AyaNeo, makers of what feels like a dozen handheld gaming PCs, ran a seven-hour livestream last week detailing the production progress of its "Air" line of handheld Windows gaming PCs (spotted by HotHardware). The Air and Air Pro are super lightweight and thin handheld gaming PCs with OLED displays. The stream looked at the final version of the Air Pro and how significantly smaller it is than a Nintendo Switch and Steam Deck.
We also got to see what's powering the more expensive Air Pro, a Ryzen 7 5825U processor, which is a more powerful version of a similar CPU, with higher clock speeds, than in the other models of the Air that are available for pre-order.
While the Steam Deck's AMD Zen 2 "Van Gogh" CPU still runs laps around the AyaNeo's least powerful line of handhelds, you can still reportedly run games like Elden Ring, God of War, and even Red Dead Redemption 2 (at 30 fps) on low settings at 720p, which is a claim I'd love to put to the test.
The Air series has potential as a retro gaming and emulation system and is definitely prioritizing portability over the raw power needed to run current triple-A games as well as the Steam Deck. Since it's a Windows device, you'll be able to easily access your games on Steam, the Epic Games Store, and the Xbox app. Here's hoping this thing gets SteamOS support from Valve like another Steam Deck competitor is getting.
The Air and Air Pro's most significant selling point is their size and design. Both models are smaller overall than the Steam Deck and Nintendo Switch OLED—the Air looks like a Switch Lite at a glance, even down to the button layout.
The expected shipping window for the AyaNeo Air Pro starts in August, but you can pre-order it right now on AyaNeo's Indiegogo, starting at $571. The models with the most powerful Ryzen CPU will be due out in September, costing $969.
