Ayaneo has been a notable player in the handheld gaming market for some time, but obtaining their Windows-based consoles has often been difficult due to their limited availability on platforms such as Indiegogo and their own online store. This situation has now changed with the launch of the 8.4-inch Ayaneo Kun and the more budget-friendly Ayaneo Next Lite at Best Buy, which presents new competition for devices like the Steam Deck, Asus ROG Ally, and Lenovo Legion Go.
Despite this increased accessibility, Ayaneo’s pricing might pose a challenge. The Ayaneo Kun is priced at $999, nearly $200 more than the Asus ROG Ally X ($799.99) and the discounted Lenovo Legion Go ($599.99). The Ayaneo Next Lite is more affordably priced at $399.
There are compelling reasons to choose the Ayaneo Kun over its competitors. One attractive feature for strategy gamers is the dual touchpads located on either side of the 8.4-inch display. Additionally, its battery life is impressive; tests showed it outlasted the Lenovo Legion Go and the original Asus ROG Ally by 31% and 34%, respectively.
The Ayaneo Kun boasts the same screen resolution as the Legion Go, at 2560×1600 pixels, although it maxes out at a 60Hz refresh rate, which might make Windows navigation feel slower but helps conserve battery life. In terms of brightness, the Ayaneo Kun outshines the Legion Go, reaching a maximum brightness of 678 nits compared to 413 nits for the Legion Go.
However, Best Buy’s offering of the Ayaneo Kun includes only 16GB of RAM. This configuration might diminish some of the 8% to 22% graphics performance advantage it holds over the ROG Ally and Legion Go as observed in benchmark reviews. The Ayaneo Kun’s case and cooling system are highly effective, leading to top performance in CPU benchmarks and indicating superior cooling.
Additionally, the Ayaneo Kun excels in connectivity options, featuring two USB4 Type-C ports and a USB3.2 Gen2 Type-A port, which again places it ahead of the ROG Ally and Legion Go in terms of versatility.
