AYANEO teased the name of the ACE handheld a week or so ago, and after emailing them they informed us more news would be revealed shortly, and they were not lying!
We now have our first look at this retro gaming focused handheld built for nostalgic gamers who want build quality and power. AYANEO have created a wide range of incredible retro focused handhelds over the last year, including the AYANEO Pocket Micro which I still use to this day.
The ACE looks like the bigger brother to the Micro, bringing back the dual analogue sticks which the Pocket Micro "Classic" removed a few weeks back that perfected that tiny little thing, but a 3.5" display isn't big enough for some.
So, AYANEO wants to perfect the retro handheld device, and to take on the Retroid Pocket Mini and 5 head on with what I believe will be a remarkable device after reviewing most of their other handhelds in the past.
Let's talk specifications
In classic AYANEO fashion they like to save all of the specifications until the official Indiegogo Launch which is has yet to be announced, but you can register your interest and get $10 off when live, my bet is that it goes live in a couple of weeks, shipping a few months later.
That said, they teased some of the specifications in a social post on X which showcases some impressive features indeed, such as:
- 4.5" 3:2 "Golden Ratio" LCD Display with a resolution of 1620 x 1080.
- Snapdragon G3X Gen 2
- 6000MAH Battery with 40w fast charging.
- Hall effect joysticks and S&S button layout.
- A "first in handhelds" 0916B motor haptics.
- A retro edition in GameBoy DMG colour-way, likely limited.
There's certainly a lot going on in terms of the face of the handheld, which is surprising to me as AYANEO like to stick to a minimal design, but from what I can gather they've gone all in with this one.
Including a unique under-chin button design that has a transparent nature to the buttons on the right, which is certainly unique. It reminds me very much of the Retroid Pocket 4, but sharper and more sophisticated.
I am hoping that these are not the same hall-joysticks used in the Pocket Micro and Pocket DMG as these are not good to say the least, and feel very out of place in comparison to every other area of those handhelds.
It's likely this will run on Android and open up the opportunity to use AYASpace as a front-end, which is great, with only minor bugs.
I really do feel AYANEO are trying to create the perfect, all-round retro gaming Android handheld here, and with a 4.5" screen it makes a perfect size to play not only retro games, but modern games too via Android and Cloud Streaming.
Olny time will tell and i can imagine when the Indiegogo campaign opens up all will be revealed, including pricing, specifications, shipping times and unique features, but this is one I am excited about. Especially if its priced sub $250. Fingers crossed!
