The Design SHIFT That Gives Us HOPE - AYANEO Pocket S Review

[@cppctek]

Great review. Very detailed and honest. I love the honesty!

[@GameTechTalk]

Thanks friend, I appreciate that!

[@benpregent]

It's so crazy expensive for what it is. The 1440p edition has that going for it but no thanks. I'm happy with the Odin 2 devices especially with the portal coming out!

[@GameTechTalk]

I agree, especially as the market continued moving forward. That said, it's a step in the right direction for AYANEO and Android handhelds. The future is brighter with the EVO, and even the aggressive pricepoint that they have achieved.

[@XManShyt]

Ayn Odin Lite!!! I use everyday it's discontinued but it's Still purchaseable!!!! Got 2!!!!! 🔥💯💯💯

[@gregorybolivar5712]

@@XManShyt They should have upgraded the CPU to a Snapdragon 865 at least... 🤔🧐

[@XManShyt]

@@gregorybolivar5712 Honestly Wifi 5 Streaming is Legit on this $150 Device... Unbeatable.... And I can make phone calls n text..... Game Changer... Better than the Rest ..Dual Boot os..... Nothing is Close in comparison.... In my eyes.....

[@haydukelivesforeversomrtim8173]

great content homie! keep it up

[@GameTechTalk]

Much appreciated, thanks for watching!

[@SwitchAndroid-m5u]

I can't believe the video is dubbed in Brazilian Portuguese How amazing!

[@GameTechTalk]

Wow! You're right ahahah! That's crazy awesome!

[@Patricemercier89]

Great review 😉

[@GameTechTalk]

Thanks for watching! 😊

[@_rage_quitter_11]

So, I didn't know you were that deep into emulation handhelds until I saw you in retro handhelds discord. What would be your go to purchase if you had say 500 USD for emulation handheld. Odin 2, odin 2 mini, Steam deck, or any other. And please do tell why you chose it.

[@GameTechTalk]

I definitely lean toward the higher-end stuff, I like the idea of a device offering more possible options at higher fidelity. With that said, the Odin 2 Portal and AYANEO EVO would be the two picks. The Odin 2 Mini was great, but not considerably greater than the Odin 2. OLED brings top vibrancy, amazing motion clarity and blazingly fast panels. With 120hz and 165hz for Portal and EVO respectively. Lastly, I think the upcoming Redmagic 10 Pro with a telescopic controller is peak Android handheld for the remainder of 2024 and probably first half of 2025. But that's past that 500USD mark though.

[@_rage_quitter_11]

​​@@GameTechTalkI mean it's a fully functional phone too so I think it's worth it to pay the extra, and with the amount of quality telescopic controllers it would feel no less than a premium dedicated handheld, the only gripe with the 10 is they don't have a sd card slot which just doesn't sound great. But thanks for sharing your thoughts. Happy Holidays 🎄.

[@ventse]

Does it support AV1 when streaming games? Thanks

[@GameTechTalk]

Oh wow, that is such a great (and technical question). It decodes but does not encode, so the answer would be yes it will. Cheers!

[@ventse]

@ thank you!

[@PInoyHenyoRito]

Its hard to PWM sensitive rp5 odin portal and aya evo all are OLED so for sure all has low PWM it causes fatigue

[@GameTechTalk]

That sucks so much for people that are sensitive to that, sorry to hear.

[@RemTilak]

Great review. But I can't help myself, I really don't like the AYANEO devices. They're so boring imo.

[@GameTechTalk]

I think brands, just as people, need to exercise a smidge of humility at times and I also think, historically speaking, that AYANEO too often showcased the extreme opposite of that spectrum. If they can be a tad more humble, or increase their quality, or both, they have a shot at worldwide recognition because they can design the hell out of these devices. Thanks Rem!

[@RemTilak]

@@GameTechTalk They have sooo many devices that look the same imho. I can't even tell which one's the latest, which one just got a new CPU or whatever it is. The AYANEO devices all look like clones. 😂

[@mattdavis9601]

I was surprised when Klef started tearing into this thing. He wasn't mean spirited about it; but, this was a pretty harsh review. I'm not surprised that Klef told the truth. He's a paragon of integrity. What I'm surprised about is that AYANEO would ship the Pocket S with these issues / design choices in the first place. It's a $500 handheld. Why aren't they using the best parts? I say that knowing full well that I'd be overjoyed if Santa Claus dropped a Pocket S off at my house. Compared to my current Android emulation /gaming set-up, it's likely night and day better. The problem, or blessing - depending on one's POV, is that there's lots of things on the market that are probably massive upgrades over what I'm using now. This review didn't give me any real reason to choose AYANEO's Pocket S over their forthcoming Pocket EVO or the AYN Odin2 series. Heck, other than one specific upcoming Play Store game that requires the 8 Gen 2 or higher ("Grid: Legends"), there's no real compelling reason to upgrade beyond the Retroid Pocket 5. Maybe there simply is no reason to opt for the Pocket S? It is cool looking and has a lot of power under the hood. But, lots of handhelds offer cool looks, lots of power, and passable quality for hundreds less. ••• That's interesting that AYANEO would ask for it back. I was under the impression that reviewers usually got to keep their samples. Some do giveaways, others horde them like a dragon hordes gold, and still others flip them for pure profit. Is it common in the gaming space for the manufacturer to ask for things back? ••• The last thing I want to say is that I like that Klef is reviewing handhelds again. I like controllers too, don't get me wrong, but variety is the spice of life. And, it should be noted, Klef does a great job reviewing handhelds. It's well within his wheelhouse. I hope we get more of this sort of coverage down the line.

[@GameTechTalk]

😅 Was I this harsh? I didn't mean to. It's a very nice device, shadowed by how rapidly the market offered more compelling solutions. But I most certainly hope AYANEO revisits the form factor in the future with updated hardware because the ergonomics, feel and overall package are quite interesting. Thanks for the kind words Matt, I'd like to make a "slowly but surely" come back to handhelds. I feel like my controller process is tweaked enough that I can make small adjustment without losing my bearings. Hopefully, 2025 will bring new gaming tech devices to the channel, handhelds should be the logical product category to occupy a larger room of my content with controllers. As for if it's rare for manufacturers to ask for things back, kind of. But it's not unheard of. It also probably makes more sense as a way to "feel" the collaboration and consider for them if there is interest in maintaining the relationship, or not. For now, that arrangement is one I like, we'll see down the road how they feel, as will I. I hope this answered the thoughts you had. Cheers friend!

[@jqweary]

Pocket S vs O2 Portal…who ya got?! 🤷🏾‍♂️🎮🤔

[@GameTechTalk]

O2 Portal but I'm putting my bet on the EVO. I'll have both to test.

[@Dia1Up]

Here is a KZbin thing!

[@GameTechTalk]

Ayoooo!!

[@anemite2]

Ayaneo looks to offer a "premium" product with a premium price tag, but it has fail in every single occasion AYN with their odin products are much better value for your money and they have high quality

[@GameTechTalk]

Your first sentence has always been my gripe with AYANEO but I do think they are turning a new leaf, the DMG and EVO are a testament to that, we'll see what the AYANEO 3 looks like in terms of pricing.

[@gamers-generation]

Sir, I came here for controllers, not controllers with screens between them.

[@GameTechTalk]

I thought today was going to be the day I get to read comments and not choke on my coffee. Nope! 😂

[@gamers-generation]

@@GameTechTalk Let that be a lesson to all organics. You still rely on oxygen delivered to your lungs through your trachea.

[@FranciscoCastro-xl7hg]

thanks for translate

[@GameTechTalk]

Happy to help!

[@4vengers-g2d]

they should add sim support ,front cam, other basic stuffs required to use as a phone....

[@GameTechTalk]

That would be a different chip and a much different price but that would also be cool to be able to use those as actual phones!

[@freizeit1447]

Wieso dieser Ki Übersetzungs Zombie Zwang. Nicht zum aushalten, dafür gibt es einen Daumen, in die Gegengesetze Richtung.😵‍💫🤡💩

[@GameTechTalk]

That is not my choice, I did not click, nor request for this to happen, it just was there on its own. Did it show you a German title as well?

[@muratmurat3313]

German?

[@GameTechTalk]

Canadian French! :)

[@runi69140]

Crème de la crème

[@GameTechTalk]

Avec les accents en plus! 😉

[@gregorybolivar5712]

Ah.... The N-Switch Light Ultra = AYA-NEO POCKET S FLAGSHIP TECH.... The Apple Brand of Android Gaming Handheld devices... 🙃🧐🤓😎🥸🤯 Another Awesome GoodieS for GamerS...

[@GameTechTalk]

😎

[@kaizen209]

$600... terrific hardware. Severely limitations of Android's emulations. Pass

[@GameTechTalk]

Yeah, the price is definitely the biggest hurdle, but I got to give it to them, I think AYANEO are heading in the right direction for their market. They always went for premium, but then you received the device and it was premium on some aspects, not so much on others. Based off of the Pocket, reviews on the DMG and the upcoming EVO, it seems they managed to elevate the overall standard and the prices are even a bit lower. Still not perfect, but I do give them merit as I think there is improvement on the "perceptive value".

[@kayky6818]

Brasil

[@reccazz]

G3x gen 2 performance is poor; I use Y 700 s8 gen 3 + G8+ is a lot better.

[@GameTechTalk]

Poor is exaggerated, there are no games that seriously make use of the 8g3, nor the upcoming Snapdragon Elite. That said, the G3x G2 is modeled after the 8g2, hence why I said that there was one chip superior, and soon to be two. And indeed, I think your setup is a better investment ahahah!

[@reccazz]

​@@GameTechTalk alot of android game is exaggerated cause of game not support this chip.

[@PInoyHenyoRito]

Its hard to PWM sensitive rp5 odin portal and aya evo all are OLED so for sure all has low PWM it causes fatigue

[@GameTechTalk]

That sucks so much for people that are sensitive to that, sorry to hear.