This man is the only content creator I know who says "let's make this as short as possible" and then drops a 35 minute review, and I love him for it. I really enjoy how he never compromises how thorough his reviews are and doesn't spread things out over multiple videos unless something changes after the first one drops. This channel is just amazing, I've been here since 50K subscribers and still absolutely loving it.
For real. It's the sincerity and the up-front about it. And he clearly knows what he's saying and how you will most likely feel about it. And gives you the checklists of what you will like about it. This is the only one I will ever watch for anything emulation related. He's so informative and strangely takes him so little time to explain what is important and what is left as "complicated spec talk"
I agree. No bait and switch or any other bs. He gets straight to the point and covers all bases to help consumers make the best choice possible. I really love how he doesn't shill for some of these companies. If they screw something up, he will call them out on it. Not too many RU-vidrs do that out of fear of losing sponsorships
@Thompson Evergreen yo be specific it's 699$, 100$ more than crappy 7320u model that is 5x slower than 7840u. How do you think, in this case 100$ worth it? Not to mention, Steam Deck is 399$ for 64gb version and outperform 7320u by A LOT.
Thank you for being upfront about the pricing as that just kills any purpose this device has. I've seen other reviewers dance around mentioning what devices cost or say you can't compare them to the steam deck because it's subsidized. I absolutely can and will as it's my wallet the money has to come out of, and other than a couple android handhelds in the $150 range, I haven't seen anything come close to the value for price of a steam deck.
You can make the argument that the Deck is a bit unwieldy in terms of size and weight. The bigger issue is that the budget Ally is due in Q3 for $10 more than the "early bird pricing." At that point, it's not even a question.
@@kyledoesntgetit5602 "you can make the argument that the Deck is a bit unwieldly in terms of size and weight." Honestly not really. It's very ergonomic to hold, and the most normal use case for it is resting in on a table as you hold it so the weight isn't a big problem.
@@HearMeLearn Trains and busses unfortunately rarely have tables so i can see that being an issue. Not for me, but definitely for some who might also have too small hands to hold it. It's a HANDHELD after all. Still, awful price on AYA's side, might as well have cancelled the thing with how often they'll try to push new ones out.
@@ca9inec0mic58I would have guessed they set that initial price to get attention and a first batch of loyal RU-vidrs to sing its praises. Who in blazes is Ayn and why would they want to troll them so badly as to lose money on console sales?
They'd only have killed (probably eliminated) their profit margin. All it would have gained then is a foothold in the market, but then they'd have to make money on their next product, which would have to be more expensive, so they could make *some* profit, which would have pissed off their customers who bought the cheap version. Only Microsoft can afford to sell units at a loss. Of course they would have made a lot more sales, as you're saying, but they might have made only $25 per unit. That's not worth it.
@@Boogie_the_cat you seem to be living under a rock if you dont know who Ayn is, they made the Odin (best android handheld so far) and when they announced their Loki series (the ones with x86 processor) AYA on literally the SAME DAY announced their Air Linup AT THE SAME PRICE just to screw with ayn, the new kid on the block
Another amazing review, Russ. I'll say it again: the huge price increase absolutely kills any reason to buy this device, there are handhelds better at literally everything (size, battery, performance) at much lower prices, and that's not even including the steam deck.
This device is being sold at a loss to initial backers at $270 , AYA NEO don't expect to sell anymore than a handful at actual price, instead they've focused on 7840U devices that are similar hardware spec and pricing with Ally (the Geek 1S is 16GB 7840U 512GB with a bigger battery for the same price and smaller form factor than the ROG, the 32GB RAM version is only $100 more).
@@creaturecore13 The Air plus indiegogo campaign started in April and people who bought already received their units. All that's left is the intel and mendecino units that have been scheduled for shipping in the middle/ end of this month. Nothing out of the ordinary, and even if they take a couple of weeks longer, they certainly deliver. Are you guys even familiar with how these companies work??
I have an aya neo air not plus, yeah I paid 650 plus for it. I have barely been touching anything else since I got it for Christmas. It is an absolutely perfect device for me. I play tons of indie games on it, it’s a device that got me back into indie pc gaming. Then when I do want to emulate higher end games (ones my RP3+ can’t emulate well) I can do that but just plugged in and docked,I rarely do that. When I’m just rocking my indie games though it’s low powered not building heat not racing for the charger, I get great play from it.
Yeah, i've also been enjoying my win600 since 6 months ago i bought it at 300$. Bought two tiny 256gb flashdisk for it (tiny enough to forget its existence and the whole unit still fit on a nintendo switch sleeve pouch), and that's all i need.
Thank you, Russ! I always appreciate your informative videos! It is always a gamble with some of these devices. Should you wait for something better or pull the trigger now? With that said, I appreciate the honesty and information you provide. I already have a Steam Deck which is glorious, but I mostly use it at home. It isn't quite the "handheld" I'm looking for as it is a bit too large. I'm actually looking for a more portable device that can play almost anything (GameCube, PS2 and Dreamcast included), but is still comfortable and easy to set up. I appreciate you giving alternatives to the AYANEO Air Plus i3 to make the choice a bit easier to swallow.
Steam has a major advantage with the Steam Deck that other handheld pc manufacturers don't, and, like console manufacturers, that's the fact that they own the most popular storefront and launcher for PC gaming. They can sell steam decks at a loss/near loss because they can expect software sales to make them a profit, especially since the steam deck has the potential to turn what would otherwise be console only players into steam customers. It's extremely difficult to produce a handheld that has the same bang for your buck as the steam deck unless you have some kind of pre-existing infrastructure to help offset the cost.
Nice a new video. And Im currently looking for a budget handheld PC. Even better :) Awww man.. no Micro-SD slot. Thats such a shame. Spoilers: So what youre saying is keep saving up for that steam deck. I can do that :)
It does have a microsd slot. I suspect you weren’t really paying attention to the video, just like I wasn’t… Looked back to see him confusingly talking about some Anbernic piece of junk…
Love Retro Game Corps, but I just roll my eyes every time I see an AYANEO video at this point. They release so many devices with meaningless names, random spec configurations, and they all look the same. I guess this strategy works for them or they wouldn't keep doing it, but it makes the coverage of the devices confusing.
Hey Russ, try swiping the fingerprint reader lightly rather than trying to touch the button just the right way. It works much better when you do it like this!
I got the 6800u version and don't regret anything is a great device and honestly price/performance wise is the best of the bunch it was 780 usd when i got it.
The first 35 seconds encompasses everything I’ve been looking for in a retro handled. Although I think I might need ARM for easy sleep, and wake up gaming
With Aya's Mendocino price increase, I'm really curious what's gonna happen with the AYN model. They're still claiming you can buy it for sub $300, but also who knows if/when it'll even ship.
Would love to see a teardown/disassembly video of the intel to confirm 😂, but it was mentioned in a previous aya conference when doing teardown for the 6800u version that the intel/Mendocino is using a different heatsink/cooler. Wonder how many other areas have cutdown/downgrades as well, after charging a premium price for it. Probably the reason why they handicap it to 15W. People were praising this over the Mendocino for usb 4/egpu, with the 15w limit this really makes for a poor experience when docked.
I was super stoked to lay money down on this product when it was first announced at a sub-$300 price. Then they gave the final price. I laughed, and went, "Yeah, that's not budget, I'm fine with what I've got." Shame about it, too--the price seems to be the biggest thing holding this thing back.
I’m dying to see your content on the AYN Loki Mini Pro AMD Mendocino Edition. I ordered mine with “expedited” shipping for about $350. Im hoping THAT device at that price point will punch the budget handheld PC itch we’re all looking for.
18:05 I am really glad you showed Guacamelee that is one of my favorites so I was glad to see how that ran. It would be nice to get an actual budget option in a similar form factor. One of these day they will get there :D
It's a their budget device, however the price does not reflect that. I do know if it sits at all let alone where to place it. It looks great but we don't spend for looks in most cases. Aya Neo you may tank on this one. Thanks for another awesome share🔥👍🏾
Thanks for taking the time to really look at the price. I find a lot of reviewers tend to lose touch with price since they receive many products for free. Of course we'd all have a great time with the most high end products if it didn't cost anything.
Looks like a pretty solid VN handheld. I love the Deck for it, but it's too bulky to use outside because it occupies a big space on my backpack. This one looks like it'd be perfect!
Thanks for the video! I've just finished watching most of your stuff for budget options. If I want to get good 3DS performance what should I get? I've been loking into the Loki Mini Pro, Odin Lite and the RP3+ and Loki Mini Pro seems like the best option but it's not out yet and who knows when and how... there's just so much stuff. What do you recommend doing? Thanks again
This thing can barely run Windows let alone resource intensive games, especially the 8Gb RAM model. If the guts were inside of a laptop instead, it would be the kind of laptop that reviewers say is "good for web browsing, word processing and light photo editing". So its baffling that a product like this made it to release at this price point, no matter what your needs are there will be better options.
I'm not sure whats stopping anbernic, powkiddy, retroid, or others from making a cheap x86 handheld. A mini pc with an N95/N100 chip or other cheap amd/celeron processors repacked into a handheld doesnt seem like a big ask. Those mini PC's are under $200 retail, so a handheld at $200 - $250 should work well. Hell even pre-load it with batocera.
Aya neo is honestly failing hard. With the release of the asus rog ally, it put aya neo into shame for how badly expensive their products. I mean who the heck would pay $750 for i3 device that's weaker than the steam deck. Their devices from aya neo look great, but it's just these ridiculous prices, buggy software, and how they pop out several devices each year. R.I.P aya neo, only they can be saved if they can drop down prices and work on the software. Edit: AND IT'S $50 MORE THAN THE ASUS ROG ALLY! WTF
Thanks for the video. I have the air plus since a couple weeks now. Tried already chimera but there are still some quirks so i went back to windows…. And it sucks. If this thing had the same reliable sleep/wake behavior and more optimized software in general i would easily prefer it over the steamdeck. I am curious what ayaneo’s own Linux OS will improve in that regard.
@@allenfrisch i usually go with hibernate which works 90% i would say. Sleep is really buggy in windows as it seems. But i just played super mario 3d world with it for a while and it is really fun after all ;-)
@@hadouken2123 Nice. Yeah, I really like the Plus overall, but as Russ mentioned mine gets super hot on the right hand grip when I play AAA games like Diablo IV. Works great, but it's too uncomfortable for my taste. I end up playing on the Geek which handles heat dispersion like a champ!!
@@allenfrisch tripleA games on this 6inch panel are really questionable to start with however. You have the 6800u or intel air plus? Today i started messing around with the fan controls and i can play wiiu with fans at slightly below 2000rpm. Still cool to the touch with 12tdp ✌️
@@hadouken2123 Totally agree about the 6” screen. Yet another reason I’ve come to prefer playing on the Geek. I have the 6800U version of the Plus. Planning on selling it now though. It’s just not as ergonomic as the original Air. The Geek is pretty big, but it’s super comfy in the hand, has a bigger screen and better analog sticks, and really doesn’t compromise on any of the things I care about.
This is why you never back these indigogo projects they will send the products to a very specific group of youtubers that really wont say anything bad enough to keep you from backing the project, but something always seems to happen where they do not ship in time. So you are left waiting for weeks to get one. Then a new chip will release leaving the customer with instant buyers remorse.
Bad value is bad value, no amount of cognitive dissonance can make up for it :( still waiting for a compact 300$ Mendocino for same reasons (indies, emu on the go)
Aya and Ayn were scummy when they tried to make everyone wait rather than get the Anbernic. Now, yes the Win 600 had issues but now Aya and Ayn are shown to have been taking people for fools. Which, if that's how they think of their customers, then I'd stay away.
Thank you for mentioning the heat problems. That was the main issue with the original Ayaneo Air and few people touched on that. It doesn't make much sense to pack that much power on this form factor if the heat will make it uncomfortable to use.
I love this videos for some reason I started watching a video while on the gym, now every time I work out I put this videos strange but works plus he convinced me on buying retro emulation consoles and it's awesome now I'm looking for a PC gaming device
Not able to watch this in full yet, only the summary but 1. Did they downgrade the cooling compared to 6800u version? I don't remember hearing the same complaints for heat for that model that was going over 15w. 2. Able to go over 15w tdp via 3rd party tool? 15w is really like the minimum intel rates the chip for.
@@Moes_Prep_and_Techjust watched one of Aya neo previous conference where they teardown the 6800u air plus, it was shown there that the intel/Mendocino version has a different (presumably worse) heatsink/cooling.
Ill stick to my retroid flip for more retro stuff (up to GBA), my modded N-2DS-XL for duel screen games, and my steam deck for everything else. And honestly, this is the kind of setup i recommend for anyone wanting to get get the game feel for most games. Something for retro like a Retroid, Miyoo, or Anbernic. and something for modern titles being the steamdeck for a budget friendly that can play AAA games on low settings or up to ps3 emulation with no issue, or the ROG Ally to play them on high settings, albeit with the pains that comes with windows 11 on a mobile device.
So I could buy an Aya Neo Air Plus, or for the same amount of money, get a Steam Deck and a RP3+? Hmm, Aya makes a compelling offer 😂 Thanks for the reviews, I love your perspective on the industry
As someone who was really excited for the Air Plus, I'm kind of glad I ended up getting a Steam Deck instead. It's very sad to me that companies promise budget options only to never deliver.
I preordered 1215u+16 with AYN. That’s exactly what I hoped for PS360 era games and some emulation. Waited for 5 months before it was cancelled. They even returned 150 NOK less. Either way, have preordered GEEK 1S now. Still gonna play same set of games, but on High Settings.
This device reminds me of the new Ford F-150 Lightning. Ford initially released it around the mid-40s. They have increased the price significantly in the past year due to "market trends". I understand supply chain issues but I think a lot of these companies are just taking advantage of 'FOMO' from a lot of consumers.
I feel bad, i really was all on board for the loki max, but AYN is just so bad at managing expectations or communication. In that time the left so much room for other system to come out or be announced that under cut or out preformed them. Does not help that the steam deck finally went on sale right around the peak of them going radio silent. I picked up a steam deck expecting to be underwhelmed and then i would wait out on the loki, but instead i ended up loving the steam deck for what i need it for so i cancelled my loki and used some of that money back to up the ssd, sd card, joy sticks, and shell of the deck for less than the loki would have been. I really wish AYN would run campaigns farther into the process. they earn a lot of ill will even when they make thing better.
dude, don't take Taki udon bullshit, the win600 is a fantastic machine that plays up to wiiu emulation and is only 300 dollar! it is a FANTASTIC emulation device !!
At this point it's a surprise (or suspicious) AYN hasn't changed the price of loki mini pro yet. I just checked their website, and the amd version still can be preordered for 299USD, although the intel version is now missing...
Nice nod to Retrobat, I didn’t realize (or had forgotten?) that EmuDeck was working on a Windows version of its script-that’s going to be killer! As you and others have noted, the price unfortunately undercuts any value of this device for me. It’s a slick device, don’t get me wrong, and at $299 I would have bought one as a companion device, even though I already own a Steam Deck. But at such a high cost, this goes from faux-impulse purchase territory to can’t-possibly-justify territory for me. Great work, though, as always!
im surprised they never thought of implementing an FSR plugin. Take magpie for example, all it does is scale up the game window to fullscreen using FSR
You know with the z1 version of the ROG ally releasing later and every reviewer saying to not buy it, IF they don’t cancel the whole thing then we will probably see it drop from 600 to 500 in a month or two. I think at 400-450 that device will be amazing for those who like the steam deck but want a windows handheld. And maybe we will finally have an actual budget windows handheld.
This is my favorite size/format of all the handhelds I have ever seen i just don’t want a windows machine. My dream would be for the next steam deck to look just like this.
![“Budget” Handheld PC [AYANEO Air Plus Intel i3 1215U Review]](/img/logo.svg){kind=logo}
