Ayaneo 3 review

The Ayaneo 3 is the company’s 15th release since the Ayaneo 2S and 1S, and while it’s great for gaming on, it is still riddled with typical Ayaneo handheld issues. It doesn’t help that on top of this rolling snowball of issues, Windows is doing its irritating dance. If you thought that the complaints about Windows on these handhelds were tired, unfortunately, I have bad news for you.

However, this isn’t to say the Ayaneo 3 is bad. It really isn’t when it’s doing what it was made to do: play games. However, every idea and gimmick thrown into the mix this time round always seems to have an issue. Part of this is the software.

AyaSpace 3, the updated overlay software that is integral to the Ayaneo 3, is a lot better and surprisingly interferes a lot less than it did with AyaSpace 2. Previously, it’d try to take over the controller or interfere with Steam Input if it was active. Here, AyaSpace warns you that using its default “Game Mode” will interfere, and there’s a quick toggle to turn it on and off.

Thankfully, if you just want to launch games, I found the Ayaneo 3 more than ready to go. Though I found myself spending quite some time in this sidebar menu, as this is where you’ll toggle layouts that you’ll want to set up for each controller module.

While AyaSpace 3 is a lot snappier—and far better labelled for navigating over v2, including proper translations—I still find it a lot worse than just booting up Steam’s Big Picture Mode. Mapping, altering settings, and just general use still feel slapdash, and I’ve had the software lock up on me more than once, forcing a restart. Thankfully, with the Home button binding removed, the Ayaneo 3 essentially becomes an almighty Steam Deck in Big Picture. Except, with all the issues that Windows brings.

Even the most basic thing, putting the device to sleep, is tough. I’ll hit the button, and if there’s some program daring to communicate that it’s using the hardware, it’ll wake. It’ll wake with full fans at 3 am. Twice I’ve been blinded by an OLED screen trying to force a handheld computer off. Both times I’ve been disappointed to see that the battery has drained while it was ‘sleeping’.

More irritating is that it’ll continue to keep its fans going well after it has successfully been put to sleep. I moved from my house to another place, and had to put the device in its carry case. Opening it after fifteen minutes would have maybe half-cooked an egg.

I found it easier to switch the Ayaneo 3 all the way off, which, more often than not, resulted in the device working first time. Like the 2S, the Ayaneo 3 will sometimes not wake on demand, or hang for a couple of minutes before displaying anything.

It makes the whole thing feel a little ramshackle. Software taking control of other software, and neither is particularly great. However, this rough and tumble attitude stems from the Ayaneo 3’s best parts. It’s a true reflection of how Ayaneo is reactive to its audience.

I love that Ayaneo has deliberately exposed the APU’s usage of RAM and VRAM directly in the menus. At 32 GB, you can have up to 16 GB of VRAM and 16 GB of RAM to give yourself some extra headroom in titles such as Avowed.

Gone from the 2S is the second top USB port; in its place is OcuLink, which allows for an eGPU to be connected. There are still two USB-C ports on the top and bottom, and the 144 Hz, 7-inch OLED panel is gorgeous. All of its additions make sense, especially with this model that we’ve been testing (32GB RAM, 1TB of storage), but there’s always something in the way.

The swappable modules are the real draw for the new Ayaneo 3, however. Looking closer at the modules, the idea is right up my alley. The catch is, you have to cough up $99 for what is essentially an assortment of similar sticks, d-pads, and buttons. One of the more interesting ideas is ideal for emulating cult favourites on the Sega Saturn, or fighting games and other classic six-button affairs.

There are also two trackpads. These aren’t particularly comfortable, with a short travel distance, and I just couldn’t find that sweet spot for sensitivity. I also found, for some reason, whenever I loaded a game, AyaSpace would force Game Mode on, turning them into shoddy touchpad joysticks until I faffed with the menu.

The modules are the main gimmick and unfortunately, one of my biggest concerns too. Not only do I fear they’ll break, but they also rely heavily on AyaSpace. When you want to eject them to swap over, you have to use it to get them spat out with a little force.

The control mode button can’t pop them without the software. It’s a bizarre oversight on a device that has caved to the gaming enthusiast crowd in more ways than one. Like the shoulder buttons, which can be locked for a shorter pull, or the back paddles for additional controls. It also means, for now, the device is off limits to Linux as I’m not even sure it’d recognise the default control setup.

The Ayaneo 3’s APU, the HX 370, is a solid upgrade over the last two generations. Of course, the device performs best when pushed to its maximum, 35 W, and thankfully, Ayaneo makes this extremely easy to do. AyaSpace makes it easy to give more headroom by sacrificing RAM for VRAM. Harder to run games should stop complaining about a lack of resources.

The changes within 3DMark are negligible (3641 in Time Spy set to 8 GB VRAM/24 GB RAM), but in Black Myth Wukong’s benchmark tool, I saw an uplift in performance. Without upscaling, the system went from 18 fps to 23 fps. With it enabled, the Ayaneo 3 went toe-to-toe with the OneXPlayer F1 Pro, sitting at 34fps.

Most impressive, though, is the AMD Ryzen AI HX 370, with the Radeon 890M. In games like Slitterhead, I saw a solid 60 fps once I turned on FSR upscaling (Quality). Smaller games like Metal Bringers hit 120 fps with raytracing off, even with its Unreal Engine-backed mass of explosions and carnage.

I also gave Avowed a go, which managed 45 fps at 35 W in the tighter combat areas. Exploring the first city resulted in a dip to around 35 fps, with the worst hitting 30. In Tokyo Xtreme Racer, the Ayaneo 3 managed around 45 fps at default medium settings with upscaling on. It’s not quite the jump expected with the Radeon 8060S and beyond, but Ayaneo’s choice to go with this mid-step is a welcome change from the 7840U and 8840U’s Radeon 780M iGPU.

See, it’s not all bad news with the Ayaneo 3. At its core level, it’s a solid handheld with some beefy performance under it. However, with all its gimmicks and problems, I just can’t recommend it when it stands at a non-early bird price of $1499 for this particular model. At the top end, it’ll cost you $1899.