The age of a new generation of gaming consoles is upon us. This holiday season, the PS5 and Xbox Series X will be available to consumers worldwide. However, with Microsoft’s decision to delay its anticipated launch title Halo Infinite to 2021, many might have to rethink which console to get. Others might even think of staying on PCs. If you are among the latter demographic, how about a gaming PC that you can take on-the-go and which allows you to play the latest games?

There’s already a market for such devices which has been filled by the likes of GPD’s portable PCs and the MIA Smach Z. There’s now a new competitor on this niche market which claims to be the “most powerful handheld gaming device”. Enter the AYA-NEO:

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Above is the first video of an early prototype of the device in action; and it was such an early prototype that it was literally held by LEGO bricks. It is currently still in prototype, but has significantly evolved on the design aspect. It sports a Nintendo Switch-like form factor, complete with a touchscreen tablet and detachable controllers. Think of it like Alienware’s concept UFO handheld, but far from being a concept, the AYA-NEO aims to hit the consumer market within 2020 at a reported price tag in the range of $700.

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Yes, if all goes well, this handheld gaming PC will be another option for your console purchase this holiday season along with the PS5 and Xbox Series X; although availability might be limited for the international market as compared to the Chinese one where the device originates. While the AYA-NEO cannot compare hardware-wise with those next-gen consoles, it’s still a PC with the official backing of AMD (according to the official announcement above) and with the entire Steam catalogue at its disposal. For its size, it also sports decent specs (as of writing) as follows:

• SoC: AMD 4500U
• RAM: 16GB DDR4-4266 LPDDR4X
• Storage: 512GB NVMe
• Display: 7-inch 1280x800 IPS screen
• Battery: 47 watt-hour
• Wi-Fi 6
• Detachable joysticks

In the last couple of days, the AYA team has been quite active online with new footage of their device running games such as Death Stranding, The Witcher III, Red Dead Redemption II and Monster Hunter: World, some with the resolution settings set to high and hitting around 40 fps:

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While these are only prototypes, the performance seems impressive considering the sheer size and portability of this device. Sure, one could argue about building a PC with that money but the AYA-NEO is decidedly a niche device aimed at those who want to decently play the latest PC games on-the-go without being too fussy about the need for Ultra visual settings or 60+ fps.

So what are your thoughts on the AYA-NEO from what you’ve seen so far? If it piqued your attention, it might be worth keeping an eye out for the AYA-NEO on its official social media channels linked below from where I sourced the specs and details.

Official AYA-NEO Social Media Channels: Discord, Facebook Group, Reddit, Twitter, Instagram

 

[Brayton1-7]

Do you think this is VR capable?

 

[Jayro]

I am not gonna lie... I was going to assume it would be something like an AMD Ryzen 3 3200G with 8GB of LPDDR4 2133, and maybe a 256GB eMMC module for storage... But these specs blow my mind for a handheld!

 

[gnmmarechal]

Seems alright, I'll be paying attention to this

 

[Stealphie]

I get the feeling this is gonna flop hard.

 

[teamlocust]

nintendo switch not upto his standards... its rich coming from clone console country china... lol

 

[Reecey]

Yes I like this I would be seriously interested. I do prefer handheld on the go gaming nowadays I don’t go for sit down television consoles, it just seems sad and really reclusive, it makes me think people that do sit down tv gaming a lot must wank out very regularly! which is probably true..

 

[raxadian]

Eh... who is gonna buy this thing?

PC gamers are gonna stick with their PCs and maybe stream their games to their smartphones or tablets from their PCs.

Console gamers already have a Switch.

Smartphone gamers can get a Gaming Smartphone instead.

If this has been released months after the Switch, it might have a market.

Nowadays? Hahaha.

 

[AkiraKurusu]

Oh no. Ohhh noooooo.

They screwed up the buttons and the analog sticks, by copying Xbox. That's dumb, and alienates those who never use Xbox controllers.

Hey, Aya Neo, how about making a model with aligned analog sticks, and the (clockwise) XABY button layout? For those who grew up with Nintendo? Or, to aim towards PlayStation users, aligned sticks and Circle/Square/Triangle/Cross?
Something non-Xbox players can find comfortable and doesn't mess with their muscle memory?

 

[ElYubiYubi]

Another month, another Switch knockoff

 

[MadMakuFuuma]

Oh no. Ohhh noooooo.

They screwed up the buttons and the analog sticks, by copying Xbox. That's dumb, and alienates those who never use Xbox controllers.

Hey, Aya Neo, how about making a model with aligned analog sticks, and the (clockwise) XABY button layout? For those who grew up with Nintendo? Or, to aim towards PlayStation users, aligned sticks and Circle/Square/Triangle/Cross?
Something non-Xbox players can find comfortable and doesn't mess with their muscle memory?

i have sega, nintendo, sony and microsoft consoles and controllers/ joysticks, and i never had "muscle memory" problems when i use any of them. in fact, im still use my xbox360 wireless controller (two, to be more precise) on my pc, with all emulators (dolphin, redream, critra, ppsspp, pcsx2, retroarch cores for various retro-consoles etc) without any problem whatsoever.

 

[Obveron]

No gpu?

Price is too high, but most importantly the specs of keel too (no mention of GPU either, possibly the most important aspect, but I guess they will announce this nearer the time, as prices and improvements change quickly (could be RDNA 2).

The 4500u is an APU, the cpu component is 6 core zen2, the graphics is 6 unit Vega.

 

[SuperDan]

How much?

 

[KingVamp]

I didn't even know Smach Z wasn't out yet.

Anyway, didn't get a chance to see the videos, but does this not have TV-out?

 

[Prans]

How much?

it's written in the article: around $700

 

[yoyoyo69]

The 4500u is an APU, the cpu component is 6 core zen2, the graphics is 6 unit Vega.

Thanks for the info, I should have checked (I'm at work, so didn't).

The CPU is actually a bit of a beast, I wonder what the TDP is at full throttle and how long it can sustain max frequency?

I still feel they should reduce the RAM, to be honest, this is looking like a very unbalanced system. Very likely Windows OS (possible it could be Linux, but I seriously doubt it). At that resolution they should go 4 core, 8GB Ram. I'm guessing the RAM is shared with it being an APU.

 

[Justinde75]

This is just going to be smach z 2.0

 

[Deleted member 512337]

These handheld pcs are too powerful for their own good.

 

[Kioku]

Oh no. Ohhh noooooo.

They screwed up the buttons and the analog sticks, by copying Xbox. That's dumb, and alienates those who never use Xbox controllers.

Hey, Aya Neo, how about making a model with aligned analog sticks, and the (clockwise) XABY button layout? For those who grew up with Nintendo? Or, to aim towards PlayStation users, aligned sticks and Circle/Square/Triangle/Cross?
Something non-Xbox players can find comfortable and doesn't mess with their muscle memory?

If you really can't adjust because of the sticks and/or button layout, that's on you. Holy crap.

This is just going to be smach z 2.0

Maybe. Maybe not.

 

[Little_Anonymous_Hacker]

If it had a 1080p or higher OLED screen, I'd definitely buy it.

Spoiler: Offtopic

The meme "can my pc able to run Crysis" was out 13 years ago so who's the copycat? You.

You messed up by not doing your research. Just admit it and move on.

when I use this meme I believe you still wear diaper at time

If this is a meme from 13 years ago, then your implication that he's a baby doesn't even make any sense.

Flame 2 - Leon 0

Spoiler: Rant

I also find that mentality to be very offensive. You don't have to be a baby to wear diapers. Every now and then, when my parents aren't around, I enjoy wearing diapers, using a pacifier, and partaking in other babyish things. It takes me back to a simpler, happier time, and I find it very comforting.

There's a difference between being "childlike" and "childish." Childlike means that you embrace your inner child. I'm very much a mature adult, but I have a very different, yet helpful perspective on life. Childish is what you are being. Petty, vindictive, unwilling to admit that you were wrong, and instead trying to escalate the situation. Lifestyle isn't an indication of maturity. Social and emotional skills and independence are. If you want to be like this, consider leaving GBAtemp and signing up here.

So Leon, who's really being a baby?
</rant>

 

[Rahkeesh]

Oh no. Ohhh noooooo.

They screwed up the buttons and the analog sticks, by copying Xbox. That's dumb, and alienates those who never use Xbox controllers.

Hey, Aya Neo, how about making a model with aligned analog sticks, and the (clockwise) XABY button layout? For those who grew up with Nintendo? Or, to aim towards PlayStation users, aligned sticks and Circle/Square/Triangle/Cross?
Something non-Xbox players can find comfortable and doesn't mess with their muscle memory?

Xbox is the freaking standard on PC. There might be an argument for aligning the analogs but they absolutely need to use this button layout. Mashing the right face button to block in soul calibur feels completely wrong no matter what label it has so they had best conform to the PC industry standard to make sure that happens.