In late March, images and videos of retro handheld manufacturer Anbernic's rumoured handheld gaming PC surfaced. Back then, a source close to Anbernic confirmed to GBAtemp about the existence of this device and that it could potentially run on SteamOS. Today, Anbernic officially unveiled the system, named win600, and shared a video of the device running on Windows 10 and SteamOS:

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This marks the first official statement from the company about the Anbernic win600. While not much else has been revealed regarding a price range, specs and launch window, this move could have been precipitated following online rumours that the device was cancelled. Today's news squashes those rumours flat but it could also be motivated by the fact that AYANEO also plans to reveal its own smaller handheld gaming PC, the AYANEO AIR, later this week. Depending on the price and specs, these two could be direct competitors.

Based on the description, the win600 is said to offer a "dual system gaming experience". While details aren't available at this time, it might mean that the device could support dual boot for Windows 10 and SteamOS, somewhat akin to what Anbernic's RG522 device did with LinuxOS and Android through different microSD cards. But this detail has to be confirmed.

What appears to be more certain is that, from the video shared above, the Anbernic win600 appears to pack a smaller, more pocketable form factor than other handheld gaming PCs on the market. And depending on the official dimensions, it could be the smallest such device to date and this could be a key leverage for the marketing of this device as it is targeted for older games and indie titles. Clearing your backlog and playing bouts of indie PC games on-the-go on a device that actually fits one's pocket might entice a certain subset of gamers. And if the price is more affordable than the $300+ counterparts on the market, the Anbernic win600 might open up handheld gaming PCs to a whole new market of gamers. But these are all speculations at this point and we will have to wait for more official announcements. Hopefully, we won't have to wait long for these; but it's encouraging to see more options becoming available for gamers.

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[peteruk]

Do I need... No

Do I want... Yep !

 

[gaga941021]

Looks uncomfortable.

 

[Veho]

Clearing your backlog and playing bouts of indie PC games on-the-go on a device that actually fits one's pocket might entice a certain subset of gamers.​

Me. I am that subset of gamers.
Now give me a $300 price tag and I'm SOLD, baby!

 

[eyeliner]

Highly doubt that the specs are in the vicinity of the Steam Deck.
This seems a glorified iteration of what they already have released.

Another piece of trash that could be a whole lot better.

 

[lokomelo]

When you hold an Anbernic, that thing scream high quality. They are really amazing on manufacturing stuff and on design too, in this aspect it tops even Steam Deck IMO.

The specs tho... oh... they really go with old weak chips, so my guess is that this thing will be an indie machine and will struggle to emulate PS2.

Edit: I saw the pictures, and they stacked the shoulder/trigger buttons, and that is amazing, Anbernic has the awful tradition of putting them side by side.

https://i2.wp.com/obscurehandhelds.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/anbernic_win600_top.jpg?ssl=1

 

[Prans]

When you hold an Anbernic, that thing scream high quality. They are really amazing on manufacturing stuff and on design too, in this aspect it tops even Steam Deck IMO.

The specs tho... oh... they really go with old weak chips, so my guess is that this thing will be an indie machine and will struggle to emulate PS2.

Edit: I saw the pictures, and they stacked the shoulder/trigger buttons, and that is amazing, Anbernic has the awful tradition of putting them side by side.

https://i2.wp.com/obscurehandhelds.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/anbernic_win600_top.jpg?ssl=1

Indeed, it looks more geared towards indie titles and retro games rather than AAA current-gen gaming (also supported by the layout of the buttons). I hope to see a metal shell version which Anbernic perfected with the RG350 and RG351 line!

And yes, the shoulder buttons are stacked and this video shows more details of an engineering sample:

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[MikaDubbz]

Looks uncomfortable.

So does the Steam Deck in my honest opinion, it's too big, and the placement of its dpad and ABXY buttons looks super cramped. Yet everyone online keeps sucking it off as if it's God's perfect gift to us all.

 

[AngryCinnabon]

Personally not gonna bother because i've got a Q2 Steam deck coming my way in (likely) June, but this could be really interesting especially for those who don't need the deck or any other competitor's relatively beefy hardware for their desired games, if it's 300$ or less then it's gonna more than likely be worth the price.

So does the Steam Deck in my honest opinion, it's too big, and the placement of its dpad and ABXY buttons looks super cramped. Yet everyone online keeps sucking it off as if it's God's perfect gift to us all.

Gonna be real with ya, i kinda feel the same way about it despite praising the deck, i 3d printed one at a library and it wasn't the most cozy thing...Hopefully it still is comfortable enough for me when the real deal arrives.

 

[ital]

Their design quality has made huge leaps backwards and it looks cheap compared to their usual output. That said the more devices in this space the better for us as someone will get specs, screen and ergonomics right at a good pricepoint.

Then we can be happy little nerds, nerding away quietly.

 

[djpannda]

idk. Pre-deck . if it less than $500.. would of been an instant buy but at this point if its not under 400$ or at least similar specs then its just going to be the runner up choice for people in after Q3.

 

[Xzi]

Good to see Steam Deck is already inspiring competition, though as others have noted, I doubt the specs will be in that same range.

 

[Xzi]

So does the Steam Deck in my honest opinion, it's too big, and the placement of its dpad and ABXY buttons looks super cramped. Yet everyone online keeps sucking it off as if it's God's perfect gift to us all.

Gonna be real with ya, i kinda feel the same way about it despite praising the deck, i 3d printed one at a library and it wasn't the most cozy thing...Hopefully it still is comfortable enough for me when the real deal arrives.

It's almost the exact same size as Switch with a Hori SplitPad Pro attached. IMO that's right around perfect for adult hands, anything smaller/flatter causes cramps after a while.

 

[MikaDubbz]

It's almost the exact same size as Switch with a Hori SplitPad Pro attached. IMO that's right around perfect for adult hands, anything smaller/flatter causes cramps after a while.

Yeah, I have a pair of SplitPad Pro, and I'm not crazy about the extra size it adds to the device, it's a good thing they don't also have rumble, gyro, nfc, and a battery built in there, or the extra weight would really get in the way. My hands get tired from the weight after an hour with a standard Switch, and normal Joy-Con, I imagine it would only take half as long with the Steam Deck. And even if it somehow doesn't, my biggest grievance with the Steam Deck is that awful cramped-looking placement of the D-Pad and ABXY buttons.

Love the idea of the Steam Deck, really not a fan of the execution, hopefully the inevitable model 2 will fix my issues.

 

[guily6669]

After Steam Deck I'm sure every year will keep showing up new random PC handhelds but if they all go with the before Steam Deck pricing they will all keep being just a niche.

Now if a lot of good stuff appears in Steam Deck price range or even lower, I'm sure will get a lot of buzz depending on what it is off course...

When the upcoming AMD APU's get released I'm sure they will get very competitive in terms of performance but it will all depend on prices.

 

[gamewitch]

Hopefully this has a pric3e around or loweer than the Steam Deck other wise it just doesn't make a lot of sense. I think the Deck having RDNA2 for it's APU is gonna cause it to stay relevant for a fair bit not even touching on the software side that blows the other PC handhelds out there out of the water in the usability department. But I am glad to see the handheld PC market heating up all ready now all we need is some more bigger names to start jumping in.

 

[Xzi]

My hands get tired from the weight after an hour with a standard Switch, and normal Joy-Con, I imagine it would only take half as long with the Steam Deck.

I'm both sorry for, and jealous of how skinny you must be.

And even if it somehow doesn't, my biggest grievance with the Steam Deck is that awful cramped-looking placement of the D-Pad and ABXY buttons.

I kind of agree with the D-pad placement not being great, but I don't think the buttons will be an issue at all. They're again similarly placed to the Hori Splitpad, which hasn't been disconnected from my Switch since I bought it (except to boot into Atmosphere *cough*).

 

[gamewitch]

I kind of agree with the D-pad placement not being great, but I don't think the buttons will be an issue at all. They're again similarly placed to the Hori Splitpad, which hasn't been disconnected from my Switch since I bought it (except to boot into Atmosphere *cough*).

Yeah it's taken me a minute since I got my Deck to adjust to the DPad placement but I can't think of any where else Valve could of really put it with out axing the track pads which have been surprisingly helpful on the Deck for me so far and the device would for sure take a usability hit with out them.

 

[Xzi]

Yeah it's taken me a minute since I got my Deck to adjust to the DPad placement but I can't think of any where else Valve could of really put it with out axing the track pads which have been surprisingly helpful on the Deck for me so far and the device would for sure take a usability hit with out them.

At the same time, does it really need two trackpads when the most common use would be as a mouse? I guess that is where the light rumble motor is built in, and you can assign the left trackpad to function as a D-pad, but still.

 

[gamewitch]

At the same time, does it really need two trackpads when the most common use would be as a mouse? I guess that is where the light rumble motor is built in, and you can assign the left trackpad to function as a D-pad, but still.

Actually yes as I've been using one for hotkeys and the other for mouse stuff and from the other Deck owners I've talked to this isn't an uncommon thing to be doing either for games that don't have gamepad support. Hell it's how I have my hotbar in Minecraft accessed, I have the left one set to some core hot keys and the hotbar (I needed more keys as I've been playing modded so needed extra commands for a few of the mods in the modpack I'm playing)

EDIT: I'll add it's one of those things about the Deck that sounds a bit strange on paper but that then makes a lot more sense with the device actually in hand. For me a good example of this was the extra 4 back buttons on the grips, they made zero se4nse to me until I started using them for Minecraft for a few things and suddenly they started to click and make a lot more sense.