The AYANEO AM02 is an ultra powerful mini PC with sleek retro aesthetics that will soon be available to purchase on IndieGogo.
What makes the AM02 particularly special in comparison to the recent AM01 mini PC is the massive jump in performance thanks to the Ryzen 7 7840HS processor.
The AM01 launched at the end of 2023 with Ryzen 7 5700U and Ryzen 3 3200U processor options, which were both very capable SOCs for those interested in a mini PC with retro aesthetics used primarily as an emulation console.
Rob from Retro Dodo did a full video review of the AM01 and found it to be quite capable of emulation all the way up to Wii U and PS3.
It could also play many Windows PC games with the use of more conservative settings.
And the AM01 could be an adequate work computer if your needs are on the lower end. Rob literally edited his video review using the AM01 as a proof-of-concept.
With the significant jump in power from the AM01 to the AM02, we should expect to comfortably emulate all the way up to Nintendo Switch and play many AAA games at moderate settings.
And you could absolutely use the AM02 as your primary home computer, since we know it can handle the needs of most average users.
If you happen to do a lot of 3D animation, video editing, or audio engineering, then we suggest you keep your powerful PC and use the AM02 as a full-blown video game consolizer.
It Has A Touchscreen?
Another extraordinary upgrade that we will see in the AM02 will be the 4-inch touchscreen located on the device itself.
We’re not entirely sure of the usefulness of this onboard display, but it is incredibly unique nonetheless.
Theoretically, it should be possible to boot up the AM02 and use it without any additional peripherals or displays if you’re a bit adventurous.
So does that technically make it a portable gaming device? We’re very interested in finding out.
If you’d like to use the AM02 as intended, it will feature all of the expected external ports like HDMI output, USB-A, USB-C, auxiliary audio, LAN, etc.
And that onboard display can be used for secondary functionality and passive information like a clock or arbitrary video content.
A Retro Inspired Mini PC
It should go without saying that one of the main reasons we’re interested in the AYANEO AM02 is due to its strong retro inspiration.
The AM02 is supposed to look like the original North American model of the Nintendo Entertainment System.
But unlike the AM01 with its retro Apple computer aesthetics, the AM02’s inspirations are a bit more loose and interpretive.
It reminds us more of classic Sony cassette players, but either design inspiration is totally good with us.
This thing clearly has style and will look incredible on any desk or entertainment setup.
IndieGogo Campaign Starting Soon
The IndieGogo campaign starts at 7:30am EST on January 18th, and signing up for the email list will certainly keep you updated and make sure you get your orders in as soon as it goes live.
The pricing for the AYANEO AM02 has yet to be announced. But as per usual, we’re expecting AYANEO to give more details via their Youtube channel within the next couple of weeks.
We’ve got our eyes on this one and can’t wait to put it through the Retro Dodo testing process to see how it stands up against the AM01.
And I have the personal goal of turning the AYANEO AM02 into an actual handheld gaming console.
Time will tell. Call me, AYANEO.
