Just a couple of days ago, AYN provided a shipping update now that the Chinese New Year’s holiday has come to an end. At the same time, it was confirmed that DRAM and storage prices were set to increase, with the “final increase” not expected to take effect until April. Unfortunately, the timeline was sped up by about a month, with price increases coming to both the AYN Thor and Odin 3.
The changes were announced over on the AYN Discord, with a message that reads as follows:
Our DRAM and storage supplier has officially confirmed that starting with February orders, DRAM and storage costs are increasing. Based on the information we’ve received, memory pricing pressure is expected to continue for approximately the next year. In addition to ongoing memory shortages and price increases, we are also facing increased exchange rate volatility and other materials cost increased etc.
Due to these combined factors, the price adjustment we had originally planned for April can no longer be delayed. This was not an easy decision for us, and we truly appreciate your understanding.
The message goes on to say that if you managed to get your order in for Batch 3 of the Thor and Batch 4 of the Odin 3, you wouldn’t have anything to worry about. However, those who are looking to jump in with the next round will see up to a $40 increase, depending on which model you choose. When Thor Batch 4 and Odin 3 Batch 5 pre-orders open on March 1, here’s how the pricing shakes out:
- Thor
- Lite – $249 (no change)
- Base – $309 → $319
- Pro – $369 → $399
- Max – $449 → $489
- Odin 3
- Base – $329 → $339
- Pro – $399 → $439
- Max – $449 → $489
- Ultra – Out of Stock
It would appear that there might be a bit of wiggle room, as the updated pricing isn’t expected to change until March 8. Obviously, the only downside is for those looking to pick up the Odin 3 Ultra, as the highest-end model will again be “Out of Stock” for the foreseeable future.
This is just the latest blow dealt to the retro handheld and gaming scene, as we recently saw Anbernic reduce the amount of RAM in its RG34XXSP from 2GB down to 1GB. Meanwhile, gaming handheld prices are skyrocketing everywhere, along with outrageous price leaps for memory and storage.
