After a mysterious teaser during CES 2024, Ayaneo has unveiled its Next Lite gaming handheld, presenting a rather perplexing product. Positioned as a competitor to the Steam Deck, it diverges from Valve’s official SteamOS and instead opts for a modified version called HoloISO. Priced reasonably at $299, the device boasts appealing controls and a screen, but its processing power falls short.
Featuring a seven-inch 800p display, 16GB of RAM, and a 47Wh battery comparable to the $549 Steam Deck OLED, the Next Lite runs on either a Ryzen 7 4500U or 4800U processor with Vega 8 graphics, contrasting with the Ayaneo Next’s Ryzen 7 5825U. Given the age of the former chips, the Next Lite is expected to lag behind the original Steam Deck, currently priced at $349.
Equipped with Hall effect joysticks to combat drift and a copper heat pipe cooling system, the device includes three USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 ports on the top and bottom, along with a slot for full-length M.2 2280 NVMe SSDs. For those preferring Windows, Ayaneo offers support with required drivers on its official website.
Initially, Ayaneo’s press release sparked confusion by mentioning a “subscription,” which was later clarified as a sign-up for more information. The company initially claimed the device would ship with SteamOS, generating excitement, but it was later revealed that official support for Valve’s operating system would not be provided. The modified announcement stated the use of HoloISO, a third-party SteamOS fork developed by the community and not by Ayaneo.
In terms of Steam Deck gaming, Ayaneo stated that HoloISO “attempts to bring the Steam Deck’s SteamOS Holo redistribution into a generic, installable format, and provide a close-to-official SteamOS experience.” This suggests that game compatibility may not be guaranteed due to the lack of official support from Valve.
The Ayaneo Next Lite, priced at $299 and available in “vibrant colors,” including seafoam green, is scheduled to start shipping before Chinese New Year on February 10, 2024.
