As someone who has no means to get a portable PC anytime soon, I am loving all of these options put onto the market. One of these days I will be a kid in a candy store and try and figure out who I want. Thank you immensely for all of these videos.
As a Ayaneo 2 owner, I appreciate your thorough comparison with the 2 vs 2S .. also I did upgrade the Heat Copper dissipation cooling on my own so it's nice from them to give us a free upgrade..
I like how you point out from the beginning that it's a luxury product. I hate watching a video only to find out at the end that it's out of my price range. I still enjoy the video, but it doesn't feel like a tease when i know from the get go that it's unobtanium-based gaming.
Hey Russ! Thank you for mentioning the flickering screen. In case of Air Plus that was somewhat understandable, but I don't get why they used PWM on a flagship model. If I had decided to buy it, I would have been in for a nasty surprise. If only I could leave more than one like under the video:) Have a great day!
As an owner of Ayaneo 2, Steamdeck, and now an Ally, I’d not buy another handheld without VRR - these things don’t hold a solid fps in most games, and that variable refresh rate is incredibly valuable as it makes everything feel smooth and tearing-free without compromising responsiveness.
I fully agree, I have had a steam deck and an ayaneo geek and now a rog ally. Sold the geek and the deck. Loved the geek wasn’t a big deck guy. The vrr is a must. I love the look and feel of the ayaneo and if they add vrr to any model I’m gonna pick it up. As of now Rog Ally is the best handheld to buy without a doubt.
handhelds are officially in the pulling-prices-out-of-hat stage. $1000 to play Spider Man for an hour and a half before plugging it right back into the wall.
Thank you for covering PWM in these videos!! So few do this, but I am affect by it and it's incredibly challenging at times to figure out which devices are fine or not. Appreciate it more than you know 🥰
Quality control and the support after buying their devices is a nightmare with this company so will never by from them again. but i must admit they make some beautiful devices. Love your videos so keep them coming.
yeah my Aya Neo 2 failed within 4 hours of it arriving. Sent it back for repairs. Got it back 9 weeks later with a couple of scratches on the body of the unit. Never buying from them again.
In all fairness, they did announce a motherboard upgrade. Not sure how much they will charge. I think it's cool that they offer free upgrades and it's not necessarily fair to use that as a negative. Great review otherwise, just a difference of perspective. I also think it's more comfortable for longer gaming sessions than the SteamDeck. Just my two cents though.
I bought the Rog ally this week, and I was very disappointed with the performance. I was hoping it would be capable, of replacing my aya Neo 2, but it just had so many issues. I just went ahead with the aya Neo 2s, and it’s nice to see there’s been significant improvement from the aya Neo 2. Absolutely beautiful devices these are.
Just got one too. I had originally pre-ordered the Loki Max and waited a year with no delivery! Pre-ordered the 2S and got it in 2 months. Very happy with my decision
Ive heard issues with a back light issue on the right side where its way to bright and that theres a hot spot on that same side being painfull to the touch, have you experienced any of that
From the new page I cant even see whats the difference betweeen the Geek 1s and the 2s are, both now have 1200p screens and the same processor? Is the only difference the glass front? Edit: on the page it also has a 1200p geek version, so just the bezels then?
I would like a video of moderate use after 2-3 months. I hear their quality control is horrible and makes me completely avoid them at their price point.
Completely agree, and honestly I don't think I could play a game at 30 fps after always playing at 60-120 on everything else. Until these can play AAA games 60fps at least at low settings, I won't consider them lol
I hope the 2S doesn't suffer from cracking, AYA used some cheap plastic in the 2. My AYANEO 2 has crack around the vents. I'm really just waiting on a 32gb model of the ROG Ally.
I'd rather run at 720 - 800p with high settings, wish we could see a video showing that/best visuals over always favoring fps and battery, 1200p is eating up a lot it's why the geek with the 800p screen seems like a smarter decision...also comparing performance results to the rog ally would be interesting
I had the 2 non-S bought through indiegogo hut ended up cancelling it at the last minute. Im glad i did cause not long after the ally was announced. The "screwless" stuff is really just a huge pain in the ass for people that like to tinker with their stuff, and it still doesnt have trackpads so even with the updated 2s i just dont see the justification over the ally. Really RAM is the only thing imo. I already put a 2TB nvme and a 1TB sd in my ally and swapped out the paste with kryosheet and its an awesome device. I play near a plug 95% of the time so the crap battery life doesnt really bother me, and if im getting another device with no track pads then i think the ally is the best in that category anyway.
I just bought a 6800U handheld. Happy with it, plays all the games I care about. I don't need an upgrade for the next 8-10 years. By that time Something else will come around that be more powerful, cheaper than this or the ROG Ally.
I wish there was more gameplay shown at sub 1080p res, or using FSR/XeSS, etc. APUs are memory bandwidth limited; spending that bandwidth on resolution over FPS on a 7/8" screen is just wasteful imo.
I was thinking about getting an Ayaneo handheld but I’m conflicted. Can you upgrade your Ayaneo 2 with the upgrades they sent you and test the upgrades vs the 2s?
There are technologies that improve battery capacity up to ×10-20 times . They exist for years. But they are much more expensive than regular batteries. And, of course, nobody would mass produce them, because companies need to sell their production as often as possible.
I think, instead of releasing 1-2 really good devices with long term support, Ayaneo should release a few hundred devices and configurations. Customers will love it! Oh wait ... 😱
I will never buy an Aya Neo product, much less at such a premium price, because of their release pace. Dropping $1k+ on a product only to have it rendered outdated a few months later is the perfect recipe for buyer's remorse.
@@kc-me6wl Love it. I had the A1, and upgraded to the pro. No complaints over the last year, and has completely changed my gaming habits for the better
@MrREAPERsz yes battery life is good...yesterday did about 1.5hr of scars above and 1 hour of dave the diver from 100% running at about 9w...still had something like 71% left by end of my session! Feels great too...really prefer it over the rog ally simply because the screen size is fantastic! Won't do another handheld unless it has a big screen now like the aokzoe a1 pro!
Nearly everything about AyaNeo 2s is perfect, except the price.. If the models were ~$200 cheaper I very likely would have bought my first handheld. I consider it better than the Rog Ally in nearly everyway, starting with the unmatched 7' no bezel display which looks beautiful (Rog Ally has ugly bezels, but the 120hz VRR screen is great otherwise). Looks and Aesthetic wise there is nothing that equals the AyaNeo 2s in my opinion (White is Best imo). The larger 50.25Wh battery is another major advantage over the inferior Steam Deck/Rog Ally. Fastest Lpddr5x memory speed at 7500mhz gives it the edge in performance and allows it to tie the Aokzoe A1 Pro and Gpd Win Max 2, at the top.
@@bahoaday Considering that AyaNeo 2 owners get FREE upgrade kits for the cooling/triggers, I'd consider that nearly unprecedented support for a device. I know you mean the customer support though, and I've seen enough to indicate it is subpar, yes. I'm speaking about the strengths of the device based on its own merit, not customer service though. Nothing will beat a Rog Ally that one bought at Best Buy in terms of support and ease of returns/replacements and the like.
@slickrounder6045 Ayaneo makes the best looking pc handhelds and they all look premium. They are the only brand making products without bezels. The rog ally performance may be great but visually it's nothing to write home about.
Stay on 720p and manage your TDP usage, call it a day on the battery. These battery consumptions just don't justify the prices. You are going to benefit more when it's docked but for that just build a mini PC or PC in general for that kind of money. Happy gaming.
As someone who recently purchased an ROG Ally, I can’t help but agree with you… if you prefer sitting at your desk or even plugged into a TV. Nothing wrong with that, we all have preferences and that’s why so many options are a good thing! I love playing portably on switch, especially on the OLED, compared to my middling TV. Though I certainly wish the battery was better on these devices, the amount of freedom the handheld PC is awesome… especially after getting a battery pack lol. Battery tech is lagging behind chipsets, and I find we’ve finally hit the line of performance to price to battery to finally bite now without waiting for yet ANOTHER year, as I personally have done for half a decade now. I would not pay 1000 for a device in this market for sure, but it is exciting and I’m glad the market is blossoming in such an exciting way. They’re not for everyone, but they certainly are for many!
I see people complaining about how they're disappointed with the ROG Ally because they aren't getting over 60FPS with decent battery life on AAA games. People really need to temper their expectations and know that no matter what price they pay, they're always going to be picking their battles with the battery of any of these devices. I have a ROG Ally, and at 10 watts, I can play FF7 Remake @720p 30 FPS for 2 hours and 30 minutes. To be able to play that kind of a AAA game in the palm of my hands for that long is incredible, but very few people appreciate those results because they're expecting way too much. Being satisfied with these devices is about picking your battles. If you're near an outlet, turn up those settings. When you're not, turn 'em down. There are people out there expecting to get over 2 hours of battery life while running at high TDP's and frames, and it just isn't realistic.
@@trustandtraveler I bought an Ayaneo Air with the OLED screen, yes I know the chip is not ideal for high end AAA gaming however I bought it simply because it's the thinnest variant they offered and also I'm not a fan of bulky handhelds. The fact that I can play light gaming on a light handled at 720p all day and it still looks beautiful in OLED for a small form factor won me over. I also knew the battery wasn't great but if you do your homework and make the device run to your needs you can make it work best for you.
@@TheSixthSLoT Chipsets are only getting better over time. That's just how it is. The Ally is too bulky and the Dpad is a no GO for me. Batteries can only last so long if the TDP is high and the battery is doing it's job. Just don't expect countless hours. You are paying for the chip and form factor. But the battery life just doesn't cut for me but I can't put it all on the battery as well. It comes down to what you want.
hey Russ, thank you for your videos as always, they are a pleasure to watch. i have a question based on ur vast expericence and thorough analysis of basically all major portable gaming devices released in the past couple of yrs - if u could make a sort of a Frankenstein monster (in a good way) of a handheld, like, taking only the best parts of other handhelds that u reviewed, what would it look like? for example. the D-pad would come from xxx coz u think it's the best, face buttons u would borrow from yyy coz nothing feels better, screen from zzz, again, coz u found it to be superior to others. kind of a "perfect handheld" territory but it would be awesome to see a video where at the end u list down what u like and when it comes to the things u don't like, well, there would be none! ;D thanx again, Russ, all the best.
I don't think its a great idea to get the handhelds that are on the bleeding edge of tech specs/pricing. The steam deck I feel is the best price to performance choice out there
Unless a device just blows the deck away in battery life I'll just stick with the deck. I'll look into the aokzoe a1 as a backup in the future. Thing has good battery life
@@todoroki4418 mini led will not increase performance or fps 😂.. the screen is already on par with oled Not to mention oled and mini led consume more battery ❌
The onexfly is by far the most comfortable handheld. Steamdeck is heavier and wayyy too wide due the ridiculous inclusion of track pads which are a niche input device.
One serious problem with AyaNeo 2s / 1s - on Steam, the left button responsible (on Steam Deck) for bringing up the (left sidebar) menu doesn't work. Without it, it makes Steam pretty much unusable. Any way to fix it ??? (this is serious downside I would said). It would be great to point such things out in the review. I bought Geek 1S, and I was expecting that using steam (Big picture mode) is rather flawless. It turns out that xbox / guide button (left button on steam deck) is not recognized :(((
Another great looking device from Ayaneo, but as a broken record I'm so happy with my $300 Steam Deck I don't see upgrading anytime soon at all. Performance is still great in my opinion and its the low TDP champ.
This is certainly a breakthrough for a gaming PC that you hold in the palm of your hand...but I'm not sure it is worth the money if I can get the same cash and spend on a much more powerful desktop PC. I mean yeah, ok, play your triple A games wherever you are whenever you want, it's a handheld PC after all...but for this price tag I prefer to stick to a regular desktop PC and phone games for distraction when I'm not at my desk to play my triple A shit. Not mentioning I can spend hours playing my PC games on a traditional platform without worrying about battery time, or even replacing the battery itself or other components such as the CPU or the graphics chip, which is usually a challenge when we talk about portable equipment.
For Infamous, keep in mind that this game ran unlocked on original hardware, so the framerates here are actually most likely bettwe than on actual PS3...
If you took this to a deserted island, you could enjoy it for 1-2 hours before it ran out of battery. I really don’t get the high end market for handheld PCs. The need to be close to a power source takes away from the portability of the device and constrains it to living room play.
Quite the beast. At that price point, I might as well save up some more cash and just upgrade my laptop, while hoping the steam deck 2 release is just over the horizon
We won't get Steam Deck 2 anytime soon, first we will get a minor steam deck upgraded version, Steam Deck add another year or 2 after that.... Ally 2 will be out by then
I mean, if you want a high-end laptop it can be $3000+ so... PC gaming is basically all about long-term investments, and even with moore's law this thing isn't likely to be outdone for a while unless valve is willing to eat even more of the cost for the steamdeck than they already are. Steam Decks are sold at a loss as it is.
if you need extra control, hardpoints like i do, having 1 1/2 hand *6 fingers, then the steam deck or BT w/ Xbox series x Controller is a must for eaze of use and comfort.. I've been taking my right hand off the stick adnd or buttons to hit R1 and have to sit to comfortably use m kneed for R2 for nearly 30 years of gaming.. With the controls on the xbox series x controller and steam deck i can use my remapped steam profile to make L4 &L5 back buttons my R1 and R2. After breaking my first one :), w/ no proper cmos b sure to smokless carefully lol. but that said my deck ran amazing at 30wts and 2,000kmhz on gpu and 3. 6 ish on cpu, All the newest games ran portable on the steam deck at. over forty two FPS rarely going over eighteen watts total, That's before I even got to undervolting and setting my. regular watts increase. at seventeen to twenty one before i mis clicked and oopsied it...
It’s definitely much more comfortable! If you can play on the cramped win 4 this will feel amazing. I would go with the Ayaneo Geek though. It’s definitely more comfortable then the 2’s due to the joystick placement
