Ayaneo 2 review: a powerful, high-end portable gaming device
Our Verdict
The Ayaneo 2 packs powerful performance into a gorgeous handheld package with excellent controls and a seriously impressive screen. While predictable PC gaming gripes come to spoil the party, it’s a wonderful ride once everything settles down, even if it is more than twice the price of a Steam Deck. Be prepared for tech fiddling and a bit of sticker shock and you may just fall in love.
- Gorgeous, bezel-less screen
- Premium design with great ergonomics
- Best-in-class performance
- Very expensive
- Triggers could be sturdier
It seems like there has been a little resurgence in portable gaming with Nintendo's 2017 debut of the Switch. It has not only quickly exceeded 100 million units sold, but it has done so alongside the popular Steam Deck and a few other x86 handhelds from lesser manufacturers.
Ayaneo is one such business; since its founding in 2021, it has produced a number of portable devices. We've seen the strong Ayaneo Next and the small Ayaneo Air in that little period of time. But now, the Ayaneo 2 is the right follow-up that the business is working on.
With an AMD Ryzen 7 6800u and adjustable RAM and SSD storage (my device came with 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage – a prototype model, mind you, so any flaws might be sorted out for the final shipments), the Ayaneo 2 is a powerful Windows-based portable PC. That puts it in the same league as the powerful best portable gaming consoles from OneXPlayer and Aokzoe.
These mobile devices are similar in one other regard as well: their cost. Lower-end versions start at $949 / £900, while the machine I'm examining costs around $1,099 / £1,000. We are interacting with a high-end gaming console. Therefore, a certain amount of luxury is expected. And boy, does Ayaneo give. most of the time.
Now for the exciting part—the specs:
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 6800u
- Screen: 8.4-inch 1920 x 1200 IPS, 60Hz
- RAM: 16G/32G LPDDR5 6400Mhz
- SSD: PCIE 4.0M.22280 (supports double-sided)
- IO: USB Type-C x3 (two of which support USB4)
- Size: 264.5 x 105.5 x 21.5mm
Expandable SSD storage, a microSD card slot, WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, joysticks with hall-effect triggers (so no drift!), two customisable buttons, a fingerprint sensor in the power button, and adjustable lights underneath the sticks are all included. On paper, at least, it's a modern piece of equipment that's ready for portable PC gaming in the future.
It's all packaged beautifully, too. In contrast to the Steam Deck, the Ayaneo 2 seems very light. Its dimensions are about the same as a thinnest deck of playing cards, with a little increase in height and length over a Nintendo Switch. To enable what Ayaneo refers to as its "baby sleeping grip position," one end is broader than the other. That makes no sense to me right now, but ergonomically, it's great. And that's all without even activating the device.
Its face is made out of a single, edge-to-edge sheet of glass, which enhances the roof's upscale appearance. The 8.4-inch 1920 x 1200 IPS screen with a 60Hz refresh rate, which is bezel-free and has rich colors and excellent brightness, sits in the middle of the display. Although I'm really acclimated to the Switch OLED, it doesn't quite equal the brilliance I've become accustomed to, it's still quite stunning for an IPS display.
Now that we've stared at the stupid thing for a while, I think it's time to start playing a gaming. This is where things get a little complicated for me as a traditional console cowboy. Now that I'm playing PC games, downloading drivers is almost a given.
After a brief bootup, the Ayaneo 2 launches the AyaSpace overlay. This is a full-screen Windows navigation system that lets you locate your games. That's not obtrusive, however, since there's a small button to return you to the desktop.
Additionally, the overlay allows you to change the system's TDP, or total power consumption, from 22W in gaming mode, 15W in balanced mode, and 11W in power conservation mode. Additionally, you can fine-tune it from 3W to 33W, but I didn't play around with it too much.
Initially, I wanted to get as much as possible, including Hitman 3 from Xbox Game Pass, Death Stranding from the Epic Games Store, and The Witcher 3 from Steam. The three games all installed and launched without a hitch, recognizing the Ayaneo 2's controls right away.
The Witcher 3 plays flawlessly on medium settings at 22W TDP, with what seems to be a consistent 60 frames per second. Hitman 3 pleased me the most, running like a dream at 15W, while Death Stranding performed flawlessly on medium settings. Thus, the first test is successful; modern games with large graphics look fantastic and function flawlessly. Most significantly, I had no trouble starting them up.
Persona 5 Royal, Control, FIFA 22, and Batman Arkham Knight all followed suit, although with minor tweaks to the graphics and TDP. It was a complete struggle to get Red Dead Redemption II to operate correctly, but I think the Rockstar launcher is more to blame than the system. After about an hour of tinkering, I finally figured it out, and the game looked gorgeous—aside from a sudden pop-in that persisted no matter how I adjusted the visual settings.
From an independent perspective, you may reduce the TDP to power-saving mode and still have a smooth experience. Everything ran successfully when Fuga: Melodies of Steel, FIST, and Chained Echoes were run as testing.
But this isn't always the case. I had trouble getting GTA V to run in full screen, my Death Stranding save vanished after twelve hours of play, and the first Witcher game refused to detect my controller. Remember, this is PC gaming, and things like this do occur. If the core reason is unknown, it is difficult to assign responsibility to the console.
But the main point to remember if you want to enter the x86 portable market is why this is being mentioned. No other portable device, not even the Ayaneo 2, comes close to simulating the original home console experience that the Steam Deck OS attempts to replicate.
As long as you expected this, it's okay. However, to get into this kind of things, Nintendo Switch users who are looking for more portable power must possess some tech know-how. For instance, to fix a problem that occurred when something went wrong that was probably Windows 11's fault, I had to restore Windows to a previous point in time. You must be comfortable with this kind of irksome technological things in this domain.
In any case, how does the device feel to use, assuming everything functions as it should? That being said, the controller grips are comfortable and the weight isn't too high. The buttons are just the right amount of firm and clicky, the joysticks are large and smooth, and the d-pad is among the finest. The Ayaneo 2 is exquisitely elegant and exquisitely constructed throughout.
However, I don't think the triggers have enough resistance; they travel a little too much. In my opinion, the triggers go much too far and arrive at their destination far too readily. Forza Horizon 5 feels fantastic, so it's hardly the end of the world; it's just that one aspect of the controls that seems off.
The haptic motors, which are presumably the same as those in the Nintendo Switch, also don't feel quite right in the meanwhile. They don't provide any insightful input and create much too much noise. Even when I reduced the vibration level to the lowest setting, I thought they were still too loud.
The speakers sound good, but they are also rather quiet. Their inability to suppress the fan's noise is the major problem. Since there is a headphone jack, I don't mind too much. Furthermore, it's obvious that the fan is operating as it should, keeping everything running smoothly.
How's the battery holding up with all this power, the large, stunning screen, and several future-proof internal components? It works quite well for this kind of activity, however. With 22W TDP, you can play games like The Witcher 3 for around an hour and a half; with 15W, you can reach closer to three hours. When compared to other products available, this is good.
Taking everything into account, the thing that keeps coming back to me the most is how luxurious everything is. When everything works, there are nitpicks and traditional complaints about PC gaming, but all of that crap gets pushed to the side. The Ayaneo 2 is an exquisitely designed console that comes in a cozy form and has a powerful internal processor.
Even though certain features need some technical tinkering to get working and the AyaSpace beta is still in its early stages (it operates at 800p on a 1200p screen, for example), the outstanding performance is worth the trouble if all you want to do is lay in bed and enjoy it.
A person who enjoys tinkering with technology, has some extra cash to spend, and has access to a respectable selection of PC games is the target market for the Ayaneo 2, a portable gaming PC that requires the greatest portable gaming hardware available. That seems like a specialty when presented like that.
It is rather remarkable, however, that a relatively new company such as Ayaneo can provide a high-end handheld with respect to ergonomics, build quality, and performance. Furthermore, consumers often want the finest of the best when they do make pricey purchases. And for the time being at least, the Ayaneo 2 very well may be just that.