Ayaeneo's Next Lite is 'the cost-effective choice' but only because it cloned SteamOS off Github and jammed a 4 year-old APU into it

HardwareHandheld Gaming PCsAyaeneo’s Next Lite is ‘the cost-effective choice’ but only because it cloned SteamOS off Github and jammed a 4 year-old APU into itWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

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(Image credit: Ayaneo)

Promotional images of the Ayaneo Next Lite handheld gaming PC

Just a few days ago, purveyor of handheld and pocket PCs,Ayaneo announced it’s first SteamOS handheld, called theNext Lite. Two aspects of the launch made it stand out: Firstly, the price would be aimed firmly at the budget sector and secondly, it would be the first non-Steam Deck handheld to retail with Valve’s open-source operating system installed instead of Windows. We contacted Ayaneo for further details and it’s kindly spilled the beans.

Some aspects we already knew about, such as the 7-inch 800p IPS screen and the 47Wh battery, but now we know what’s powering the handheld device and it’s not quite what we were hoping for. There will be a choice of two AMD APUs inside:Ryzen 5 4500UandRyzen 7 4800U.

Fortunately, there’s still a lot to like about the Next Lite. How about Hall effect thumbsticks and shoulder triggers, for a start? As no contact traces are grinding away, they’re far more resistant to joystick drift than traditional ones, to the point where you’re more likely to wear something else away before you start to experience drifting.

(Image credit: Ayaneo)

Promotional images of the Ayaneo Next Lite handheld gaming PC

And there’s the fact that Ayaneo is using Valve’s SteamOS as the operating system, rather than Windows. Well, it’s not quite SteamOS: it’s a third-party project calledHoloISO, that’s adapted the Steam Deck’s operating system into a more generic one that can be installed on other devices.

While it’s not going to be as officially SteamOS-y as the Steam Deck, Ayaneo has tweaked HoloISO specifically for the Next Lite, so hopefully it should work perfectly well, right out of the box.

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The Next Lite doeslookvery nice and for the right person, it could be a great little device. I only saycouldbecause it’s not quite as budget-friendly as you may think. For example, the first 100 customers will be able to pick up the Ryzen 5 4500U version, with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of PCIe 3.0 NVMe storage, for $299.

That’s roughly $500 less than the Ryzen Z1 Extreme-poweredAsus ROG Ally, but that price won’t be the usual one and, if I am to be frank, the 4500U just isn’t worth considering. The 4800U is the only one that I’d go for, but I suspect that it will sell for around the $450 mark.

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(Image credit: Future)

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It’s still a lot cheaper than the ROG Ally and other top-end handheld PCs, of course, but when you can get a 256GBLCD Steam Deckfor $399 and the newer512GB OLED modelfor $549, such a price really doesn’t look all that enticing.

Ayaneo’s marketing tagline for the Next Lite is ‘Touch the future, the cost-effective choice’ but if the future involves four year old components and a Github project to bring the price down, then I’ll stick with the past, thanks.

One has to start somewhere, of course, and perhaps if the Next Lite is successful enough, Ayaneo will look at bringing more powerful models to market, once it’s had more experience in developing HoloISO for its own devices. Better still would be a direct collaboration with Valve on getting a proper version of SteamOS on its devices.

If we get our hands on a Next Lite, we’ll be sure to let you know just what it’s really like.

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