Ayaneo 2 Review – IGN

The next generation Ayaneo 2 is finally here and the wait has paid off. This new handheld gaming PC brings with it a brand new bezel-less screen, 1200p resolution, an AMD Ryzen 7 6800U processor for major performance improvements in games, and an ergonomic chassis for hours of comfortable play. These upgrades easily make it the best Ayaneo yet, and though it still can’t compete in price, it outperforms the Steam Deck in virtually every way. If you can afford its $1099 entry price, or $949 for the Ayaneo Geek version, it’s well worth investing in.

Ayaneo 2 – Design and Features

While much of the design remains the same as the Ayaneo Air and Ayaneo Next, the Ayaneo 2 manages to be a big refresh in many of the ways that matter most. Size-wise, it’s similar to the Ayaneo Next dimensions of 10.4 x 4.2 x 0.9 inches and a 7-inch LCD screen. It’s closer to Switch OLED territory rather than the Switch Lite like we saw with the Ayaneo Air (and was also one of its biggest selling points). The ergonomics have also been redesigned to make it more ovular and comfortable to grip.

Apart from the obvious changes in appearance, the other major upgrade is the completely bezel-less screen. Prior Ayaneo models and the Steam Deck each have a black border around the display that make the playable space smaller than it first seems. The Ayaneo 2 extends edge to edge with a 16:10, 1920×1200 resolution screen. Those small borders may not seem like much on paper, but the change makes the screen seem much larger and nicer to play on.

Full HD+ resolution is difficult to drive for any processor that’s splitting its duties between graphics and processing, but the Ayaneo 2 comes with the latest, most powerful all-in-one mobile processor from AMD: the Ryzen 7 6800U (though, the Ryzen 7000 series mobile CPUs seem right around the corner). It features the same eight cores and sixteen threads, but has been upgraded with faster clock speeds and the latest RDNA 2 graphics. It’s a generational leap ahead of the Ryzen 7 5800U found in the Ayaneo Next and offers better FPS at higher graphics settings.

As much as the Ayaneo 2 is a handheld gaming system, it’s also a full-fledged PC that’s available in multiple configurations. Here’s how the model I was sent was configured:

  • Display: 7-inch IPS touchscreen
  • Resolution: 1920×1200
  • CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 6800U (8-core/16-thread)
  • CPU Speed: 2.7GHz base clock, 4.7GHz boost clock
  • GPU: Integrated AMD Radeon RDNA 2
  • Memory: LPDDR5-6400
  • Storage: 1TB NVMe
  • Battery: 50.25 Whr
  • Connectivity: WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.2
  • I/O: x2 USB Type-C (top), x1 USB Type-C(bottom), audio combo jack, MicroSD expansion
  • Security: Fingerprint Scanner
  • Dimensions (LxWxD): 10.4 x 4.2 x 0.9 inches

It’s available in multiple configurations that begin at $1,099 for 16GB of memory and 512GB of NVMe storage. The top model will set you back $1,499 if you upgrade to 32GB and 2TB. And while that’s expensive, it’s worth remembering that this is essentially a gaming laptop in handheld form, and a pretty good one at that.

Ayaneo is also launching a more affordable version called the Ayaneo Geek, which begins at $949 and peaks at $1,369 with similar options. The Geek version lacks some of the features of the Ayaneo 2, like HD rumble and the bezel-less screen on the cheaper of its two models, but is a good middle-ground if all you want is the best performance per dollar. I wasn’t able to test that version for this review, so can’t speak to anything more than core specs, which are very similar between the two models.

The Ayaneo is expensive, but it offers a lot for the money. The triggers and joysticks are some of the best you’ll find on any handheld. They use Hall Effect sensors to track their movement using magnetic fields. This, in theory, should make issues like joystick drift impossible, and in practice are some of the smoothest sticks I’ve used on a portable. The joysticks are a bit shorter than what you’ll find on a full-size gamepad, but they felt better and more accurate under my thumbs than either the Next or the Air.

Controls are also augmented by a pair of gyroscopes that can track the Ayaneo 2’s movement. They come in clutch in first-person shooters where short joysticks can make lining up headshots difficult, and are a noticeable improvement from last generation. But even though they’re functional enough to get the job done, they still leave a lot to be desired compared to the Nintendo Switch or PS5’s DualSense controller.

Activated with the left trigger or bumper button, motion controls work in any game but they don’t feel especially responsive. The Ayaneo 2 appears to try to map motion controls to joystick movements so they can work in any game, but in practice it leads to jerky movements that don’t feel precise. Hopefully, this is something that can be improved with future firmware updates.

It wouldn’t be a proper handheld without the usual assortment of face buttons, D-pad, and bumpers, and the Ayaneo 2 has buttons to spare. The ABXY buttons feel snappy and have good tactility. The D-pad uses a cross instead of separate buttons, which isn’t the best for fighting games, but manages to work quite well for retro platformers like Super Meat Boy.

There are also View and Menu buttons that mimic an Xbox controller, as well as a dedicated button to call up the Aya Space app and a customizable “=” button for your own commands. Next to the bumpers are two more customizable buttons. They take a page out of the Razer Wolverine V2 Chroma’s book and provide instant access to additional customizable commands. If that weren’t enough, holding the right bumper and trigger together also turns the D-pad into a four-way shortcut key for additional windows commands.

That seems like a lot, but each plays an important role in making the Ayaneo 2 a completely usable personal computer. Unlike the Steam Deck, the Ayaneo 2 runs Windows like any other gaming PC. It’s not a mobile version either. This is Windows 11 Home Edition, designed around mouse and keyboard, not gamepad interaction. Those custom keys allow you to call up an onscreen keyboard and perform quick actions like showing the desktop, pressing Escape, or showing the mouse cursor.

Outside of games, the joysticks act as a mouse cursor to support touch controls for when you need more accuracy. Mouse movement was alright before but has been fine-tuned on the Ayaneo 2 and feels much more accurate. I would still recommend plugging in a mouse and keyboard if you plan to use it as a normal computer (which is completely possible with a docking station to connect a full size gaming monitor), but with a little practice, is completely usable.

The changes to the Ayaneo 2’s design make it feel better to hold and use compared to the Ayaneo Next. The more rounded design feels more comfortable in the hand. The face has now been completely covered in high-quality glass. One of my criticisms of the Next was that its screen felt plasticky and wasn’t smooth to slide my finger across. The new surface is a big improvement that also looks better, at the expense of a bit of additional glare and reflectiveness.

The fingerprint reader (which is also the power and sleep button) has been moved to the left side and is easier to access with the new chassis design. Waking the console from Sleep and logging in is fast, fluid, and natural. Just be careful not to press that power button by mistake when reaching for the precariously close custom button.

The screen is worth a second look and, if you’re like me, makes the Ayaneo 2 worth picking up over the cheaper Ayaneo Geek. The bezel-less design really does make the screen feel bigger and more immersive. The old bezels always felt like a bit of a cheat: the screen looks big but is then just cropped in. The new edge-to-edge design is much nicer and is worth paying extra for.

At 400 nits of peak brightness, the screen is bright and vibrant. Direct sunlight can still wash it out, but playing outside is possible, adding to its portability. It’s not an OLED screen like the Air, but its LCD screen still offers great colors and about as good of contrast as you can expect from an IPS panel.

We’ll explore this more in the Performance section, but the screen can also be run at lower resolutions to increase performance. At 1200p, 60 FPS is typically only possible with lightweight indies, older games, or low settings on newer games. Setting the resolution to 800p or 720p provides an instant performance jump and games still look great. Oddly, Aya Space only has an option for 720p and reintroduces black bars on the top and bottom of the screen, but Windows and most games allow you to set 800p manually for the complete full-screen experience.

The Ayaneo 2 comes with a decent pair of speakers. Like most handhelds, they sound a bit thin but are perfectly usable at medium volumes. Any handheld device is going to struggle to sound good at high volume, but the Ayaneo 2 is very playable at about 80% or lower. I would recommend plugging in a gaming headset, but if you’d rather not, it comes with built in microphones for team chat.

The first time I played with it, I was surprised to find that the system vibrates with big audio cues. Ayaneo has incorporated haptic sound feedback, which is a cool touch. These haptics are separate from the system’s HD rumble, too – which, incidentally, the company says are the same as the ones used in the Nintendo Switch. It’s not a game changing effect, but a neat little touch that sets the Ayaneo 2 apart from anything the company has done before.

Battery capacity has been increased from last generation, jumping from 47 Whr on the Next (38 Whr on the Air Pro) to 50.25 Whr. As is always the case with handheld gaming PCs, how that translates to battery life depends entirely on how you use it. The system comes with multiple power (TDP) settings ranging from an 11 watt PowerSaving (sic) mode to a 22 watt Game mode, as well as a Pro slider that can be adjusted from three watts to a whopping “better have your power brick” 33 watt setting. Higher power settings return better FPS but drain the battery more quickly. At 15 watts, the system can run for 2-6 hours depending on how demanding the game is, but at 33 watts, it will drain in less than an hour.

That level of power generates a lot of heat but the system does a good job of blowing it out the back and top of the system. At higher TDPs, the fans ramp up and become as noisy as a mid-tier gaming laptop. It’s not quiet, but isn’t as obnoxious as some of the high-end gaming laptops I’ve tested over the years. On Balanced mode, the fans are still audible but more restrained. Most of the hot air also comes out of the top, away from your hands, which is a nice touch.

The Ayaneo 2 supports WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2, just like last time, but it now offers an additional USB Type-C port for connecting peripherals. There are now two USB Type-C ports on the top and a third on the bottom, any of which can be used for charging or connectivity. It also features a MicroSD card slot for expandable storage. Finally, there’s an audio combo jack for a wired headset and a volume rocker.

Ayaneo 2 – Software

Like most gaming handhelds, the Ayaneo 2 comes with an integral piece of customization software called Aya Space. Inside this software, you can launch games, customize the programmable buttons, configure the joysticks, triggers, and face buttons, and update the firmware for its different components. The software doubles as a launcher and will scan your system for any apps or games it’s compatible with. Launching them from within Aya Space is also required if you want to take advantage of FSR, but is otherwise optional.

This software is largely the same as last time, except that Aya has added the ability to download and run different applets. These are hard to decipher as many are in Chinese, but one provides a performance overlay so you can monitor your FPS and other system details in game. How you go about using these applications is poorly explained at this point, but the company has done a good job of rolling out updates to make it easier to understand and more reliable overall.