Indiegogo staffers are placing crowdfunded merchandise to the take a look at in our new collection of trustworthy opinions. On this version, our very personal e mail advertising and marketing and lifecycle strategist Karisa Hunt tried out AYANEO SLIDE, the brand new handheld gaming PC that our crowdfunding group is speaking about. Does it dwell as much as the hype? Learn on as we put it to the take a look at!
I like video video games, however don’t love their largely non-portable nature. And whereas the Nintendo Swap is nice, it’s sufficiently old now that it has hassle with newer video games, and the choice out there to play is proscribed. I figured that I used to be just about caught with what I had, limitations and all.
However then handheld gaming PCs turned a actuality, and I obtained . I’ve been eager to attempt one out for some time, and when AYANEO launched their new SLIDE mannequin, I knew it was time for me to attempt it out.
Unboxing
I need to give the AYANEO workforce numerous credit score right here, as a result of I used to be enchanted by this product the second I took it out of the delivery field. I imply, have a look at how nice this packaging is!
Certain, this packaging is focused to a sure age vary who will each perceive what it’s and be nostalgic about it… however because it occurs, I’m proper in that age vary. I’m nonetheless delighted by the large VHS field.
Setup
Every thing you want is within the field, which is nice… as a result of as excited as I used to be to ry it out, I wanted to cost it first.
The AYANEO SLIDE isn’t like a recreation console, the place it has its personal working system and approach of doing issues. As an alternative, it’s a real handheld PC, so it runs Home windows and some other packages you obtain to it. Setting it up was fairly easy, as Home windows walks you thru the method your complete approach.
The primary difficulty I hit was when launching the AYANEO software program. It saved crashing on me, so I made a decision to bypass it fully in the meanwhile and obtain Steam. (It comes preloaded with Xbox gaming entry, however I’m largely a Ps particular person, so I went a unique route.) No issues there, or with some other program loading, so I’m chalking the AYANEO software program difficulty as much as this system itself as an alternative of a difficulty with the console.
Use
The AYANEO SLIDE that I obtained has 64GB of RAM in it, so it really works ultra-fast. I needed to try it out by enjoying Ori and the Will of the Wisps, a recreation I tried to play on my Swap however needed to cease as a result of it glitched an excessive amount of to get pleasure from it.
After I let you know that it was an utter pleasure to play on the AYANEO SLIDE, I’m not exaggerating. Ori has beautiful graphics and a seamless circulation, which makes for a beautiful play expertise when it’s performed on a machine with the processing functionality to deal with it. I used to be completely delighted by the expertise.
In fact, I couldn’t cease there. The AYANEO SLIDE dealt with Resident Evil 4 with ease (at about 50 FPS, too). It performed a number of completely different first-person shooters with zero glitching. It even performed Baldur’s Gate 3 like an absolute champ, and I used to be capable of carry it with me all over the place I went, as an alternative of being tied to a selected location like I’d have been at dwelling.
There are a number of different smaller options that basically enhanced my expertise as effectively. The sliding display screen tilts up, so I’m capable of maintain the console at a cushty angle whereas nonetheless having the ability to see. The customization can also be unbelievable – you may change each little factor, from most popular gaming settings to completely different coloration background lighting for the keyboard and every joystick. It’s additionally so extremely quick, and with a 4TB SSD in it as effectively, it’s by far essentially the most superior laptop I’ve ever used.
Cons
Whereas I like the best way the AYANEO SLIDE handles video games, there are a number of drawbacks. First, and most significantly, the battery life isn’t nice. On a full cost, I can play about an hour and a half of Baldur’s Gate 3 earlier than it dies. Granted, that’s a recreation that chews up numerous battery, however that’s nonetheless not a fantastic runtime. (It is a drawback with numerous comparable gadgets, although, and I don’t suppose the AYANEO SLIDE is any worse than common right here. It’s simply one thing to pay attention to.)
Second, whereas the slide keyboard is neat (and makes typing in my incomprehensibly lengthy passwords quite a bit simpler), there simply aren’t that many locations the place it feels needed. It’s additionally form of an odd measurement, which is smart, however makes it a little bit robust to make use of. My arms aren’t large enough to achieve the center keys whereas holding the console two-handed, but when they shrank the buttons to make it smaller, the keys can be laborious to hit precisely (and the display screen measurement would shrink, which might be unhappy).
Third, it’s heavy. Whereas it’s not inconceivable to make use of as a result of weight, it’s most likely two and a half Switches in weight. It doesn’t begin getting actually uncomfortable till the battery is about to give up, so there’s no level the place I felt I wanted to place it down for my wrists’ sake, but it surely’s noticeably heavier than numerous different handheld PCs and Steam decks on the market (doubtless as a result of keyboard).
Conclusion
Total, the AYANEO SLIDE is a really, superb gaming PC, and the flexibility to take it wherever is nice. Its greatest differentiator – the keyboard – ended up being much less of a draw than I’d initially hoped, however it’ll most likely be extra helpful for searching the net and chatting on apps like Discord than it has been solely in gaming contexts. Nevertheless, the best way it handles heavy video games like Baldur’s Gate 3 will hold me fortunately coming again to it for a very long time to return.
To study extra, take a look at the marketing campaign for AYANEO SLIDE!
