AYANEO’s new console, the AYANEO Geek, is now available for pre-order with an estimated shipping date of mid-January 2023.
What Is the AYANEO Geek?
As with the AYANEO Air before it, the AYANEO Geek is the company’s latest high-powered PC handheld.
Where the AYANEO Geek differs from its previous consoles, though, that’s where things get interesting. Rather than releasing yet another handheld PC, AYANEO is attempting to remedy industry-wide problems through clever design, with a focus on the handheld’s controller design.
A Controller-centric Design
AYANEO has opted to go with “Hall joysticks,” which the company says will never suffer from drift and have no deadzones. As someone with a PS5, this makes us a little bit jealous.
Then there are the Hall triggers, which make use of electromagnetic induction tech to transmit more information more accurately than standard triggers. As with the joysticks, these won’t degrade over time either. Ooft.
AYANEO also decided to ditch back buttons, the same you’d find on the Steam Deck, and instead go with nubbins placed next to the L1 and R1 buttons (named LC and RC).
The face buttons are customizable as well, meaning if you’re playing a Japanese game and want to switch B and A, you totally can.
Lastly, it’s possible to conserve power by disabling the controller functionality completely. This may seem like an odd inclusion, but for those who prefer to use an external controller via Bluetooth, there’s no need to have something that drains the battery turned on. It makes sense.
- No Deadzone on the sticks
- Adjust vibration strength
- Switch face button layout
- Controllers can be turned off to save power
AYANEO Geek Specifications
In terms of power, the AYANEO Geek should be able to run just about everything to some extent. Whether that’s the latest AAA titles or retro games, the Ryzen CPU and meaty RAM is a winning combination if it’s power you’re after.
There’s a massive amount of storage, too. Even the Steam Deck maxes out at 512GB, so to see a 2TB option is frankly shocking.
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 6600U/6800U
- RAM: 16GB/32GB
- Storage: 512GB/1TB/2TB (M.2 2280 SSD)
- Resolution: 1280 by 800
- Battery: 50.25Wh
- Operating System: AYANEO Space (Windows 11) and AYANEO OS
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2
- TDP: 15 to 32W
- Colors: Fantasy Black, Crystal Purple
AYANEO Geek Price
It’s worth noting, there’s currently an early-bird offer on the AYANEO Geek Indiegogo campaign which saves potential owners up to 21 percent of the marked price.
In terms of pricing, it’s quite expensive, obviously. But then again, given the specs and the sheer power on display, and the “ultra high capacity battery” claim, the pricing does make sense, even if it is a price a lot of folk won’t be able to afford.
If you’re interested, you can pre-order the AYANEO Geek over on the AYANEO IndieGoGo page.
- 6800U: 16G/512G – $949/£847
- 6800U: 16G/1TB – $1169/£1042
- 6800U: 16G/2TB – $1269/£1132
- 6800U: 32G/2TB – $1369/£1220
Alternatives to the AYANEO Geek
If we’re talking direct comparisons, the big one right now is the AOKZOE A1. On the power front, the AOKZOE matches the AYANEO Geek on nearly all fronts. Even the pricing – $1099 to $1499 – is on a similar footing.
Of course, if you’re after something capable of playing AAA titles and all retro gaming devices, the Steam Deck is a much more wallet-friendly alternative at $399 to $549 depending on which storage option you want (the Steam Deck can also run Windows as well).
Going even more affordable, the Retroid Pocket 3S Plus is looking like the best value for money at the lower end of the spectrum and a solid alternative to the AYN Odin and the Logitech G Cloud. We’re still waiting on a price for the 3S Plus but we’re expecting it to come in below the $200 mark.
