't get me wrong, but something a little different would always be nice

[@alistairblaire6001]

Valve is already putting their feelers out for a new Deck model and I'm positive a better display is the most demanded feature.

[@kiloneie]

Any sources for that ? Would love to read more about that.

[@lukasperuzovic1429]

@@kiloneie Nothing but rumors and hearsay at the moment. Most development Valve has at the moment is getting 3rd party distributors and even manufacturing to look into shipping into other parts of the world. Only recently did Europe got access to the Steam Deck. They are considering the Asian markets next, and they need 3rd party partners to reach into those markets.

[@emin62bek]

I am amazed by the form factor

[@Infyra]

I am cautiously looking forward to the Loki max, even though it does not have a oled display, I really love the Odin build. I just hope they have a solution for the termal challenges with the 6800u in the smaller form factor. Should really push that to the 28w, otherwise it will not outperform the steam deck much.

[@iRobYourLunch]

I have a rough time with these handhelds. On one hand, the technology is incredible for the form factor. Seriously, holy crap. On the other hand, I personally cannot justify spending another $600+ on a handheld device for emulators or newer games at very low quality settings. I love video games as much as any gamer, but idk. I built my pc so that I could get a really good gaming experience and this just feels like it takes away from that in exchange for the convenience of playing in bed (or on the pooper). Which I don't really want to do. Maybe I'm just not the target consumer for this one. I'm genuinely curious to hear from people who do have this kind of handheld PC, what was the reasoning for the purchase?

[@yourdissapointeddaddy2057]

To game anywhere especially for people who aren’t always home but are also PC enthusiasts or people willing to sell their switch for a steamdeck As soon as I heard about PlayStation exclusives coming to steam I sold my PS4 as soon as I heard about the steam deck I sold my switch. Coming from a guy who used to play a lot of old/retro games I’m willing to sacrifice graphics for portability. The technology for handheld consoles has come a long way I remember my first handheld the game boy color lmao

[@linhungsamify]

I got my neo air recently and even games are set to low, they still look incredible in that small form factor + OLED screen. The only issue for this device is battery only last 1 hour if set to highest watts for AAA games. The pro version lasts a bit longer though, still not good enough. To resolve this, I bought a fast charger power bank to add another 2 hours.

[@nwzander]

It’s totally fair to not be the target customer, but here’s my take: I have such a large backlog of 2-4 generation old games that don’t need to be played on my main machine to have a good experience, alongside a number of indie games like FTL, Factorio, etc. I’m addition, I don’t get to game as much as I used to, and when I’m on my main machine, I want to play the games that make the most use of the hardware. My Deck (and I did buy the $600 version) actually gives me more opportunities to play some games on my backlog that I otherwise wouldn’t get to. In addition, the Deck is so good in desktop mode that it also functions as a laptop replacement for me - granted, I don’t have significant need for a mobile workstation. The Deck provides a more convenient experience than hauling around a laptop, which I have done in the past. In short, I knew that I’d be targeting light game use (significantly below my main machine) alongside light laptop use (significantly less than a mobile workstation), which the Deck fulfills perfectly for both. Being new, having interesting power constraints, and an in-work Linux OS also provides a bit of a scratch for the itch to tinker and make the hardware work to the best of its abilities. I have been well satisfied with my purchase, and I would - and have - seriously recommended the 350 or 500 dollar versions who liked their switch but wanted more flexibility from the system. Like I said, it’s okay if you’re not the target customer, but I’m glad I bought mine and have supported those working on improving the technology in this resurgence in handhelds, especially since I never got to experience handhelds in the DS days.

[@iRobYourLunch]

@@nwzander This is probably the best response I think I've seen anywhere in regards to this. These devices don't make sense to me because I'm either playing the oldest of old games (on a hacked Vita) or the newest of new games on my desktop PC. No inbetweens. I also stay away from indie games. With that said, I don't have much time to play games at all anymore with work, and life. When i travel for vacation, the last thing I want to be doing is playing video-games, especially if it's a new place I've never been to. For web browsing, email, and non-interactive media consumption (movies/videos) I can get by just fine on my phone so no need for an additional device for that either. If I do decide to bring some kind of games with me, it's probably just my Vita for all the roms. The only time I get to sit down at my PC and actually use it to game is mostly on weekend nights and that's it. But I'm ok with that because that's how life is structured for me. So these handhelds really don't do it for me. However - I am very glad to see that there is a market for this technology with consumers like yourself because I do believe this kind of technology will push computer hardware towards some even cooler stuff.

[@CyberJamSam]

Someone needs to come up with an LCD steam deck display module upgrade, like higher refresh rate, larger, or nicer quality screen overall (or all 3 haha). I’m aware it’s hard to go from LDC to OLED but that would be even more awesome! I would definitely pay for an upgrade module and do it myself.

[@Aereto]

There's already a 3rd party stick replacement that use hall effect sticks instead of potentiometers, but not the OLED offering yet. Feels like there's still manufacturing challenges on part of the 3rd party even if the dimension specs are open for everyone.

[@CyberJamSam]

@@Aereto ah yeah I saw that, hopefully someone realises the money to be made with a screen upgrade module too… even if steam release an OLED model or ‘pro’ with a better screen and at the same time release modules for people to upgrade their existing screens. No reason why something already made can’t be made better with a little DIY I guess

[@jpxyUA]

@@CyberJamSam not gonna happen. As said in the video, OLEDs are cut for a specific size, and if Aya can't outsource proper OLEDs, modders surely wouldn't be able to either. + IIRC OLED would need a power mod as well, and we all know how fickle power distribution in handheld is. If anybody succeeds at modding a 144Hz OLED or AMOLED into steamdeck I'd be very impressed, but I suspect it will kill the battery in half the time. Not to sound grim, the modding scene has surprised me again and again, so who knows, we can pray :)

[@CyberJamSam]

@@jpxyUA yeah like I said it wouldn’t be easy, so a higher refresh rate or bigger or nicer LCD would get me just as excited

[@jpxyUA]

@@CyberJamSam LEDs are also cheaper for DIY folks, so it's usually a fast cheap replacement upgrade. Just as a side note, I've been doing upgrades on Lenovo T series laptops (the older ones with metal chassis) as they have modkids developed with convertor boards to support higher resolution in bios. The biggest issue with such mods is not being recognized by the board. Those notebooks are usually used in the field and default panels have horrid view angles. So people been modding them for good 10 years now.

[@tylerluttrull3362]

So far I'm loving mine for emulation, mostly GameCube. I love Metroid prime and Halo MCC plays really well

[@justsomeperson5110]

As someone who spent many a year as a software contractor chasing those dolla dolla bills around the country, spending much time as a road warrior, I love this form factor! BUT!!! Absolute must-haves include Wi-Fi (of course), GPS, AND SIM card/cell data system. Because when you're on the go, you know, you're going places? Sharing with a phone or goodness forbid, using your phone as a GPS, it's just a PITA. IMHO. There's just no reason not to use your portable computer to do everything better. Why there isn't a Traveler Pro model is just beyond me. I hate the crappy workarounds needed by not including simple SoC features that are a dime a dozen on phones that my Viliv S5 could do over a decade ago.

[@ChiralWolf]

i find so many of the competition hard to stomach when you can get a steam deck and a small ipad for near the same cost. dunno how valve managed to take such a low price but its gonna make anything else real hard

[@Aereto]

And at higher prices, my expectations transform into a console with expanded functions. I thought about the GPD Win Max 2, but my old laptop is still serviceable despite being over 6 years old (Win 7 to 10, increased RAM, swapped HDD for SSD, access to universal laptop chargers)

[@wickersticks]

They're subsidizing it with their store front like a console, valve is probably losing money on every steam deck sold

[@jpxyUA]

Steam prints money, that's how

[@muntdouken9841]

As someone living in Australia, this is essentially half the cost of what it costs to get a steam deck here.