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Ayaneo Next Lite: The second non-Deck PC handheld to use SteamOS

64bitmodels

Reverse groomer.

Ayaneo-Next-Lite-2.jpg


"Ayaneo is no stranger to creating gorgeous handheld devices. We’ve followed their developments for over a year at this point. But, this handheld is unique. The Ayaneo Next Lite uses an older chassis, presumably taken from the Ayaneo Next. It also bakes in signature features like hall-sensing analog sticks, and also packs it with one big feature we’ve never seen from Ayaneo before.

The big difference between this handheld, and every other one that Ayaneo has released before is the inclusion of SteamOS. This means that you won’t have to mess around in Windows to get things running, or have to configure everything with Windows taking up a huge amount of bloat. Every handheld outside of the Steam Deck, like the ROG Ally, Legion Go, and MSI Claw all use Windows, which can make the experience crippling for non-technically minded users.

The solution means that the handheld could be cheaper, due to no direct fees to contend with from the OS manufacturer by making the switch to Linux. By reusing an older chassis, Ayaneo also saves on creating new tooling for the handheld, too."

Boys it's happening. The only other handheld that's had steamOS before (barring the Deck) Was the Anbernic Win600. Which handheld will this OS drop on next?
 
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Xyphie

Member
Big yikes if it's the same as the Ayaneo Next except just shipping with SteamOS as the Ayaneo Next is still powered by a 2021 5825U Cezanne chip with Zen3 and Vega GPU (i.e. pre-RDNA).
 
it's gonna be a budget model using the older Ryzen APU chips.

rumored to be a Ryzen 7 6800U rather than one of the Phoenix chips. Which is fine by me since that chip could still pull its own compared to the deck

Ok that doesn’t sound too bad if the price is there too I guess.

Why do all these new handhelds not have trackpads? I thought one of the big draws of the handhelds was you could play any game on the go?

I have an Ayn Odin 2 which is awesome and only has a joypad and touchscreen but that’s Android based so it sort of makes sense. You don’t play rts games etc on it, opposed to these portable “pc’s”.
 

64bitmodels

Reverse groomer.
Why do all these new handhelds not have trackpads? I thought one of the big draws of the handhelds was you could play any game on the go?
manufacturerers are dumb, i guess. Either way trackpads aren't needed for these systems to sell, though i really wish they would take the hint.
 

64bitmodels

Reverse groomer.
i dont even think microsoft will do a proper handheld mode, the one that got shown last year was just from an internal hackathon
These systems will need to start selling big bucks for MS to take the hint. They still haven't put Gamepass on Deck despite being the most popular PC handheld out there. Making a whole ass alternate touchscreen OS for handhelds explicitly is too much for em.
 

Crayon

Member
Welcome to the big dick club. Please pick up your ID badge and reinforced banana hammock at the front desk.

I wonder if it works as well as on the deck. And if they had any help from val. And if this means the general release is coming any sooner. So many questions.
 

64bitmodels

Reverse groomer.
Welcome to the big dick club. Please pick up your ID badge and reinforced banana hammock at the front desk.

I wonder if it works as well as on the deck. And if they had any help from val. And if this means the general release is coming any sooner. So many questions.
Honestly I can't wait for when this appears on stronger and more premium offerings from them, currently the only 2 systems that have steamos compatibility besides deck are weak budget options with trouble running AAA.
 
These systems will need to start selling big bucks for MS to take the hint. They still haven't put Gamepass on Deck despite being the most popular PC handheld out there. Making a whole ass alternate touchscreen OS for handhelds explicitly is too much for em.
It all comes down to volume. As of now the entire PC handheld market is a few million units, and only a tiny fraction of those are powerful enough to comfortably run Windows. If the Steam Deck came out swinging with Switch numbers I'm sure there would already be a stripped-down gaming flavor of Windows, but it would have to be an open platform. It all comes down to how many people would buy a SD, dual boot the Windows-lite, and then sign up for GamePass. You might get 5% of people to do that vs. how much it costs to build, and maintain an entire new OS.

I don't think MS will ever do a free walled-garden Windows distro. The 90's anti-trust case left a lasting scar on the way they do business. It wouldn't look good too the government when the overwhelming OS market leader releases a free version of their OS that you can only purchase products from MS. Valve is the one that needs to get off their asses, and fully develop Steam OS into a full distro that can be fully utilized by the entire market, from handhelds to potatoes to top of the line machines.

Valve is also never going to allow GamePass on Steam for free, and the costs to do so would be a losing proposition for MS. GamePass isn't profitable if you have to pay more than the profit margin on mere access.
 
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Doom_master1122

Neo Member
SteamOS is the way to go. The other handhelds boast having "windows" for the people who are scared of Linux, despite SteamOS launching basically in a controller friendly UI with a desktop mode you can launch into from there.
Handhelds having Windows is the biggest downfall I feel. Windows is incredibly bloated and the software usually bundled with the handhelds don't hold up to what SteamOS can do. The control over the battery on SteamOS is absolutely insane, and that's with out even using the 3rd party plugins to customize it further. I mean, I have Red Dead Redemption 2 on the thing, configured to have a 40FPS lock and refresh rate AND still have decent battery life compared to other games. Also with Linux/SteamOS being significantly lighter than Windows, you should also see performance boost in many games. There have been many games that I use to play on windows, that run quite a bit better on Linux.

Perhaps I'm a little more biased these days since I have swapped Windows to Linux as my daily driver on my main PC for a few years now, but Windows needs a serious debloat. However with Microsoft continuing to implement more features, and more data collection, the OS is only going to grow in size. Having a Windows run Gaming handheld that can even compare, might be quite a ways off until that happens. Sure some of them might have better screens and hardware, but they're usually plagued with poor software, battery, heat, and more. (Like I believe it was the Asus handheld that was melting SD cards cause of the heat?)
 

64bitmodels

Reverse groomer.
Perhaps I'm a little more biased these days since I have swapped Windows to Linux as my daily driver on my main PC for a few years now, but Windows needs a serious debloat. However with Microsoft continuing to implement more features, and more data collection, the OS is only going to grow in size. Having a Windows run Gaming handheld that can even compare, might be quite a ways off until that happens. Sure some of them might have better screens and hardware, but they're usually plagued with poor software, battery, heat, and more. (Like I believe it was the Asus handheld that was melting SD cards cause of the heat?)
I've said this before but I will say again. Microsoft has overtly optimized Windows for a desktop PC experience. the OS crumbles the moment you put it in any other setting than a decently powerful PC plugged into the wall. It will take a bit more than a user interface change for it to stack up to SteamOS on a handheld gaming system.
 

Ozriel

M$FT
The solution means that the handheld could be cheaper, due to no direct fees to contend with from the OS manufacturer by making the switch to Linux.

Not sure how using Linux is supposed to make this cheaper, since Windows is free for devices with display size under 9 inches, last i checked.
 

Crayon

Member
Honestly I can't wait for when this appears on stronger and more premium offerings from them, currently the only 2 systems that have steamos compatibility besides deck are weak budget options with trouble running AAA.

I want the general distro. :< I should have known better but I thought it was going to come shortly after that I mean shortly like by maybe three months. Like I said, I should have known better there's going to be so much more testing to do before they can let that out there
 

Gamezone

Gold Member
This probably won't be sold where I live, but the good news is that the first third party manufacturer is adopting Steam OS.

 

TVexperto

Member
If its cheaper than steam deck im buying this

EDIT: ABSURD!! What in the actual FUCK? Charging a whopping $1300 for this Steam OS device is a blatant highway robbery. Its game compatibility is pathetic, performance is sluggish on an AMD Ryzen 5825u chip, and battery life is abysmal – even the Steam Deck can outperform it in that regard. This overpriced piece of junk is a scam, plain and simple. Do yourself a favor and avoid this overpriced disappointment.
 
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jshackles

Gentlemen, we can rebuild it. We have the capability to make the world's first enhanced store. Steam will be that store. Better than it was before.
If its cheaper than steam deck im buying this

EDIT: ABSURD!! What in the actual FUCK? Charging a whopping $1300 for this Steam OS device is a blatant highway robbery. Its game compatibility is pathetic, performance is sluggish on an AMD Ryzen 5825u chip, and battery life is abysmal – even the Steam Deck can outperform it in that regard. This overpriced piece of junk is a scam, plain and simple. Do yourself a favor and avoid this overpriced disappointment.
Have they actually announced pricing yet?

The Next Pro is about $1300 but has way better specs than this, so it wouldn't really make sense in their product lineup if this was that expensive.
 

Gamezone

Gold Member
So how will this work? Is each handheld going to have their own certified games mode because of different hardware?
 
If someone can manage to create a portable the size of a PSP or PSP go but with Steam OS, I'd actually pick it up.

size-comparison-between-the-psp-go-and-the-steam-deck-i-v0-mestcp9c4jy91.jpg


Everything keeps increasing in size and most of the smallest handhelds out there are all too busy trying to be like tiger electronics or the original gameboy in specs.
 
If its cheaper than steam deck im buying this

EDIT: ABSURD!! What in the actual FUCK? Charging a whopping $1300 for this Steam OS device is a blatant highway robbery. Its game compatibility is pathetic, performance is sluggish on an AMD Ryzen 5825u chip, and battery life is abysmal – even the Steam Deck can outperform it in that regard. This overpriced piece of junk is a scam, plain and simple. Do yourself a favor and avoid this overpriced disappointment.
has to be a typo £1300 is insane.
 

TVexperto

Member
Have they actually announced pricing yet?

The Next Pro is about $1300 but has way better specs than this, so it wouldn't really make sense in their product lineup if this was that expensive.
has to be a typo £1300 is insane.
The company’s webpage indicates that the existing console is currently priced at $1,300. To truly achieve a “budget-friendly” status, a significant reduction in price would be necessary. We should know more in 2 days when the crowdfunding "sale" starts for this one.
 
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old-parts

Member
If its actually true its welcome news.

But part of me suspects this isn't official and its their own inhouse linux distro SteamOS clone or HoloOS the SteamOS decoupled from Steam Deck.
 

marjo

Member
Doesn't Valve sell the Steam Deck at a loss since they're able to subsidize it due to the increased sale of games on Steam? I'm not sure if a third party would be able to match/beat their prices.
 

Xion_Stellar

People should stop referencing data that makes me feel uncomfortable because games get ported to platforms I don't like
Doesn't Valve sell the Steam Deck at a loss since they're able to subsidize it due to the increased sale of games on Steam? I'm not sure if a third party would be able to match/beat their prices.
Quite literally nobody in the entire gaming market can ever do that on PC because Steam owns the store Steam OS operates on it will get your money in the long run if it hasn't already so yes you're correct Steam can subsidized the cost of their systems anytime and every time they want.
 
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Topher

Gold Member
Wow.....ETA Prime is saying this thing will only be $300.



Turns out, however, that this is using the HoloISO OS and not Valve's official Steam OS.
 
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Hugare

Member
Wow.....ETA Prime is saying this thing will only be $300.



Turns out, however, that this is using the HoloISO OS and not Valve's official Steam OS.

I love this thing's design so damn much. Beautiful.

But as mentioned on the comment section: only the first 100 will cost $300 lol

Dont know if its true, but if it is, this is fucked up coming from Ayaneo.

And they also havent detailed much about the battery. This is important for a Windows handheld.

Still feeling pretty good about my Odin 2, but a $300 windows handheld (with good battery life) would be killer
 

Topher

Gold Member
I love this thing's design so damn much. Beautiful.

But as mentioned on the comment section: only the first 100 will cost $300 lol

Dont know if its true, but if it is, this is fucked up coming from Ayaneo.

And they also havent detailed much about the battery. This is important for a Windows handheld.

Still feeling pretty good about my Odin 2, but a $300 windows handheld (with good battery life) would be killer

Don't think that's true. I don't see any other sites saying that price is limited to the first 100.

 
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Miyazaki’s Slave

Gold Member
This is mentioned above, but HoloISO can be used on a lot portable hardware as long as it supports AMD graphics. For example you can use it on the Rog Ally and Lenovo Legion as well. There are a few youtube videos that will walk you through the process. As with aftermarket OS support or with dual booting YMMV.

I still prefer windows on the Ally and Legion (I like the ability to install whatever I want on windows and IMO HoloISO isn't as stable as I would like on the handhelds) but I made a Steam OS based gaming PC and that thing RIPS, highly recommend.
 

jshackles

Gentlemen, we can rebuild it. We have the capability to make the world's first enhanced store. Steam will be that store. Better than it was before.
And they also havent detailed much about the battery. This is important for a Windows handheld.
They've revealed that it has a 47Wh battery, which is more than the original Steam Deck (40Wh), and almost as much as the OLED Steam Deck (50Wh). Obviously a lot of other factors involved, including how much load the components are under or what their fan curves look like, but it looks like they didn't skimp here too much.

Don't think that's true. I don't see any other sites saying that price is limited to the first 100.

Ayaneo usually puts their handhelds out on Indiegogo, where they have an "early bird" price (a certain number of units, usually 50-100), then an "Indiegogo retail price", which is usually $100 or so less than the "official retail price" that they sell them for on their website. For example, for the Ayaneo 2 that came out about a year ago:

ebfwzfwr7ezlne3htua4.png

Probably won't see price gaps that big on these though, since they're coming in at a lower price - and this thing is getting mad press for using SteamOS (albeit unofficially). If I had to guess, if the "early bird" price is $299, then the Indiegogo price will be $349 and the regular retail price will be $399.
 
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Hugare

Member
They've revealed that it has a 47Wh battery, which is more than the original Steam Deck (40Wh), and almost as much as the OLED Steam Deck (50Wh). Obviously a lot of other factors involved, including how much load the components are under or what their fan curves look like, but it looks like they didn't skimp here too much.


Ayaneo usually puts their handhelds out on Indiegogo, where they have an "early bird" price (a certain number of units, usually 50-100), then an "Indiegogo retail price", which is usually $100 or so less than the "official retail price" that they sell them for on their website. For example, for the Ayaneo 2 that came out about a year ago:

ebfwzfwr7ezlne3htua4.png

Probably won't see price gaps that big on these though, since they're coming in at a lower price - and this thing is getting mad press for using SteamOS (albeit unofficially). If I had to guess, if the "early bird" price is $299, then the Indiegogo price will be $349 and the regular retail price will be $399.
Oh, I see

If the regular retail price would be $300, this thing would be killer.

Odin 2 is reigning at $300. A capable windows handheld at the same price point would be amazing.

At $350/$400 people would rather have a Steam Deck, so companies should really fight for that $300 sweet spot

The handheld market is so exciting nowadays
 
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Topher

Gold Member
They've revealed that it has a 47Wh battery, which is more than the original Steam Deck (40Wh), and almost as much as the OLED Steam Deck (50Wh). Obviously a lot of other factors involved, including how much load the components are under or what their fan curves look like, but it looks like they didn't skimp here too much.


Ayaneo usually puts their handhelds out on Indiegogo, where they have an "early bird" price (a certain number of units, usually 50-100), then an "Indiegogo retail price", which is usually $100 or so less than the "official retail price" that they sell them for on their website. For example, for the Ayaneo 2 that came out about a year ago:

ebfwzfwr7ezlne3htua4.png

Probably won't see price gaps that big on these though, since they're coming in at a lower price - and this thing is getting mad press for using SteamOS (albeit unofficially). If I had to guess, if the "early bird" price is $299, then the Indiegogo price will be $349 and the regular retail price will be $399.

Ah....well, they are getting a lot of free advertising at that price so I guess we will see. That is definitely aggressive pricing for ayaneo
 

Ozriel

M$FT
Doesn't Valve sell the Steam Deck at a loss since they're able to subsidize it due to the increased sale of games on Steam?

No. That’s a claim some have made, but it’s never made sense.

Oh, I see

If the regular retail price would be $300, this thing would be killer.

Odin 2 is reigning at $300. A capable windows handheld at the same price point would be amazing.

At $350/$400 people would rather have a Steam Deck, so companies should really fight for that $300 sweet spot

The handheld market is so exciting nowadays

Am I missing something? Isn’t this supposed to ship with Linux ?
 

jshackles

Gentlemen, we can rebuild it. We have the capability to make the world's first enhanced store. Steam will be that store. Better than it was before.
Ah....well, they are getting a lot of free advertising at that price so I guess we will see. That is definitely aggressive pricing for ayaneo
There are also two different CPU configurations on offer here (Ryzen 5 4500U, and Ryzen 7 4800U). Count on that $300 unit being the Ryzen 5 flavor for sure. Considering the low cost here, they might skip their traditional Indiegogo shenanigans, it's hard to say!

Am I missing something? Isn’t this supposed to ship with Linux ?
Ships with Linux, but they're making official Windows drivers available on their website. Basically, they're shifting the OS cost to the consumer, if they want to install Windows themselves they've gotta provide their own license.
 
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