Today, during AYANEO's 2025-2026 Strategy Sharing Session, the tech company's CEO, Arthur Zhang, revealed several of the devices AYANEO plans on releasing in the coming months, including mini PCs, a gaming tablet, a mobile controller, and more.
As part of these announcements, AYANEO revealed its new sub-brand KONKR, which it says is "a high-performance handheld console brand with high cost performance, to create more cost-effective handheld products for every player."
In other words, the KONKR sub-brand is AYANEO's more budget-friendly line of gaming handheld devices.
The company went on to show off two KONKR handhelds. Full specs and pricing aren't known yet, but here's what we know about these devices so far:
- KONKR Pocket FIT: A Qualcomm Snapdragon Android handheld that has been in the works for over a year.
- KONKR FIT: A handheld that is slightly smaller than the ROG Ally X, with a 7-inch display and 80Wh battery.
AYANEO's budget line announcement couldn't have come at a better time for me.
Literally just yesterday, I was talking to one of my coworkers here at Windows Central about how handheld manufacturers need to stop solely releasing only high-tier and premium options and start offering more budget-friendly ones.
Now, AYANEO's devices do tend to be rather expensive, so it's unclear how much more affordable these KONKR devices will be. Still, the idea of affordable handhelds is something ASUS, Lenovo, and other companies should be thinking about.
That's especially true if they want to better serve consumers and get a better hold on the gaming market.
We need more budget-friendly handhelds, no more of this high-end-only nonsense
Over the last three years, the handheld gaming PC market has modestly hit mainstream, largely propelled by the Steam Deck and then followed up by various devices like the ASUS ROG Ally, Lenovo Legion Go, and more.
Despite all of the competition, Valve has held onto its budget handheld PC crown. In fact, Steam Deck affordability has mostly gone unchallenged.
This is a major failing on the part of OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) like ASUS ROG, Lenovo, MSI, and more, who could be better serving consumers and thus capturing more of the market with more affordable devices.
As things currently stand, every few months I learn about yet another costly gaming handheld coming to the market, usually with the most powerful processors, or in Acer Nitro Blaze 11's case, a massive 11-inch display that drives up the price.
Just looking at the ASUS ROG Ally X selling for $899.99 at Best Buy, the MSI Claw 8 AI+ selling for $999.99 at Best Buy, or the Lenovo Legion Go with its $749.99 MSRP at Best Buy is enough to make your wallet cry from the high cost.
As you can see, the premium market is already getting served. What we really need at this point are more budget-friendly gaming handhelds that still run well but only cost a few hundred dollars.
Meanwhile, the Steam Deck has a starting price of $399.00 and its highest OLED configuration with 1TB sells for $649.00, making it more cost-friendly.
Of course, the Steam Deck is starting to show its age, with its smaller screens, lower display resolution, and less powerful processors. But that only gives competitor OEMs more reason to swoop in with a budget-friendly handheld that can replace the Steam Deck.
I really hope ASUS, Lenovo, Acer, MSI, and more learn from AYANEO's new budget line of handheld gaming devices. We need more affordable portable gaming machines on the market.
Learn more about AYANEO
If you're interested, the AYANEO 2025 - 2026 Strategic Sharing Session can be watched at the above YouTube link. Just note that the showcase is in Chinese without subtitles or translations.
If you didn't already know, AYANEO got its start in 2020, creating multiple Windows handheld gaming PCs. However, AYANEO wasn't jumping onto an existing train, the company actually released its first Windows handheld two years before the Steam Deck launched in 2022.
Since then, the company has broadened its portfolio by releasing mini PCs, battery packs, Android handhelds, and more. One of the best things I can say about AYANEO is that this company is always innovating and releasing new devices that serve somewhat limited niches.
As an example, you can check out my AYANEO Flip DS review to see a dual screen handheld with a foldable, clamshell design. Or you can also take a look at my AYANEO Slide review to see the company's handheld that features a full keyboard.
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