The AYANEO Next Lite details have dropped.
It will be $300 for the base model, featuring an AMD Ryzen 5 4500 U, which was previously used in the AYANEO 2021 model. There will be an upgraded model of the AYANEO Next Lite, with no pricing mentioned as of now, featuring an AMD Ryzen 7 4800 U, which was previously used in the AYANEO 2021 Pro model.
The Next Lite will be running SteamOS. AYANEO does note here that it is an adapted version based on HoloISO.
Both models will have an 7″ 800p LCD screen, 16GB of RAM, 128GB to 512GB of hard drive space, and a 47Wh battery. Other than the CPU, these specifications are identical to the AYANEO Next, including the shape, size, and weight. While most features of the Next Lite are indeed identical to the Next, the Lite version seems to be lacking the Fingerprint Unlock button and a DisplayPort according to the spec sheet.
Essentially what AYANEO is doing here is taking the processors from the AYANEO 2021 and 2021 Pro models and using them in the AYANEO Next bodies with some minor features taken out to save on cost.
A lot of the benchmarking and performance tests have already been done. In terms of the general performance, the CPU in the AYANEO Next Lite (in the 4800U model) is slightly better than the original LCD (non OLED) Steam Deck, while the GPU is worse. That means you can expect more graphically intense games to perform better on the Steam Deck, while CPU heavy emulation may perform better on the AYANEO Next Lite.
At $300 for the base model of the AYANEO Next Lite with the 4500U, you are competing with the Retroid Pocket 4 Pro at $200, the base Odin 2 at $300, and the 256GB LCD Steam Deck at $400. The Retroid Pocket with a 4.7″ screen, and the Odin 2 with a 6″ screen, are significantly smaller than the AYANEO Next, as well as lighter. These devices focus more on emulation, and not on running PC games natively however. The AYANEO Next is smaller than the Steam Deck but it is also slightly heavier.
For closing thoughts, the price for what you get doesn’t seem too bad considering how expensive AYANEO products usually are. That said, if you’re only emulating up to PS2 games and want a small form factor, the Retroid Pocket 4 Pro seems like a more attractive option considering you save a hundred dollars.
The AYANEO Next Lite seems to compete directly with the Odin 2, for people only considering emulation, and the base Steam Deck, for people considering also playing PC games natively. The Odin 2 is much smaller and lighter but the AYANEO Next Lite can do some native PC gaming. So it all boils down to how big of a screen you want, and whether or not you want to play PC games natively (at least those that run on SteamOS).
Here’s to hoping that this a trend where AYANEO has more budget friendly devices and that the AYANEO Pocket DMG will be around a hundred dollars or less. I know that probably won’t happen, but one can dream.
Ducky Obrien 