With just a week left in the year, we didn’t think there would be any other major announcements until after the holidays. Seeing as that’s likely what the competition has opted to do, AYANEO is taking a different route, as a new teaser for the AYANEO 3 just dropped. However, this isn’t just another video showing off the upcoming Windows handheld from a variety of different angles.

What the video does reveal, is that the AYANEO 3 is set to become the world’s first handheld to offer swappable controls. No, we aren’t talking about being able to customize it with Hall or TMR joysticks, but instead, AYANEO is implementing the “Magic Module.”

Out of the gate, the AYANEO 3 will include your traditional handheld layout with a stick and D-pad on the left, accompanied by the ABXY and another joystick on the right.

But what if you’re coming from the Steam Deck or Legion Go and want the flexibility offered by having a trackpad? All you’ll need to do is swap out the module, and you’ll have exactly that! Or maybe you’ve been playing some Nintendo games, and want to jump into a Call of Duty lobby with your buddies? The AYANEO 3 also makes it so you can quickly swap the actual buttons to fit your needs.

The video doesn’t share much else about the AYANEO 3 or the Magic Module. However, it appears that the company will offer six different modules, three for each side, offering plenty of flexibility, regardless of what kind of controls you want from your gaming handheld.

By the way that things look in this promo video, it appears that the modules will rely on a series of magnets in order to slot into place. There on the bottom of each module are a series of POGO pins, which line up with the receiver pins on the AYANEO 3.

During our interview with AYANEO CEO, Arthur Zhang, back in November, there was no indication that this would be the defining feature of the company’s next handheld. Maybe we should have been reading between the lines:

“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.“

Even still, we couldn’t have imagined that this was what AYANEO has been working up behind the scenes, as it gears up to kick off the new year with a bang.

In fact, we don’t have much longer to wait, as AYANEO is planning to host a live stream on Thursday, December 26 at 7 AM EST. Hopefully, we’ll learn even more about the AYANEO 3, along with pricing and availability.

What did you think of this article? Let us know in the comments below, and chat with us in our Discord!

This page may contain affiliate links, by purchasing something through a link, Retro Handhelds may earn a small commission on the sale at no additional cost to you.