Ayaneo announced the Next Lite gaming handheld at CES 2024 a few days back. The product which is the first non-Valve handheld device that comes with SteamOS preinstalled has now been launched in China. The Ayaneo Next Lite is designed to be a budget device and hence could lack cutting-edge components.
The Next Lite was officially announced via
a seemingly muted press release by the company. The Next Lite has a standout
feature that should catch the attention of industry watchers, running on
SteamOS. The Next Lite will have a 7-inch 800p IPS display and a 47Wh battery.
The parameters of the new mobile PC are the same as that of the Ayaneo Next
Pro. The Ayaneo Next Pro is powered by the AMD Ryzen 7 5825U processor but the
Next Lite could come with a newer processor either the AMD Ryzen 7 7840U or
Ryzen 7 8840U. Price considerations for the model imply that the Next Lite
could sport a less expensive processor.
The use of SteamOS for non-Valve handhelds
like the Ayaneo Next Lite is a leap for Valve. Previously, the company had
stated that it was considering getting the SteamOS on other machines,
especially for handhelds. The SteamOS operating system has been used in the
Steam Deck gaming handheld. Therefore extending its availability to other handhelds
is technically easier than extending it to a full Dexktop PC. The SteamOS is a
great advantage for the Ayaneo Next Lite over Windows-based competitors in
terms of its pricing.
The Ayaneo Next Lite gaming handheld
starts at 1,699 yuan (US$ 289) which is way cheaper than the Next Pro’s US$ 1,215
price tag.
