Welcome to another DroiX Black Friday Sale highlight post! This time, we’ll be going over a handful of handheld gaming PCs. Ever wanted to play AAA games on a handheld? Well now you can with these awesome devices.
What is a handheld gaming PC?
For a very long time, handheld gaming experiences were typically limited to scaled down, «portable» titles designed explicitly for the platform. However, advancements in technology have enabled us to shrink down and maximize the performance of specific PC components, eventually culimating in the device we know today as the «handheld gaming PC».
Handheld gaming PCs are, as the name implies, gaming PCs that are in a handheld format. The most popular form these devices take is that of a large central screen flanked on each side by a set of gamepad-styled controls.
This is also reminiscent of the [Switch]’s design (when in handheld mode anyway), and we believe that the [Switch] was a not-insignificant inspiration behind the development of these handhelds.
AYA NEO 2021 | An AMD Gaming Handheld
The AYA NEO is a newly released a handheld gaming PC, and is the namesake device of fresh-faced Chinese startup company AYA.
With a crowdfunding initiative that was successfully funded in April 2021, and to this date has amassed over £1.7 million GBP in funding, the AYA NEO saw a staggered release take place over the following months, with limited quantities of a «founders edition» being sent out to customers.
Feedback regarding this enhanced edition was gathered by AYA, who then decided to update the AYA NEO with a variety of new features. The most noticeable of these being a switch from clicky, «digital» buttons and triggers, to analogue buttons/triggers with more travel and the ability to be gradually pressed.
These changes made the device drastically more comfortable to hold and game with without sacrificing the device’s form factor or portability.
In terms of performance, the base model of the AYA NEO sports an AMD Ryzen 5 4500U processor, backed up by 16GB of LPDDR4x RAM, and an M.2 NVMe SSD. These specs allow the AYA NEO to put out impressive framerates on a variety of AAA games, far beyond what one would normally expect of a handheld.
Plus, being proficient at playing AAA games also means its a monster at emulation as well.
There is also a slightly more powerful variant known as the AYA NEO PRO, which contains an AMD Ryzen 7 4800U processor instead. As you’d expect, even better performance in games is achieved with this model.
To learn more about the AYA NEO, we highly encourage you to check our our reviews for both the base model and the pro model.
GPD WIN 3
The GPD WIN 3 is a handheld gaming PC produced by GPD. GPD is an established maker of gaming handhelds.
Today, we’re taking a look at one of their most recent products: the GPD WIN 3!
The GPD WIN 3 is a portable gaming PC designed for gamers on the move. It has top-of-the-line performance as far as handheld computers are concerned. With an 11th generation Intel Core i7 processor (with Intel Iris integrated graphics) and 16GB of LPDDR4x RAM, as well as a 1TB NVMe SSD
This technology is capable of playing many AAA games with acceptable framerates, as seen in our GPD WIN 3 performance tests. Something that only beefy gaming PCs or enormous gaming laptops were capable of doing before.
On top of gaming, the GPD WIN 3 is also capable of handling many other demanding PC tasks, including video editing, photo editing, and more. Thanks to the raw throughput of the 11th generationl Intel CPU.
To make it even more practical as a daily driver, you may connect the GPD WIN 3 to its official docking station. This docking station, which connects to the underneath of the unit via a Thunderbolt 4 port, includes a full-sized HDMI port, extra USB Type-A ports, and even an Ethernet port.
Another feature of the GPD WIN 3 is its high-quality H-IPS display. It has a 5.5-inch, 1280x720p touchscreen with touch functionality. It can render video gaming in an excellent manner.
A comprehensive set of controls is also included. With your regular face button arrangement, shoulders, triggers, and other buttons on display. GPD’s supplied software also allows custom-mapping of the two extra buttons on the rear of a unit. And through a slide-out mechanism, similar to that seen in turn-of-the-century mobile phones, a capacitive touch keyboard can be accessed.
To learn more about the GPD WIN 3, please have a look at our GPD WIN 3 review.
ONEXPLAYER
Developed by One Netbook, another specialist manufacture of mini laptops, the ONEXPLAYER is a second attempt to enter the gaming market by the company.
This follows the less-than-lukewarm reception of its earlier One GX1 models in 2020, whose price and performance ratio were far outstripped by the GPD WIN MAX at the time.
With the ONEXPLAYER however, One Netbook have knocked it out of the park. This handheld gaming PC works wonders in providing an AAA gaming experience while keeping to the portable handheld form factor.
The centerpiece of the device is it’s large IPS display. With a hefty resolution of 2560x1600p and sizing up at 8.4 inches, the OneXPlayer is just as good at displaying games as it is for watching video.
At the heart of the unit is an 11th generation Intel Core i7-1195G7 processor. This works together with 16GB of LPDDR4x RAM to provide high framerates in many recent AAA games. This is further bolstered by the fast load times of the M.2 NVMe SSD.
The controls of the ONEXPLAYER are also incredibly comfortable, featuring analogue buttons with just the right amount of travel and feedback, letting you really immerse yourself in the game without worrying about comfort.
If you’re so inclined to do so, you can also connect the OneXPlayer to an external graphics card through the Thunderbolt 4 port. This turns the device into somewhat of a fully-fledged gaming PC.
To learn more about the ONEXPLAYER, we encourage you to check out our ONEXPLAYER FAQ.
What if I miss the sale?
If you go to order and find that any one of these handheld gaming PCs is out of stock. Don’t worry! Our DroiX Black Friday discounts also extend to pre-orders and back-orders. Meaning that once we receive stock for your order, we’ll dispatch it ASAP.
And if you change your mind or have any other questions/concerns about the order, our support team at [email protected] is on hand to assist you
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