This Handheld Gaming Device Has Promise, but One Fatal Flaw Holds It Back

CNET

4 days ago

Decades after devices like the Sega Game Gear and iconic GameBoy changed video games forever, dedicated gaming handheld devices are making a comeback. While the Steam Deck wasn't the first of the new era, it certainly has had the most impact. New handheld gaming devices are regularly hitting shelves these days.
Ayaneo has carved out a place for itself among both Windows and Android gaming devices, and the Pocket S is one of its latest flagship Android devices. I've spent a few weeks with it and there's quite a lot to like, including high-end specs, top-tier performance and an impressive display. However, software quirks and a high price tag make it a tough sell.
What I like about the Ayaneo Pocket S
CNET / Jason Cockerham
If a handheld gaming device gets nothing else right, it needs to at least nail the feel and hardware. When you pick it up, it needs to feel solid in your hands. You want to know you'll be able to kick back for an energetic gaming session without having to worry about a bad grip or janky controls.
Thankfully, the Pocket S feels wonderful to hold. The form factor is exactly what you'd want from a portable handheld. It's solid, easy to grip and doesn't feel cheap or plastic at all. The buttons, joysticks and triggers all feel fantastic as well. They're clicky and responsive and I never experienced any drift or lag from anywhere. The Hall Effect triggers and joysticks are a nice touch as well. The metal rim and high quality plastic on the front and back also help it feel premium to hold.
Aside from the typical buttons and controls, the top houses a third Right and Left trigger, the volume controls, the power button with a built-in fingerprint sensor and the cutout for the fan venting. The right side houses a quick toggle switch to change performance modes. On the bottom are the speakers, air intake for the fans and a USB-C 3.2 port. There's a microSD card slot on the left side which supports cards up to 2TB, too.
CNET / Jason Cockerham
Ayaneo packed the Pocket S's hardware with the goal of giving the ultimate gaming experience. It's powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon G3x Gen 2 gaming chip which Ayaneo worked directly with Qualcomm on for over a year. It's similar in power to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip that powered most Android flagship phones back in 2023. Yes, it's a 2-year-old chip, but it still performed well in my testing -- every game ran without issues.
The base version of the Pocket S has 12GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, which isn't a huge amount of storage, but for an Android device with expandable memory, it's not bad. You can max it out with 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage if needed.
Lastly, the display is impressive. It's 6 inches with an option to upgrade from 1080p to a 1440p resolution. It's not OLED, sadly, so you won't get that level of contrast, but it does get up to 400 nits of brightness.
The tricky part is that there doesn't seem to be much availability for the Pocket S, at least the highest specced version. Most of the configurations for the 1080p display model are in stock on Ayaneo's website, but the only 1440p version comes with 12GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. The other downside of that is the storage speeds drop down to UFS 3.1 for the 128GB edition, so keep that in mind.
One of the best features of the Pocket S is the incredible support for emulators. Ayaneo has built into the software a huge range of support. The company's AYASpace software is where you can load up all your emulator files and it essentially organizes each file by game system for you. You can import mostly any type of file and it should work. Since the Pocket S runs Android, I was even able to download RetroArch and run it without issues. Plus, cloud gaming from Xbox and PS Remote both worked just fine on the Pocket S. It really is like having the best of every world in one place.
What I don't like about the Ayaneo Pocket S
CNET / Jason Cockerham
As great as the hardware is on the Pocket S, there are a couple issues. First, there's no headphone jack. To me, this is a big deal on a dedicated gaming device. If I want to game while I'm out or relaxing at home with my family, I don't want to dig out my Bluetooth headphones to do so. Bluetooth also has inherent latency, which can cause issues with games that require precise timing.
Secondly, the fans get super loud when they ramp up fully -- loud enough to be distracting to anyone around you or if you don't have headphones on. It was surprising, especially since there's a heat sink and dissipation plate inside the device. If the fans really need to get that loud, maybe the performance tuning needs some more work. Thankfully, they only go full speed when in the Max performance mode and you don't ever need to run it that high to get good performance.
Also, the display is a tad too small for my liking. Most gaming handhelds are around the 7-inch mark and I regularly found myself wishing for a slightly bigger screen, especially since many larger phones are upwards of 7 inches these days.
Sadly, it's way too common to see manufacturers pushing out really solid hardware with lackluster software. Ayaneo's version of Android is essentially stock Android, with full access to the Google Play store and some Ayaneo-specific stuff bolted on. I prefer that over most other full Android skins (like on Red Magic phones), but it still feels unfinished.
CNET / Jason Cockerham
To be fair, the company's additions -- like AYASpace for managing emulators and extra settings for trigger speed and configuration -- work well, but they still feel tacked on.
There are, however, still some odd bugs when playing games. For example, some games with full controller support showed ghost touches -- my character would move on its own or the cursor would drift across the screen. It didn't make the games unplayable, but it was definitely annoying.
Other games simply do not work. Call of Duty: Mobile is the biggest issue. For such a major title -- perfect for a device like this and with native controller support -- it just didn't work. Ayaneo offers on-screen control remapping, but it was hit or miss for me (pun intended), and honestly, you shouldn't have to rely on that.
It's especially odd because games like Genshin Impact and Call of Duty: Warzone both worked perfectly fine. So I'm not entirely sure who's fault it is that the Pocket S doesn't work with CODM. Maybe not a deal breaker if you don't play that game much, but just keep in mind that native game support isn't guaranteed.
CNET/Jason Cockerham
The biggest mystery to me of the Pocket S is how bad the accessories are. Ayaneo offers a screen protector -- which I actually like -- and two "ergonomic" cases. One is a plastic backplate that snaps on for protection and slightly protrudes from the back on both sides to give you a better grip. The other case is a bit beefier and includes a magnetic front cover for keeping it safe in your bag.
The problem is, both cases are extremely hard to remove once they're on. It took a lot of prying and pulling in multiple spots to get them off. Plus, they look and feel cheap -- the seams around the edges are rough, and the whole thing honestly looks 3D-printed in someone's bedroom. Worst of all, you can't access the SD card slot or the performance mode switch with the case on -- there's no cutout. I've never seen an accessory that removes functionality. For such a premium device with such beautiful hardware, the cases are quite disappointing.
And then there's the pricing
I'll just say this-as much as I like the Pocket S, the price alone makes it a device you shouldn't buy. The base model, with a 1080p screen, 16GB of RAM and 128GB of slower UFS 3.1 storage, is $559. The 1440p version starts at $589 and the top-end spec at 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage is $769.
You read that right. The $699 PlayStation 5 Pro console costs less than the top spec Pocket S. That's a big ask for such a device. For that price, you could get a much better specced Android phone -- even a dedicated gaming Android phone -- that has more features and better software support and a really good mobile controller. There's simply no reason at all the Pocket S should be priced as high as it is. Heck, you can even get a good gaming Windows handheld for that price.
What makes it even worse is that it's hard to get your hands on one. I can't find the base model spec available to buy anywhere. Amazon's two options -- both with 16GB of RAM and with either 512 GB or 1TB of storage -- are $589 and $629, respectively. The only place I can find the top-end model is on Ayaneo's website for $769. If it came in at $300, or even $350, there's a much stronger case to be made and at that point, I'd recommend it. But at Ayaneo's current asking price, it's a hard 'no.'
Should you buy the Ayaneo Pocket S?
To be honest, no -- not at its price. If you can find one from a reseller or at a crazy discount that brings it closer to $300, then yeah. It's a great device for playing both your favorite old-school games and the best new ones.
But with its limited availability and unreasonably high price, there are much better options to consider.