We knew this was coming, but AYANEO released a statement today detailing limited availability and incoming price changes to their device lineup. With the rising costs of storage and memory components, it’s no surprise to see the cost of gaming hardware increase, but it doesn’t make the pill any easier to swallow.
At this rate, the saying “the best device is the one in your hand” is going to apply to a lot more people.
The Statement
In an email sent out to previous backers and customers, AYANEO detailed limited stock availability for several of their devices, including the Pocket VERT and Pocket S Mini. These devices will also increase in price in the near future, likely once the current stock has been depleted
AYANEO also mentioned in their statement that some devices have already increased in price across their website. Some astute members of the Retro Handhelds Discord noticed that the price of the KONKR Pocket Fit, for example, has increased by as much as $130 for the 16GB/1TB version. This now makes the device more expensive than the AYN Odin 3 Max at $489, which was a huge selling point for many people, and feels like it takes the device out of the “budget” brand that AYANEO stated that the KONKR line would be.
Looking Forward
2026 has been a tough year for those of us in the retro gaming community. The RAMpocalypse continues onward, and there’s a good chance we’re only going to see these devices get more expensive as the cost of components continues to rise. Other companies like AYN and Retroid have also increased the prices of their devices in response, and we may yet see others follow suit.
You can still find the Pocket S Mini and Pocket VERT on AYANEO’s website, starting at $319 and $269, respectively. As mentioned above, these devices are limited in supply and likely to increase in cost very soon. We don’t yet know how much the price will increase, but if the KONKR Pocket Fit is any indication, it will likely be by quite a bit. If you’ve been wanting one, now is the time.
2 Comments
Remember, tariffs are an excuse not the truth. If tariffs were the true reason behind the price hikes, then Ayaneo would be able to decrease prices when the next regime reverses the tariffs.
I’m more on the “frugal tinkerer” side of the hobby, so frame that accordingly, but I’ve been wondering for awhile: are Ayaneo devices really worth the asking price nowadays? Seems like the Android side has a lot more competition now – I haven’t bothered to dip into handheld PC territory yet. My tolerance for jank goes down exponentially as the price goes up, with even less sympathy for being screwed around on customer service… and I can’t say that surprised me, given the crowdfunding + “early bird” business model and other shenaigans.
Asking a significantly higher price SHOULD come with proportionally higher expectations in QC, support, and service. I’m glad they’re being held more accountable by the community lately, with the KONKR shipping fiasco and other issues (search subreddit for top posts or skim around). Every time I’ve considered ordering one of their devices, I’ve always stopped short. For good reason, it seems.
I know Ayaneo did a bunch of PR handwaving and damage control recently, but it seems like they’re just going right back to their usual shenanigans now that it’s the next news cycle, a scant few weeks later. Can’t say I’m impressed, and I’m glad we’ve got strong competition elsewhere to push things forward.
I’d be far more excited by another wave of releases similar to the RGxx / H700 madness. I’m looking forward to rock solid N64 with a splash of 1x resolution compatibility for the GC library on native Linux getting there, and I guess that’s basically the RG476H now. If Anbernic finds a way to quit chasing silly trends like full glass fronts and squeezes the 476H down into an affordable, durable PLASTIC shell for $150 USD shipped — none of this “$150-ish early bird + $25 shipping” garbage — we’ll be seeing a new era.
Surely that price threshold is decently lucrative? I recently realized I’d bought every single colour of the standard TrimUI Brick, but I didn’t notice, as I gave a few away as gifts. So I finally ordered a Hammer. Add all that up, and sure, it’s in the price of a much more powerful handheld or two… but if you get the recipe right, the sales will come. Maybe none of this will happen until the AI bubble speculation BS finally melts down, but still. It would be kinda wild if prices crashed and a surplus of cheap RAM inadvertently led to another wave of aggressively priced devices in that price bracket. Provided that the rest of uh… everything… doesn’t tank with it, that’d be neat.