This week has been a mental one for handheld releases. We had the ANBERNIC RG SP go up for sale with immediate shipping, the KONKR Pocket Advance went up for pre-order yesterday, and now Mangmi has announced the pricing and release date of their upcoming Air Y series of handhelds. We're struggling to keep up!
The Air Y is Mangmi's first jab at creating a vertical retro handheld, featuring an array of specifications for you to choose from, featuring a budget-friendly version starting at $94.99 to a full-blown powerhouse that can emulate PS2 games comfortably for $189. I respect the range in choice here.
Mangmi shared this image across socials, showing that there will be an early bird promotion for the first three days that reduces the price between $5 - $15 depending on which one you purchase. Pre-orders will go live on the 12th August, 19:00 PDT, and their product landing page is now live too.
- Air Y (3GB + 32GB) = Early Bird $89.99 & Retail Pricing of $94.99.
- Air Y Pro (4GB + 64GB) = Early Bird $145.99 & Retail Pricing of $159.99.
- Air Y Pro (8GB + 128GB) = Early Bird $175.99 & Retail Pricing of $189.99.
Now, I will say that I've had my hands on the Air Y Pro 8GB version for a week or so now, and it's very powerful. PS2 emulation on this vertical format works well, and the Air Y can handle most games at 2x upscale resolutions, but it's not perfect. I don't enjoy the shoulder buttons; the design is very basic, and you'll see when our written review goes live over the next day or two, it lacks magic.
So make sure to read reviews from your trusted sources before pulling the trigger on this, because I think a lot of people are going to have mixed opinions about this, especially in a time where there's so much competition and choice.
