Aya Neo Pro 2021 Handheld Review - A year with a handheld PC - Explosion Network (2024)

I found theAya Neo Handheld PCa while back on Kickstarter, and I was hesitant to back it after being burned on a Kickstarter previously. After a bit of back and forward and reading through the campaign, I decided to support the project. It turned out to be a long project and blew out for many more months than expected, but finally, it was released. In the months leading up to the release, a new CEO took over the product and began improving many aspects of the original campaign. Towards the release date, there was the option to upgrade to the pro version for an increased fee, and I decided to move from the base model to the pro, adding a few more months of waiting time, but I have had my hands on the Aya Neo Handheld PC now for about a year.

What I finally received was an interesting handheld Windows PC, slightly larger than the Nintendo Switch and marginally heavier. Inside the box was the device, the accompanying charger, and cables, USB C to A adapters, along with some bonuses from the company running the campaign to say sorry for the extensive delays. The initial setup was very straightforward as Windows 10 is preinstalled on the device following the standard setup and using the supplied USB C to A adaptors, I utilised a spare mouse and keyboards to assist. After a short period of updating drivers and downloading my gaming applications, the device was ready to go. The performance out of the box was good, and with slight tinkering, I had many of my games ready to go with little issue, loading games both from Steam and the Epic Games Launcher. These early sessions were good, but I soon tired of having to source problem-solving on my own; luckily, a dedicated community on the Aya Neo Discord was more than happy to converse and share some of their solutions.Aya Neohas even released its own software,Aya Space, to alleviate some of these issues and give access to a gaming zone on the handheld.

A question I get often is how does it feel? I say pretty good, although I purchased a 3D printed dock grip from Etsy and was later sent the original grips fromAya Neo. Both sets feel much better for longer gaming sessions, allowing the device to rest on the palms better and allowing better placement and movement of the fingers to reach the needed buttons for play. Even without the grips, I did find the device pleasant to hold, although, with my larger hands, it helped to have the added size of the grips to keep comfortable and clear of the rear fan output.

TheAya Neo Profeatures a 7″ touch screen for easy navigation of windows and the joystick to be used as a mouse. A late addition was theAya Spacesoftware, which allows all your games to be grouped in one place and a simple way to make on-the-fly adjustments for power, fan speeds, resolutions, and much more. I utilisedAya SpaceandSteams’big picture mode to run and find games I had installed on the device and control the handheld power requirements to run the current titles. The community creating an extensive list of compatible games and the best way to run them was a great additional tool to utilise. The face buttons feel smooth and move easily, while the trigger buttons have enough resistance to make shooting and driving natural. The additional face buttons come in handy while navigating windows, allowing items like the task manager andAya Spaceto be accessed with the press of a button instead of having to navigate the start menu.

Specifications:

• OS: Windows 10

• Processor: Ryzen 7 4800U

• Cores/Threads: 8/16

• CPU Frequency: 4.2Ghz

• Graphics Processor: Integrated AMD Radeon Graphics

• GPU Frequency: 1750Mhz

• Screen: 7” IPS Touch Screen

• Screen Resolution: 1200×800

• Pixels/In: 215 PPI

• Memory RAM: 16Gb LPDDR4x @ 4266Mhz – Dual Channel

• Storage: 1Tb NVME PCIe Gen 3.0

• USB: 3x USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 2

• Output: 2x USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 2 (DP 1.4 & PD Charging)

• Audio: 1x 3.5mm Headphone/Microphone Combo

• Inputs Mouse Via Joystick
  (Gaming) JoystickDual
  (Gaming) ButtonsD-Pad wit independent buttons, Gaming Button
  (Gaming) VibrationDual-Motor

• Dock: 1x HDMI 2.0b; 4K@60Hz, Ethernet, 2x USB Type-A 3.0 ; 2x USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 2, 1x MicroSD Card Slot / MicroSDXC

• Game and Compatibility list: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1MxDcsHgPbjjdjL5fwBJOwtkxdXJp3I-aaFHgnei4UTw/htmlview

While most games ran with few issues and a couple of tweaks, some didn’t like the smaller resolutions; luckily, there is software out there to assist with this type of issue, and it was quickly fixed. Most newer titles ran in handheld mode and maintained at least a steady 30 frames. I also loaded up games such asControl,Horizon Zero Dawn, andGod of Warran almost out of the box without needing to be tweaked too much while maintaining their image quality. While many great indie titles likeRogue Legacy 2,Dead Cells, andHadeswere able to run amazingly well and are almost designed for this type of system.

My favourite part of theAya Neo Promust be its size; being close to the Nintendo Switch in terms of weight and size makes it an easy travel companion, meaning I do not need to be on my main PC to enjoy many of the AAA titles. While utilising the internal NVME for a fast boot with an easy-to-operate sleep and wake mode makes it easy to pick up and put down. Having windows format also meant having fewer compatibility issues. My least favourite part of getting the handheld was during the early days. The lack of official support and having the technical know-how to figure out problems without the community put a dampener on the handheld release.

The community is fantastic; from Reddit to Discord, there is a vast amount of information for anyone to look at and improve the use of their system. The other downside to the smaller system size is the smaller joysticks, like the Nintendo Switch, which aren’t the best for aiming.

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