The Steam Deck was a revolution in the gaming industry; This is the product that demonstrated that it is possible to create very powerful and complete consoles using computer hardware. This is all thanks to the improved efficiency of the latest AMD processors, which are also used by alternatives like the ROG Ally and which allow the latest PC games to be run smoothly.
These consoles are essentially laptops with an even more portable form factor, with an integrated screen and controls and reduced weight and size. Most run Windows 11, except for the Steam Deck which uses a custom Linux system, SteamOS, and are Compatible with the most recent versions as well as classic games. However, this also means that most are priced much higher than “normal” consoles like the Nintendo Switch.
Now comes a console that can still shake up the sector, by aiming at a very low price and which should be within the reach of a greater number of players: the Ayaneo Next Lite with a starting price of $300. A price that corresponds to that of the Nintendo Switch, even if it is much more powerful and offers more possibilities because it is based on PC hardware.
Ayaneo has become one of the most popular and ambitious brands in this new portable console market, with models like the Ayaneo Flip DS with two screens that set it apart from the rest. With the Next Lite, the company presents its most accessible and basic model, while maintaining the basic design of other models like the Ayaneo 2 and the Steam Deck, with a central screen surrounded by the usual controls. We won’t find any special additions here, but we don’t need them.
Obviously, with a price of $300, some sacrifices had to be made, and the main one concerns the processor. Ayaneo has opted for an older generation of AMD processors, which will result in lower performance compared to the Steam Deck as well as higher power consumption. But that doesn’t mean they’re bad processors, with the ability to choose between the Ryzen 5 4500U or the Ryzen 7 4800U, both with 16 GB of RAM; a configuration that should be enough to run most games that can be run on more expensive consoles, but with lower quality graphics or lower frame rates. Another sacrifice concerns the screen: forget an OLED screen, although the 7-inch IPS panel with 1080p resolution shouldn’t be bad.
The Ayaneo Next Lite uses a version of the Steam Deck operating system
The comparison to the Steam Deck makes a lot of sense, and not just because it’s a console based on the same form factor and costs less; The Ayaneo Next Lite uses the same operating system as the Steam Deck, technically speaking. In reality, it is HoloISO, a system based on SteamOS source code that has been optimized for the Next Lite by Ayaneo. On paper, this should result in the same level of gaming compatibility as the Steam Deck, but just in case, Ayaneo has promised to release the necessary drivers to allow users to install Windows 11 if they prefer.
The choice of operating system is probably the only unknown with this Ayaneo Next Lite, but enthusiasts should not have many problems and could even see it as a positive point. What is clear is that this launch can cause reactions in the market, like those caused by the Steam Deck. The Ayaneo Next Lite will be available “soon”.
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