Video: A Closer Look At The Aya Neo Air, A Powerful Alternative To The Switch

I wonder if it can running Stepmania.

Realistically if you just want a big jump in performance over Switch and more robust third party support then I wouldn’t even bother considering this and just get a Steam Deck. £350 for the base model which is about what I’d expect a Switch Pro (or 2) to come in at while this thing is upwards of £800+. The only thing about Deck is it’s nowhere near as portable as Switch or the Aye Neo but I’d be beyond hesitant to whip out an £800 handheld on the bus or train anyway

I just got a Steamdeck, and I'll be honest, it's the machine I've been wanting for some time with respect to the Switch's shortcomings. The price and availability (5 days from order to delivery in the UK last week) makes it a no-brainer compared to the Aya devices.

Switch's shortcomings have made me start using Steam and my GTX1070 for any non-exclusive Switch games. Sick of 30fps and low res games.

It's a gaming PC, NOT A Switch alternative. Please, don't spread misinformation.

Only Switch like of this device (and others like the Steam Deck, GPD Win, OneXplayer, etc) is it's formfactor. Everything else, from the OS it runs (Windows or Linux), to the games and the way games are distributed, to how it's designed and manufactured. Make it all a handheld (gaming) PC.

@sanderev All consoles are these days are low to middle-spec PCs anyway.

@Magician True they are pcs, but not like a machine you just install Windows or Linux onto. And because of that - even if it's fully optimised for handheld use, like the Steam deck - it's still a PC and you are going to have to manually adjust settings for certain games. And you can't just buy a game on the webstore and know that it will run. (most Steam games still don't run on Steam OS; but like I wrote, you can install Windows on it as well) Or how well it will run.

This aya neo (and the steamdeck and onexplayer, etc) can be compared to a desktop pc or a laptop pc.

Ofcourse a console is a PC as well, as is your phone, or any other device controlled by a microchip.

@Damo I disagree 100% with that, it only is a competition if it's intended use is the same. Which it's not.

On this device you can install:

• Games
• Photoshop
• Visual Studio
• Linux
• Windows
• etc (anything, really)

On a Switch:

• Games

@Damo,

Not really a competing with the Nintendo Switch at all, just like the steam deck is aimed at a totally different demographic.

Interesting device, but like all of these pretty powerful handheld portable p.c devices, they have no chance of even getting the slightest share if the Nintendo Switch's market, and any suggestion these handhelds might is baffling.

The takeaway for me is that a Switch2 is a long way off. The power requirements for a portable device to run something semi-powerful just isn’t there yet.

I got a steam deck recently and love the performance of the thing. That being said there are many features of switch I do miss from it - I'd love steam decks performance and control inputs, with Switch's form factor, battery life and OLED screen - maybe this wish list is feasable in a few years as tech advances on for a Switch 2/Pro etc

@JaxxDuffer

The Switch does not require an upgrade as yet, it's only core gamers that are thirsty for one, the Switch is still selling around 15-20 million units a year.. so why the panic.

@JaxxDuffer Well, not really. These devices all use x64 cpu's. Which aren't really efficient to begin with.

Just look at something as simple as Apple Silicon (M1, M2), it is way more efficient than x64. However Apple really doesn't optimize for graphics. If they did, they could make a true Switch competitor. Also remember, the Switch is using an SoC that was already outdated when the Switch released.

@Father-Noo,

So a competing device or devices, that literally can't compete.

@Damo I often chose between my Switch and my iPhone. So the iPhone is also a Switch competitor?

Yeah, it really doesn't work like that.

Or let me make this comparison easier.

I use my desktop PC and open the Steam store. I buy a game, let's say Monster Hunter Stories 2 on Steam.
I download and play the game on my PC. All happy.

Now I grab my Steam Deck, I log in to my Steam account. I can freely download the game I purchased on my Desktop and play Monster Hunter Stories 2 on my Steam Deck. It's a PC.

Now I grab my Switch. Oh no.. I have no way to logon to my Steam account. Or download a Steam client. I cannot play Monster Hunter Stories 2 on it. Unless I buy it in the Nintendo eShop. It's not a PC.

Just say it's a Switch formfactor PC in the title and I'm happy. Like how it is now, it's just misinformation.

Love the way the article states the most common complaint aimed at the Switch, from who?, the core players and YouTube channels with very few viewers.

My sister has a Switch and has never complained about it's power, even I am not all that bothered.

@Father-Noo,

Not having a go at you personally, and sure we can disagree.... no massive issue.

My main gripe is these articles keep popping up with a very slim relationship to the Nintendo Switch, and are always hinting at the Nintendo Switch not being powerful enough, and disguised as competition articles, which they are clearly not.

For example a Ferrari and a Ford are both cars, but you would hardly see them as direct competition for each other.

This and all the other 100 alternatives are not competing with anything, they are forgotten within a week since they are trying to sell something that everyone who wants already has, except their alternative is also worse.

If you don’t play nintendo exclusives, these portable pc handhelds make more sense and are a better alternative for the Switch.

And I know plenty of people that got a Switch to play portable games, not exclusives.

For exclusives nothing can (legally) be a alternative to the switch, that simple.

Got both Switch and Deck because of this, best of both worlds, but I really hope Nintendo steps up their game soon, because even their newer titles beg for more performance.

@Father-Noo,

I do not care in the slightest, I have an Xbox Series X, the Switch is a great machine with some awesome software, and still looks very good on my LG C1 OLED T.V..

My and others issues with all this, is the obvious clickbait nature to these articles, and why just cover certain ones, if they are all indeed direct competition, and pretty sure most tech heads on here, will be more than aware of the myriad of powerful handheld P.C devices out there.... don't make excuses for the site, they know exactly what they are doing.

@themightyant It plays more than just games.

Can you run Photoshop on a Switch? No.
Can you run photoshop on an Aya Neo, Steam Deck, OneXPlayer?
yes.

Honestly you could take one of these devices, add a dock, monitor, keyboard and mouse. And use it like a normal desktop PC. You can't do that with a Switch.

@themightyant Not it's not an alternative to the Switch. That would mean it would have the same or similar function. Which it doesn't. So yeah, I stand by the fact that it's misinformation.

@sanderev While it's probably true that most Steam games don't run on Steam OS (there is a huge amount of games on Steam after all, and a ton of crappy ones as well), I have not encountered one in my library at all. All games I have tested work fine, although a couple of them needed some extra tweaking before that.

So, I'd say that Steam Deck can play most games that you would like to play. Some online games are an exception because of anti-cheat features, though.

@KoopaTheGamer I have around 80 steam games that absolutely refuse to work on SteamOS, sadly.

Luckily, Pronton support is getting better.

The big fear of the existence of these devices is rather simple; developers will lose the incentive to port game over to the Switch because they have these instead.

That being said, however, Nintendo has held a perfect track record of successful handheld consoles (save for a certain VR console) and with the Switch's handheld side being one of the main reasons for its success, there's really not much to worry about, other than Nintendo's own questionable decisions.

@Damo
No, no, it’s not a competitor, it’s a a sibling. 🤭🤣

@Father-Noo,

No problems, have a lovely day.

@Damo,

No need to defend your article Damo, stand by it, you wrote it, and just accept not everyone will see it your way... in the long run that's always for the best on here.

@sanderev I kind of wish the Switch allowed me to adjust settings in game to make them run well. It would allow us to tweak the settings in the latest Pokemon games to make them run better. The biggest strength for consoles can sometimes be the biggest achilles heel, you are stuck with the programmer's settings and if there is something causing it to slow down you have to wait for the manufacturer to patch it. I love my Switch, PS5, and Series X, but I love that I can tweak settings on my PC and Steam deck to better fit with the hardware.

@larryisaman

"The only thing about Deck is it’s nowhere near as portable as Switch or the Aye Neo"

I don't understand what you're saying here. I play on the Deck on my lunch break in the car pretty much every day.

It's basically another portable that runs Windows. Think a laptop but in handheld form. While interesting and can run games as subpar to a gaming PC it's not a Switch alternative. It doesn't had its own dock thus requiring a third party ones and it cost way too much for what it offered which had essentially the same things you could find on a gaming PC for much less.

@OldMcGroin I think they just mean it is quite a bit larger than the Neo Air or the Switch... and in that regard they are 100% correct. The Steam Deck is rather thicc and chonky. It is my favorite gaming device at the moment, and fits well in my hands but I have large hands.

"One of the most common complaints thrown at [all Nintendo hardware] (at least [every console generation) is that it's starting to look slightly antiquated when compared to [every other current generation console]"

FTFY. Seriously, does anybody ACTUALLY complain about this? Starting in the 32-bit generation, Nintendo has always been the weakest hardware because they've focused on something else completely. This is well known, anybody complaining should know better.

@JaxxDuffer

Portables not being able to run something semi powerful didn’t stop the launch of the Switch in 2017 and it won’t stop the launch of the Switch 2 soon. Switch is coming up on its 6 year anniversary. How many Nintendo consoles have gone 6+ years without a successor? Not many. The Switch’s time is nearly done.

@RushDawg,

I doubt it, the console is still in demand and will sell close to 20 million this year, the other consoles you mentioned were all in decline by that time.

@jaybird0922 I love how people make it sound like you can only have one console. If you can afford it, why not just get the consoles that have the games you want and not worry about being blindly obedient to one company. Personally I do not care about console wars or where the games are that I want to play, just as long as I get to play those games.

@sanderev Well the switch wasn't built for that stuff the steam deck and aya neo are.

@jaybird0922 I grew up with Nintendo and I'm no longer loyal to them. They're not doing anything good with the money we give them (just suing everyone in existence + poor business practices with their workers) so they don't get anymore cash from me. They're on their way down Blizzard/Activision's path.

@OldMcGroin Ah, I just mean given it’s size it’s not as easy to just throw in a bag (especially in the case it comes with) and forget about it whereas something like my Switch Lite fits in my rucksack along with everything else I need when travelling without taking up much space at all. You certainly can take it around just as easily as a Switch, especially if you’re just taking it in a car or not carrying much else or whatever but for me even if I’m travelling light with a change of clothes and toiletries in my bag the Steam Deck takes up so much space in what is a decent sized backpack that I just opt for my Switch instead. Just depends on who you are but I’d say in general it’s not as easy to take around, can still be done though

Why is every knockoff Switch more than double the cost of the actual Switch? I'd consider buying one to try out if the prices weren't so ridiculous. If the Switch is so overpriced and underpowered, like everyone claims, where are the portable $250 PCs with twice the power of the Switch?

@SonOfDracula Nintendo is bigger than those companies plus those companies don't have the amount of fans and loyalists that nintendo does

It's kind of pointless to compare the Switch to these gaming handhelds. Though it's also disingenuous to claim they don't compete either. I know I loved my Switch up until I got a Steam Deck. Now my Switch just sits in its dock and is used for Nintendo exclusives, and everything else is on my Deck.

I'm sure I'm not the only one in that camp either. As such, I think a lot of people who would have avoided a Switch in favor of a handheld gaming PC bought a Switch as, well... that was the only option for high quality games portably back in 2017.

Portable gaming PCs existed before the Steam Deck, even the Switch, but they were super niche and super expensive and usually looked like little laptops with an xbox controller where the keyboard should be. So we resort to modding our consoles to get more of what we want out of it.

Then enters Valve. They weren't the first to release a gaming PC with a Switch-like form factor, but they were the first company with the financial power to sell one at a reasonable price point, possibly even at a loss. Suddenly handheld gaming PCs are a thing that are reasonably priced, and a lot of us who probably would have never bought a Switch in the first place are now finding the platform we wanted in the first place and can reasonably afford.

But I digress. I think there will always be an audience for a Switch-like experience. Not to mention all the things the Switch does better than these handhelds (docked experience, sleep mode not bugging out anywhere near as often, coming back from sleep mode not sometimes requiring restarting the game to get sound back, etc) and not needing to worry about the potential tinkering you'd have to do (and lets be honest, you really don't have to do much tinkering if any if you don't want to). Some people, I'd argue a majority of people, don't want that. They want to get something they know will work, plug in the game (and do whatever stupid updates they need to do, but that's an argument for another day), and play it. And I'm also willing to bet a majority of people wouldn't really care that a game runs the worst on a Switch so long as it actually plays and is fun.

Uhm, can those controllers be detached? No. Battery most likely is way worse, and it's expensive. This thing, alongside the Steam Deck, are just glorified portable PCs, whereas the Switch is a home console you can take on the go.

Aya neo life. Not nintendolife 😑 not sure anyone here cares about this thing

NL is at again. They can write any counter argument and make us feel like trash for enjoying the Switch. This is definitely not an alt to the Switch, but toward the Steam Deck. It runs Windows 11 Home, how is this a simplified experience from consoles and mobile devices? Clutching at straws and this article is completely meaningless.

@BenRK all portable PCs aren’t for everyone, including the Deck. Valve has made the best selling portable PC ever, but the Switch is still going to have bigger appeal. An Android gaming portable will have more appeal than a Deck or Windows-based portable.

@progx Yup! Didn't claim a portable gaming PC was for everyone (sorry if it came across that way). I was simply saying that those of us who would prefer a portable gaming PC over a Switch finally have a good viable option for doing so. Which is why I think we're seeing a lot of comparisons to the Switch, and the whole comparison thing will die off as people finally find the device they were looking for.

Kinda like what happened to Pokemon Go (though not at all for the same reasons). Got a big boost of popularity when it first came out, then it died down, people left, and those who stayed were the true audience for the game.

@sanderev I don’t know. I think at this point when it comes to games anything that plays them is a competitor to any other device that plays them, be it a phone or console or gaming PC. Everything’s competing for your time and money.

As far as comparing devices directly though the line is beginning to blur more and more with consoles and PC, especially when it comes to handheld PCs and Switch with the custom front ends they’re shipping with. If you buy a Steam Deck without knowing it’s a full on PC the only time you’d be alerted of that fact is when you mess with graphics settings which even console games are starting to offer more and more (to a lesser extent but still). If you stick to Deck verified games (which the Steam Store only presents to you by default before you start messing with the search function) you’re going to have a very console like experience all in all; there’s little on the SteamOS front end that acts like a regular PC. To that end I don’t see why Switch and devices like Steam Deck can’t be compared in the same way you would compare an Xbox to a PlayStation.

@sanderev it's a portable device that can run heftier games that what switch can do. You could even play switch games in it. It is a switch competitor. It will never defeat it though, it's not for everybody.

Too expensive, rubbish battery, screen too small, and no Nintendo games. Pass!

PS: This thing is no competitor to the Switch. Price will be the key impediment, then easy of use and switchability, then game library. Steam Deck only recently sold 1 million units. Switch is only doing 100 times better. The Neo has no hope to compete. Game over!

Think I'll hold out on the handheld PC space until the battery life is semi decent.

It's hard to believe that not too long ago everyone was saying handhelds were dead. Now it seems a new one comes out every week.

What is that version of Triple Trouble in the header?

No matter how often you say "It's not a Switch alternative" even though it's a portable device with a controller attached that plays games, it doesn't become any less false. Yes it's 800+ quid which means it's not at all an option for people looking for the best value (that would be Switch/Steam Deck imo), but it IS an alternative. It just really depends on what matters to you, what your budget is, what you want out of a gaming device. But seriously, refraining from comparing these devices even though they both do the same thing basically is when you start hindering innovation. Nintendo needs to see what these people are doing. Competition creates better value for the customer. Don't make the Switch a sort of divine untouchable thing - it isn't and it shouldn't be, for your own sake.

@sanderev who cares. I didn't buy my Switch to type papers. I bought it to play awesome games. I don't need an upgraded Switch either. I'm happy with this one.

Common complaints from people who need to get over the fact that Nintendo sells cheap tech at a profit and moves units with their brand power. It's not changing. The Switch successor will also be underpowered. Get a Steam Deck if you want a more powerful hybrid, stop pining for something that's never happening.

I'm starting to understand why Nintendo made the Switch Lite. Because if they hadn't someone else would have. Nintendo is often underestimated but they know what they are doing. They forsaw the copycats and you better believe they have something up their sleeve for the Steam Deck as well.

@Rainbowfire How would someone else have made a “Switch Lite” before Nintendo?

I was going to get this last Summer but picked a Samsung Galaxy Book Flex2 Alpha instead because it was already available. Now I can play eroge as intended since all the hot stuff is removed from the All ages Switch versions, lol

@progx,

Nintendo life Push Square at it again.

"Mom, can I get a Steam Deck for Christmas?"

"We have Steam Deck at home ..."

$500 is a competitive price, but you can grab a 64GB Steam Deck for $100 less and it has a much better UI experience with the full support of Valve. They're both just portable PCs at the end of the day.

Still, I'm glad to see more competitors with reasonable pricing!

@jaybird0922 What does the size of the company have to do with it’s malpractice?

@johnvboy

Fun Fact: your comments make up roughly 13% of all the comments here (10/81 at the time of responding).

Less is more, just saying.

@Father-Noo If you could just spread your rational thinking and positive outlook to all further articles here, that would be great.

@larryisaman It wouldn't be called "Switch Lite" it would be called something else but someone certainly would have made it.

@Rainbowfire No but what I’m asking is, what do you mean? A portable PC in a smaller than Switch form factor?

This weird rhetoric some NL so-called "Journalists" try to push. 😒

What's a $200ish option for just having a handheld emulator machine? Something that can emulate at the very least ps1 and GameCube, as well as all the older stuff. DS emulation would be a big plus. 3ds would be awesome, but I don't know the current state of that either.
Any suggestions, lmk. Thx.

@Astral-Grain,

No offence taken, guess I feel a little mire strongly on this than others, and have been replying to other comments more than anything else... just like yours.

I am however very grateful you took time to work out my comments as an actual percentage.

@Olliemar28,

Now I am very confused, I thought this was Damo's article, but it turns out to be a collaboration, with both of you defending it.

For some core gamers I guess this would be a alternative for the Switch, but given this and many other portable P.C's hefty price tags it's a totally different proposition. I mean the Steam Deck is pretty niche, but at least it's in the same ballpark price wise.

Not getting upset, as this type of article has appeared many times on the site, just pointing out it's not really competition to the Nintendo Switch, and as the new headline states now an alternative, that most of the current and potential Switch audience would never even consider or be aware exists... You could have used rival or Switch Pro, it would still have the same outcome.

@Coalescence,

Yes common complaints form a very small vocal minority of core gamers, who in reality will never affect sales of Nintendo's consoles, or make these rival/alternative machines anything more than niche.

The link to the thread below says it better than anybody possibly could.

https://www.neogaf.com/threads/betting-time-do-you-think-the-switch-will-be-a-success.1333545/

@Olliemar28 then using that logic Monopoly - the board game - is a Switch alternative.

The biggest pitfall of this article and the video is that it was posted here. Of course there is going to be pushback. This site is not neutral ground and the readers will defend the Switch with a cult like fervor. This is not a bad thing, this is a site where Nintendo faithful can meet and discuss their system/company of choice.

Now, when it comes to this being a powerful alternative to the Switch... I am not so sure. While the Neo Air does come close in size, it comes no where close in price. Now, the base model Steam Deck... at $50US more than the OLED Switch makes a much more compelling case. Yes it is a "thicc boi", you do need to tinker a bit more with setting, and it does not have Nintendo exclusives, but it does make an argument for being a Switch competitor. The Switch does take the upper hand in ease of use, so I would probably not recommend it for a younger kid, but teens and above would have no problem with the Deck.

At the end of the day, it all depends on what you are playing. If you are primarily a third party and indie game player then I would steer you towards the Deck. If you are a Nintendo faithful, the Switch is for you.

One of the biggest things I see pointed out is the battery life of the portable PCs vs. the Switch. From personal experience, I get about the same battery life playing Horizon Zero Dawn on my Steam Deck as I did playing Breath of the Wild on my Switch. Both are taxing AAA titles. I also get about the same battery life playing Hades and Cult of the Lamb on my Deck that my son gets on his Steam Deck. At this point everything is relative.

Final thing, as for people saying they don't need an updated Switch... yes you do. We all do. The Switch is a 6 year old system that debuted on an already two year old CPU/GPU. It is showing its age. The latest Pokemon is taxing the system and would benefit from a beefier set of hardware. Nvidia is currently designing and showing off Tegra chips with Ampere based graphics (the same tech found in Nvidia's 30 series graphics cards). Imagine having a Switch 2 with that level of power.

900? Oh wow talk abut a deal! I could buy any other system cheaper and a full library of games for that price! But 900? Just for the console alone? Im in!

@HunterRose I agree with you on everything aside from Pokémon being an indicator that we need a more powerful Switch. That game is just poorly developed from a technical standpoint. If they can’t even get such a lacklustre looking game running well on Switch I don’t think more powerful hardware is going to fix anything for that franchise until they start taking more time with the games or hiring more studios to work on them concurrently.

Not saying we don’t need a new Switch, I think we do; but the latest Pokémon’s faults have nothing to do with the hardware

@HunterRose,

Still not sure outside of the core audience the Switch needs a power update, and is there an exact time or period a console should be sold for?, as surely this will depend on how long a certain console is in demand.

Normally after six years or so a machine will decline in sales to a point where a successor is required, up to now I see no evidence of a massive sales decline for the Switch, and it's still going to shift between 15-20 million units per year.

I think we will not see a new switch till early or late 2024, perhaps even later, sales of the original and OLED should remain strong, as long as Nintendo and GameFreak keep on pumping out those games.

@Magician

I just these days. They've been that way for quite a while now.

Am I to take this system is 900 smackers themselves before getting any games? If so that is a rip-off system instead. It's one thing if mass produced production line but this isn't and that would make this not a well supported system long term. 350 for Switch OLED two can be bought for that price and still have money leftover for games.