AYANEO have just posted a new video on Youtube for a “first-look” demonstration of their upcoming handheld device via an AYANEO Pocket S Gameplay Video.
Of course, this is not the FIRST first-look at the new AYANEO Pocket S.
They reached out to us back in September with the actual first look, sharing a few photos of the device and some specifications.
They also had the prototype at the Tokyo Game Show at the end of September. So a bunch of people got to see the Pocket S at that time.
But we know that AYANEO tends to show their products very early, and follow up with live streams and demonstration videos to give a more comprehensive look once it’s actually ready.
Thanks to the video shared tonight, we can see that the Pocket S is now a complete device, available in-hand for demonstration.
And, in familiar AYANEO form, it’s looking absolutely stunning.
What Did We See?
We were surprised that this was not the usual AYANEO presentation with Arthur Zhang walking us through the details of the device.
Today’s “first-look” was truly that. A simple glimpse at what the new Pocket S actually looks like in-hand.
Surely, the purpose of this video was to show off the game play capabilities of the Qualcomm Snapdragon G3x Gen 2 that the Pocket S will utilize.
While, I wouldn’t say that 8 minutes of Honkai: Star Rail is particularly impressive or helped show how this device is any more powerful than any other AYANEO device, it certainly looked good.
But AYANEO devices looking good or performing well really isn’t something we wouldn’t expect, at this point. So we had hoped for a lot more.
What Has Changed?
One detail that I hoped to see in the new view of the Pocket S was the final chosen dpad design.
This was something I eagerly anticipated, because the community immediately pointed to this as the detail they hated when the first Pocket S images emerged.
That first dpad was thin and looked a bit out of place on an otherwise stylish and comfortable looking handheld.
Thankfully, AYANEO has no problem adjusting their designs based on early feedback. And we’re glad to see a new beefy dpad that appears quite comfortable.
Impressions
Overall, we are just a bit disappointed that this was a simple nine minute AYANEO Pocket S gameplay video demonstration and not a full in depth look at the upcoming Pocket S.
I do not believe it would be controversial to say that AYANEO could slow down with their release schedule and spend a little more time on each device.
This would allow them to perfect the devices, promote them well, and offer support after release.
With a new handheld coming out every single month from AYANEO, it feels less special to chose one. And it feels like their support for your brand new device will be virtually non-existent.
It would not be accurate to say that AYANEO does not put enough care into their devices; we believe that the opposite is true.
It is just the speed at which they move on to the next device that is a bummer.
We’ll surely see another livestream from AYANEO before the end of the year, and we’ll be seeing more of the Pocket S, the Slide, and the Flip DS.
