Remember the early 2000s when people either had a PSP (PlayStation Portable) or a Nintendo DS? The portable console market was dominated by these two in the past, but our current market holds a plethora of choices, allowing people to buy according to their personal use cases and, of course, budget. You cannot undermine the budget.
The Steam Deck comes to mind when discussing next-gen portable consoles capable of playing PC games. Thankfully, it
isn’t a lonely hill since brands like Lenovo and ROG provided their respective champions. But a new one will
come to light as Ayaneo unveiled its advertised “outstanding cost-effective” NEXT Lite console.
From Ayaneo Official Website
The first thing that stood out was the price. Stated to be at $299 (around ₱16,854 when converted), it is
cheaper than the Steam Deck’s 64GB
variant by ₱6,000. Looking into its blog article, it did state that one of its objectives is to lower the
entry barrier for flagship features, meaning that despite its eye-catching price, it will not hold back on providing
its users the performance that other devices offer.
So what does it offer? Let’s look at its outsides first. Much like the beloved aesthetics of
Nintendo Switches, Ayaneo NEXT Lite provides their own take on vibrant colors and high-end craftsmanship through its
so-called “Explore” design language, engineered to things like ergonomic handles, distinct texture, etc.
Check out some images that Ayaneo illustrated below.
From Ayaneo Official Website
In terms of aesthetics, I fully support it as I am an advocate for minimalist design. Don’t get me wrong, the
design from Steam Deck is also great, but the slimmer form factor that Ayaneo offers is what intrigues me.
Now for its insides. It is equipped with AMD Ryzen 5 4500U and AMD Ryzen 7 4800U processors, a
pre-installed HoloISO, and a streamlined interface for gamers. Its storage and memory combination gives options of
16GB + 128GB for its Ryzen 5 4500U variant and a larger 16GB + 512GB for its Ryzen 7 4800U variant, both with
LPDDR4x 4266Mhz memory. Additionally, it comes with a custom dual-copper-pipe and an advertised
“large-sized” PC-grade turbofan.
From Ayaneo Official Website
The display is also key as it features a 7-inch 800P high-brightness wide-color-gamut IPS screen. There is no mention
of what refresh rate its screen will provide, so stick around for future updates. Since it is a portable console,
the battery is also essential. The Ayaneo NEXT Lite is equipped with a 46Wh battery that supports up to 60W PD fast
charging, so alongside its cooling equipment and optimized operating system, it is advertised to provide a smooth
gaming experience with improved endurance.
Thoughts? I, for one, am excited. I do not plan to play extensive triple-A game titles and instead
would opt for a chill gaming route. If you want to game on the go without carrying a heavy system with you, maybe
you can look into the Ayaneo lines of portable consoles. Check out its detailed spec sheet here to look further into its NEXT lite.
From Ayaneo Official Website
Now, the one element that recent games share is a stable connection to the Internet. If your network has frequent
hiccups, it may be time to grab yourself an upgrade. With PLDT Home Fiber
Plus plans, thanks to its fiber-fast speeds, you can remain connected to your game while scrolling through
social media.