Indiegogo staffers are placing crowdfunded merchandise to the check in our new collection of sincere evaluations. On this version, our very personal e mail advertising and marketing and lifecycle strategist Karisa Hunt tried out AYANEO SLIDE, the brand new handheld gaming PC that our crowdfunding neighborhood is speaking about. Does it dwell as much as the hype? Learn on as we put it to the check!

I like video video games, however don’t love their largely non-portable nature. And whereas the Nintendo Swap is nice, it’s sufficiently old now that it has hassle with newer video games, and the choice accessible to play is proscribed. I figured that I used to be just about caught with what I had, limitations and all.

However then handheld gaming PCs turned a actuality, and I obtained . I’ve been eager to strive one out for some time, and when AYANEO launched their new SLIDE mannequin, I knew it was time for me to strive it out.

Unboxing

I need to give the AYANEO workforce lots of credit score right here, as a result of I used to be enchanted by this product the second I took it out of the transport field. I imply, have a look at how nice this packaging is!

Positive, this packaging is focused to a sure age vary who will each perceive what it’s and be nostalgic about it… however because it occurs, I’m proper in that age vary. I’m nonetheless delighted by the large VHS field.

Setup

The whole lot you want is within the field, which is nice… as a result of as excited as I used to be to ry it out, I wanted to cost it first.

The AYANEO SLIDE isn’t like a sport console, the place it has its personal working system and means of doing issues. As a substitute, it’s a real handheld PC, so it runs Home windows and every other packages you obtain to it. Setting it up was fairly easy, as Home windows walks you thru the method your entire means.

The primary concern I hit was when launching the AYANEO software program. It saved crashing on me, so I made a decision to bypass it fully in the interim and obtain Steam. (It comes preloaded with Xbox gaming entry, however I’m largely a Ps individual, so I went a special route.) No issues there, or with every other program loading, so I’m chalking the AYANEO software program concern as much as this system itself as an alternative of a problem with the console.

Use

The AYANEO SLIDE that I obtained has 64GB of RAM in it, so it really works ultra-fast. I wished to check it out by taking part in Ori and the Will of the Wisps, a sport I tried to play on my Swap however needed to cease as a result of it glitched an excessive amount of to take pleasure in it.

Once I inform you that it was an utter pleasure to play on the AYANEO SLIDE, I’m not exaggerating. Ori has attractive graphics and a seamless circulation, which makes for a beautiful play expertise when it’s performed on a machine with the processing functionality to deal with it. I used to be completely delighted by the expertise.

In fact, I couldn’t cease there. The AYANEO SLIDE dealt with Resident Evil 4 with ease (at about 50 FPS, too). It performed just a few completely different first-person shooters with zero glitching. It even performed Baldur’s Gate 3 like an absolute champ, and I used to be in a position to carry it with me in every single place I went, as an alternative of being tied to a particular location like I’d have been at house.

There are just a few different smaller options that basically enhanced my expertise as nicely. The sliding display tilts up, so I’m in a position to maintain the console at a snug angle whereas nonetheless having the ability to see. The customization can also be unimaginable – you’ll be able to change each little factor, from most well-liked gaming settings to completely different shade background lighting for the keyboard and every joystick. It’s additionally so extremely quick, and with a 4TB SSD in it as nicely, it’s by far probably the most superior pc I’ve ever used.

Cons

Whereas I like the best way the AYANEO SLIDE handles video games, there are just a few drawbacks. First, and most significantly, the battery life isn’t nice. On a full cost, I can play about an hour and a half of Baldur’s Gate 3 earlier than it dies. Granted, that’s a sport that chews up lots of battery, however that’s nonetheless not a terrific runtime. (It is a drawback with lots of related units, although, and I don’t assume the AYANEO SLIDE is any worse than common right here. It’s simply one thing to concentrate on.)

Second, whereas the slide keyboard is neat (and makes typing in my incomprehensibly lengthy passwords so much simpler), there simply aren’t that many locations the place it feels needed. It’s additionally type of an odd measurement, which is sensible, however makes it somewhat robust to make use of. My arms aren’t large enough to achieve the center keys whereas holding the console two-handed, but when they shrank the buttons to make it smaller, the keys could be arduous to hit precisely (and the display measurement would shrink, which might be unhappy).

Third, it’s heavy. Whereas it’s not unattainable to make use of as a result of weight, it’s in all probability two and a half Switches in weight. It doesn’t begin getting actually uncomfortable till the battery is about to give up, so there’s no level the place I felt I wanted to place it down for my wrists’ sake, however it’s noticeably heavier than lots of different handheld PCs and Steam decks on the market (probably as a result of keyboard).

Conclusion

General, the AYANEO SLIDE is a really, excellent gaming PC, and the power to take it wherever is nice. Its largest differentiator – the keyboard – ended up being much less of a draw than I’d initially hoped, however it is going to in all probability be extra helpful for searching the online and chatting on apps like Discord than it has been solely in gaming contexts. Nonetheless, the best way it handles heavy video games like Baldur’s Gate 3 will maintain me fortunately coming again  to it for a very long time to come back.

To be taught extra, take a look at the marketing campaign for AYANEO SLIDE!