It’s not every day that you get the chance to ask the CEO of a company like AYANEO a few questions. That’s exactly what Stubbs was able to do, as he fielded questions from the Retro Handhelds team before sending them over to AYANEO CEO, Arthur Zhang.

At the time of this interview, the AYANEO 3 is nearing its official launch, while the Pocket DMG is making waves with reviewers. As you’ll notice, we had plenty of questions to ask, focusing on a variety of topics.

What Drives AYANEO

The first batch of questions, besides a surprise at the end of this section, focus a bit more on the broader strokes. Here, Zhang shares some of the things that drive him and the company to continue pushing forward, even as the competition grows more fierce.

It’s well-known that AYANEO announces new handhelds at a rapid pace, even if that means shipping them months later. What drives this rapid development cycle?

The AYANEO REMAKE Lineup

AYANEO was founded out of our team’s deep passion for handheld gaming consoles. We aim to fully dedicate ourselves to creating more handheld products for gamers around the world, meeting the various needs of handheld enthusiasts who seek different types of devices.

Some users want smaller handheld consoles, while others prefer larger ones. Some want horizontal designs, while others desire vertical ones. These demands, combined with our own needs as gamers, naturally lead to the development of new products. Ultimately, it’s driven by the needs of gamers.

The process wouldn’t be possible without the hard work and dedication of our team. We are truly passionate about what we do, putting in almost all our time and energy, and this dedication is often a key reason for our success.

Additionally, our location in Shenzhen, China, provides us with strong supply chain capabilities. After years of building these resources, we have developed a comprehensive design and R&D team, along with a wealth of supply chain resources that enable us to maintain our rapid development cycle.

At AYANEO, we are committed to innovating and breaking new ground in handheld design and functionality. We strive to bring meaningful changes to the handheld experience, continually delivering creative and exciting products for gamers, which reflects our brand philosophy and unwavering pursuit of innovation.

In the same vein, is there a reason why AYANEO doesn’t shorten the time frame between an announcement and a release?

We place great importance on user feedback and maintain close communication with our users, fostering a positive community atmosphere. In both domestic and international communities, we often see players eagerly asking about our upcoming products. This sense of anticipation is a key motivator for us, and it encourages us to announce projects as early as possible.

Of course, we’ve also noticed that some users feel the wait between announcement and release is too long. We plan to optimize this process in the future.

Ultimately, bringing surprises to our players earlier is a form of motivation for us, pushing us to fulfill our promises and deliver surprises more quickly. It keeps us focused and driven throughout the entire process from announcement to release, as we strive to create the best handheld gaming experience.

What was the driving force behind using the Snapdragon G3x Gen 2 in the Pocket DMG as opposed to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 or even an older chip?

Compared to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, the G3x Gen 2 is a chip specifically designed for handheld gaming devices. It has been optimized for this purpose and, on the same design architecture, offers higher performance limits. This is why we chose to work with Qualcomm and debuted it in the Pocket S.

With the G3x Gen 2, we gained valuable tuning experience from its use in the Pocket S, which allowed us to efficiently adapt this powerful chip to the vertical design of the Pocket DMG. This not only shortened our development cycle but also delivered excellent performance. Moreover, with developers already adapting drivers for the G3x Gen 2, emulator compatibility has been improved, making it an even better choice for the Pocket DMG.

This choice reflects our goal of creating the ultimate retro vertical handheld, and we have indeed achieved that. I believe that, for the foreseeable future, the Pocket DMG will remain the most powerful vertical retro handheld on the market.

AYANEO emphasizes a gamer-centric approach. How does user feedback influence your product design and features?

In short, our own product concept is the main focus, supplemented by user feedback. We define the core design and features of our products based on our years of experience and insights gathered from market research, which already include elements of user feedback. During the development process or after a product launch, we assess and balance this feedback, and users may see some of these adjustments in our future products.

I also have to mention the communities we operate in, both domestically and internationally. I personally often observe user demands and engage in discussions with fans about new product definitions within these communities. This allows us to obtain the most genuine user feedback, which directly influences the development of our new products.

Can you discuss any community-driven initiatives or collaborations that AYANEO is currently involved in?

We’re currently working on some very exciting projects, and we plan to announce some significant news in December. Please allow me to keep this a secret until then.

Recently, the AYANEO Kun and Next Lite were made available through Best Buy. What can we expect from AYANEO in the coming years in terms of product innovation and market expansion?

Of course! Since AYANEO’s inception, we’ve always focused on driving technological innovation, bringing new products and experiences to the industry and gamers. You can continue to expect high levels of innovation from us in the future.

As for market expansion, we’ve always been committed to taking our innovations to the global market. From the early days of our company, we established a deep partnership with Indiegogo, allowing us to bring our products to global players and making the overseas market a significant part of our overall market share. To make our innovative products accessible to even more players, we’ve been collaborating with well-known e-commerce platforms and retailers in various countries since last year, driving extensive market promotion and offering high-quality purchasing and after-sales services.

We’re also excited to partner with Best Buy, as we believe this collaboration will provide a better purchasing and service experience for local players. We plan to continue this market expansion strategy, working with more partners in other countries to bring innovative products to even more players.

How do you see the handheld gaming PC market evolving in the next 5-10 years? Where do you see Ayaneo fitting into that evolution?

AYANEO Flip DS gameplay

The Windows handheld market is currently seeing an increasing number of industry peers and participants, with numerous different approaches and ideas in areas such as product appearance, form factors, and processor iterations. There is also a strong push to achieve higher performance in smaller form factors. Overall, however, the market will likely enter a stage of micro-innovation, much like what we see in the laptop industry today.

This year, we’ve also seen some interesting developments, such as Qualcomm’s launch of the X Elite chip in partnership with Microsoft to expand the Windows on ARM space, and both AMD and Intel strengthening their AI performance in their chips. These trends may define the Windows handheld market in the next 5-10 years, where not only design and performance will be important, but there will also be a battle between the traditional x86 and ARM ecosystems.

Furthermore, Windows handhelds will face competition from ARM-based Android handhelds. While ARM chips currently still lag behind x86 chips in terms of performance ceiling and gaming software ecosystem, it’s important to note that ARM chip performance is improving rapidly. We’re already seeing the latest Snapdragon 8 Elite running PC games at high frame rates post-transcoding, which is truly revolutionary.

Therefore, future Windows handhelds won’t just be gaming devices. With more powerful AI capabilities, they will evolve into fully capable portable PCs. The competition between Windows and Android handhelds, in terms of product form, performance, and gaming ecosystems, will be very interesting, and I’m looking forward to it.

Whether it’s Windows or Android handhelds, AYANEO has the technological expertise and product strategies in place. In fact, you’ll soon see us apply cutting-edge technologies in some of our upcoming products. So, whether now or in the future, AYANEO will continue to play a leading role in the handheld market, focusing on delivering innovative and refreshing experiences for players, meeting mainstream market demands as well as personalized needs. This is our unchanging pursuit.

What was the driving force behind the AYANEO Remake? What influenced the shift and experimentation with Android Devices, Mini PCs, and the Graphics Starship?

Both my team and I are long-time fans of retro gaming. We were dissatisfied with the retro handheld consoles available in the market, which lacked innovation. This dissatisfaction motivated us to combine exquisite design and modern technology, drawing inspiration from classic handhelds and gaming consoles, to create something that offers players both a nostalgic and fresh experience.

There is a lot of space for innovation in Android handhelds, Mini PCs, and graphics docking products. It’s much like the early days of the Windows handheld category, where we saw opportunities for growth. As frequent users of these products, we decided to take action and change the status quo. This led to the AYANEO REMAKE concept, where we introduced a series of products with creative retro designs. These three types of products are part of our broader strategy to create an interconnected, all-encompassing gaming ecosystem, and we are working hard to bring our “all-in-one” gaming ecosystem to AYANEO users.

Do you see AYANEO pricing to become more approachable in the years to come, or is luxury and a premium look more of a priority?

At this stage, we are focusing our energy and resources on high-end, boutique products that cater to players who have higher expectations for design quality and overall experience. However, we do have broader plans. In the future, at the appropriate time, we may launch more products with different positioning and styles for players to choose from. Let’s wait and see.

What do you think of making spiky hard joystick caps that are more tactile instead of soft rubber?

From what I’ve seen with players, preferences for joystick caps vary widely, and it’s difficult to satisfy everyone. Many players also enjoy using decorative joystick caps, so the demand for a specific tactile feel in the stock joystick caps isn’t always urgent.

That said, we will do our best to meet player demands. In the future, we plan to experiment with different materials and tactile experiences for joystick cap designs on certain models, including the spiky hard joystick caps you mentioned. We’ll test these options to ensure we’re offering the best possible experience.

AYANEO 3

With both the Pocket DMG and Pocket EVO out of the way, AYANEO is now getting back into the groove of Windows handhelds with the AYANEO 3. This was first teased in late October before it was officially unveiled in early November. Although the design might be familiar, Zhange shares that there’s a bit more than what meets the eye.

What motivated the decision to offer both LCD and OLED display options for the AYANEO 3?

In our previous releases, I believe many players chose our products because they care deeply about the screen experience. However, we’ve also observed debates among players who prefer either LCD or OLED screens. In the past, we didn’t have much of a solution for these debates because the product positioning was different, and so were the screen options.

With the AYANEO 3, we wanted to stop the dilemma players face between choosing an LCD or OLED screen. Therefore, we are offering two top-tier, high-refresh-rate screens, so that players with different preferences can select their favorite screen version on the same handheld. This is part of the AYANEO 3 product vision — to offer freedom in screen choice and cater to various player needs.

Can you elaborate on the benefits of integrating the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 processor with AI support in the AYANEO 3?

Thanks to the 3nm process and the new Zen 5+Zen 5c architecture, the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 has further improved multi-core and low-power performance. Combined with the new Radeon 890M integrated graphics, it provides excellent gaming frame rates in the handheld’s sweet spot of 15W TDP. With AYANEO 3’s powerful cooling hardware and top-notch screen, gamers can enjoy an incredibly smooth and immersive experience.

Moreover, the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 features up to 50TOPS of AI performance, catering to mainstream AI content creation needs, significantly boosting productivity. This means the AYANEO 3 isn’t just a powerful gaming device — it also functions as an all-in-one PC. We’ve worked hard on both software and hardware to optimize its performance as a Windows PC, catering to gamers’ productivity needs.

What considerations went into the design and placement of the two new buttons on the back of the device? How do they improve gameplay?

In the design process, we focused on the form and placement of the two rear buttons. Our goal was to integrate them seamlessly into the overall aesthetic of the device without conflicting with the sleek design of the back. Additionally, we wanted to avoid placing the buttons where players’ fingers would often touch, thus preventing accidental presses. Ultimately, we positioned them as elongated buttons in the middle of the grips, typically at the position where the ring fingers naturally rest, with a moderate key travel to avoid unintentional presses.

These rear buttons support extensive customization, allowing players to map useful functions, such as one-click combo keys in games, making gameplay more efficient and enjoyable.

How does the AYANEO 3 set the stage for future innovations in AYANEO’s product lineup?

We have invested a lot of energy and resources into developing proprietary technology for the AYANEO 3, enabling many innovations that have never been seen before in the Windows handheld category. The experience and technical foundation we gained from this development will be applied to future products, customized to meet specific needs.

We will be revealing the full features of the AYANEO 3 in December, and I believe that’s when you’ll truly see AYANEO’s culture of innovation.

What considerations went into your decision on the battery for the AYANEO 3? Do you prioritize performance or battery life when deciding on processors and battery sizes?

We focused more on implementing cutting-edge technological features while keeping the overall device size and weight within a reasonable range. For the AYANEO 3, my priority was performance, cooling efficiency, and enhancing the overall experience. While battery life is important, the primary focus during the AYANEO 3’s development was other areas, which will be revealed in due course.

The AYANEO 2 had some heating issues that were later improved. Will we see a new cooling system in the 3 that improves on the revisions in the 2?

On the AYANEO 2S, we pioneered the 3+1 triple heat pipe cooling system, achieving a consistent 33W performance release. Later, on the KUN, we achieved the highest 54W TDP ever in a Windows handheld. Since then, we’ve achieved 28W TDP on the SLIDE and FLIP series. We have a strong technical foundation in handheld cooling technology.

The AYANEO 3 can maintain stable temperature control even during sustained high-performance scenarios.

Now that companies are starting to copy the whole front glass idea, do you all have future innovations that will separate you from your competitors?

I believe the AYANEO 3 showcases our unique spirit of innovation in the industry. Similarly, with the Pocket DMG, you’ll also see innovative features like touchpad-mapped virtual joysticks and the Magic Switch volume wheel for multifunctional switching.

In the future, we will reveal even more innovations with new products. I am confident that each new innovation will become something competitors will look to copy.

The 3 copies the form of the previous models, is there a reason for this? Do you believe this is the best form for the device or are there plans to revise in the future?

The design language of the AYANEO 2/2S was widely loved by players and received recognition from authoritative design institutions. It successfully unified elegant aesthetics with comfort. At this stage, we believe it remains the most elegant design for a 7″ Windows handheld.

Therefore, we carried forward the classic brand design style with the AYANEO 3 and, based on innovative features and real-world feedback, further refined the details. This has resulted in an aesthetic upgrade that continues to offer a dynamic and comfortable grip and premium quality experience. Future products may see adjustments based on specific circumstances, but they will always adhere to the core aesthetic principles of the brand.

Kick Back and Relax

If you’ve ever watched the Retro Handhelds Podcast, you’ve probably noticed that the hosts are pretty good at asking some rather fun questions when there’s a guest. Although this interview wasn’t conducted on the podcast, we still felt it was necessary to ask Zhang a few fun questions.

What’s your favorite gaming device that’s not made by AYANEO?

A few Nintendo 3DS models

I really like Nintendo’s classic gaming consoles, such as my first gaming device, the GBA, as well as later systems like the NDS and 3DS. I’ve also collected various versions of them, and I still take them out to play whenever I have free time.

As a gaming enthusiast, what are some of your favorite games or gaming experiences?

I’m a retro gamer, so compared to modern games, I prefer classic retro games. I also enjoy casual and simple games that I can play in short bursts, like “Super Mario,” “Tetris,” “Dig Dug,” and “Pokémon Pinball.” Of course, I also really enjoy strategy games, such as “Fire Emblem.”

What advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs in the gaming industry?

Be prepared for the long haul, both mentally and in terms of creativity and inspiration.

Stick to your dreams, put your heart and soul into it, and enjoy the entrepreneurial journey.

Regularly review and reflect on your progress, and always strive to think, learn, and improve.

What excites you most about the future of handheld gaming?

I think it’s the realization of a fully connected, seamless experience. The idea that, no matter where you are, whether holding a Windows handheld or an Android handheld, you’ll be able to play AAA games and retro games with longer battery life and smoother performance, all on a single device. This is also the direction we are working toward right now.

What’s your favorite band or music?

I love jazz music. As for bands, my first introduction to music was with the Hong Kong band BEYOND. Of course, they aren’t a jazz band.

Conclusion

First and foremost, we’d like to thank Arthur Zhang and the AYANEO team for both fielding our questions and getting back to us quickly with responses. We can’t wait to get our hands on AYANEO’s upcoming handhelds and are excited to see what the future holds for the company.

This is something that we’re trying to do a bit more of here at Retro Handhelds, as we have a few other interviews lined up. So drop us a line in the comments below and let us know what you think or come and chat with us in our Discord!

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