The PC gaming handhelds scene has changed so much in the past eighteen months that it can be a bit confusing keeping up with everything. We are now entering the next generation of gaming handhelds which promise faster than Steam Deck processors and other new features. Let’s take a look at five of the best, in no particular order, soon to be released PC gaming handhelds!
Top 5 upcoming PC Gaming Handhelds Video
GPD Win MAX 2 AMD PC Gaming Handhelds
We start off with the GPD Win MAX 2. We reviewed the Intel model recently and did find it a little underwhelming when compared to last year’s MAX 2021 model. But the AMD model with Ryzen 7 6800U processor is very much different, offering far higher performance than its Intel counterpart.
GPD WIN MAX 2 Technical Specifications
| GPD WIN MAX 2 INTEL | GPD WIN MAX 2 AMD | |
| CPU | Intel Core i7-1260P 4 Performance Cores / 8 Efficient Cores, 16 Treads @ 4.70 GHz | AMD Ryzen 7 6800U 8 Cores, 16 Threads @ 4.70 GHz |
| CPU | Intel Iris Xe Graphics @ 1.4GHz | AMD Radeon 680M @ 2.2GHz |
| RAM | 16GB LPDDR5 5200 MT/s | 16GB / 32GB LPDDR5 6400 MT/s |
| STORAGE | 1 × M.2（PCIe 4.0）NVMe v1.4 2280 SSD 1 × M.2（PCIe 4.0）NVMe v1.4 2230 SSD | 1 × M.2（PCIe 4.0）NVMe v1.4 2280 SSD 1 × M.2（PCIe 4.0）NVMe v1.4 2230 SSD |
It features the mentioned Ryzen 7 6800U processor with a choice of 16GB or 32GB RAM and 1TB SSD. There’s dual m.2 slots which you can use for additional storage and an optional 4G LTE Module. The display is a massive 10.1″ touchscreen that is great for gaming on. There is a full QWERTY keyboard and built in camera that sets it apart from other handhelds.
What we think of the GPD WIN MAX 2?
The laptop design does mean that it is far bit larger than the other gaming handhelds but personally I did not mind too much. Your arms will get tired holding it without assistance, but I find while gaming on any handheld I am usually resting my arms on a desk or on my lap.
We will have a full review of the AMD model very soon so keep an eye out for that! You can read our GPD WIN MAX 2 Intel review here.
AYA NEO AIR PC Gaming Handhelds
AYA NEO has entered the Windows gaming handheld scene and introduced great looking devices using the latest and fastest available mobile processors. The AYA NEO AIR PC gaming handheld however takes a different approach with a budget alternative using the older AMD Ryzen 5 series processor.
AYA NEO AIR Technical Specifications
| AYA NEO AIR LITE | AYA NEO AIR STANDARD | AYA NEO AIR PRO | |
| CPU | AMD Ryzen 5 5560U 6 Cores, 12 Threads @ 4.0GHz | AMD Ryzen 5 5560U 6 Cores, 12 Threads @ 4.0GHz | AMD Ryzen 7 5825U 8 Cores, 16 Threads @ 4.5GHz |
| GPU | AMD Radeon Graphics 6 Cores @ 1600Mhz | AMD Radeon Graphics 6 Cores @ 1600Mhz | AMD Radeon Graphics 8 Cores @ 2000Mhz |
| RAM | 8GB LPDDR4x 3200Mhz | 16GB LPDDR4x 3200Mhz | 16GB / 32GB LPDDR4x 4266Mhz |
| STORAGE | 128GB | 256GB / 512GB | 1TB / 2TB |
The AYA NEO Air will come in three models, the Lite, Standard and Pro The Lite and standard features the Ryzen 5 5560 processor and the Pro has the faster 5825U processor. The standard and pro models will come in a variety of colours to choose from. All three take the title of the thinnest and lightest handheld with a 5.5 inch OLED screen which we can’t wait to see.
What we think of the AYA NEO AIR?
The design takes some influence from another popular handheld, but it does also bring some nice features such as hall joysticks and triggers which improve the reliability and lifespan of these moving parts.
The AYA NEO Air will also feature the useful AYA SPACE frontend for Windows which is a console style interface with everything you need at your fingertips. It will also at a later date have AYANEO OS. It is a Linux based OS and will support native Linux as well as Windows games running via Proton, similar to the Steam Deck.
While the AYA NEO Air won’t be as high performing as some of the other models mentioned in this video, it will be lower cost and have some great features such as the OLED screen which is not found on the others. You can read or watch our full AYANEO Air review here. You can buy the AYANEO Air here.
AYA NEO 2 PC Gaming Handheld
If you are an AYA NEO fan and want something a bit more powerful than the Air, then the AYA NEO 2 will be right up your street!
AYA NEO 2 Technical Specifications
| CPU | AMD Ryzen 7 6800U 8 Cores, 16 Threads @ 4.7GHz |
| GPU | AMD Radeon 680M 12 Cores @ 2200Mhz |
| RAM | 32GB (Predicated) |
| STORAGE | 1TB (Predicated) |
The AYA NEO 2 PC gaming handheld will feature the Ryzen 7 6800U so we can expect great performance for gaming. It will have a 7 inch IPS touchscreen display and we will guess 32GB RAM and 1 or 2 TB of storage going by their previous models.
What we think of the AYA NEO 2?
We will know more about the AYA NEO 2 closer to its launch date which is expected to be in late September. It is a bit too soon to say much else, but we know AYA NEO make great handhelds and we can’t see that changing. We would expect it to also have AYA SPACE and AYA OS available for this model.
AOKZOE PC Gaming Handheld
The AOKZOE is a uhm “newcomer” to the handheld scene with strangely familiar designs, we will leave it at that 🙂
AOKZOE Technical Specifications
| CPU | AMD Ryzen 7 6800U 8 Cores, 16 Threads @ 4.7GHz |
| GPU | AMD Radeon 680M 12 Cores @ 2200Mhz |
| RAM | 16GB / 32GB LPDDR5 @ 6400Mhz |
| STORAGE | 512GB, 1TB, 2TB M.2280 PCIe3.0 |
Like the other next generation gaming handhelds it will feature the AMD Ryzen 7 6800U processor with an 8 inch IPS display. There are a few different colours to choose from and have 16GB and 32GB LPDDR RAM options, with storage up to 2TB.
What we like about the AOKZOE?
It will also feature RGB lighting which increases the performance of course 🙂 There is a built in gyroscope which has been seen in previous AYA NEO models, but hasn’t really been put to great use, requiring third party software to use it. So it would be nice to have proper integration on the AOKZOE PC gaming handheld .
One other feature we really like is that it has a built-in kickstand, so you can easily stand it up on your desk or table, now I wonder where they got that idea from…
AYN LOKI PC GAMING HANDHELDS
Our final pick for the best upcoming PC gaming handheld is the Ayn Loki. There will be a few different models, the Zero, Loki Mini, Loki,, Loki Mini Pro and Loki Max. These models vary in specifications with lower performance processors on the Zero and Mini such as the Athlon Silver 3050e we recently took a look at in our Anbernic Win 600 review. And the Pro and Max models will feature the AMD Ryzen 6600U and 6800U.
AYN Loki Zero Technical Specifications
| CPU | Athlon Silver 3050e |
| GPU | AMD Radeon Graphics |
| RAM | 4GB DDR4 @ 2400Mhz |
| STORAGE | 64GB M.2 2230 + Micro SD |
AYN Loki Mini Technical Specifications
| AYN LOKI MINI INITEL | AYN LOKI MINI AMD | ||
| CPU | Intel Alder Lake Celeron 7305 | AMD Mendocino 7nm Zen 2 | |
| GPU | Intel Integrated Graphics | RDNA2 | |
| RAM | 8GB LPDDR4x @ 4266Mhz | 8GB LPDDR5 @ 6400Mhz | |
| STORAGE | 128GB M.2 2230 NVMe SSD + Micro SD | 128GB M.2 2230 NVMe SSD + Micro SD |
AYN Loki Mini Pro Technical Specifications
| AYN LOKI MINI PRO INTEL | AYN LOKI MINI PRO AMD | |
| CPU | Intel Alder Lake Pentium 8505 | AMD Mendocino 6nm Zen 2 |
| GPU | Intel Integrated Graphics | RDNA2 |
| RAM | 8GB LPDDR4X @ 4266 | 8GB LPDDR5 @ 6400 |
| STORAGE | 128GB M.2 2230 NVMe SSD + Micro SD | 128GB M.2 2230 NVMe SSD + Micro SD |
AYN Loki Technical Specifications
| CPU | AMD Ryzen 5 6600U 6 Cores, 12 Threads @ 4.5Ghz |
| GPU | AMD Radeon 660M 6 Cores @ 1900Mhz |
| RAM | 8GB/16GB LPDDR5 @ 6400Mhz |
| STORAGE | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB M.2 2230 SSD + Micro SD |
AYN Loki Max Technical Specifications
| CPU | AMD Ryzen 7 6800U 8 Cores, 16 Threads @ 4.70 GHz |
| GPU | AMD Radeon 680M @ 2.2GHz |
| RAM | 16GB LPDDR5 @ 6400Mhz |
| STORAGE | 512GB M.2 2230 SSD + Micro SD |
What we like about the AYN Loki?
There’s a lot of details to go over all the different models but we will keep it short in this article. What we like is that there is a model of AYN Loki PC gaming handhelds to suit all requirements. The budget ones will be great for playing older PC game and up to Dreamcast and PSP emulation levels. And if you want to enjoy the latest AAA Windows games and newer console emulation, then you have the high performance Ryzen 6600U and 6800U obviously at a higher price.
However our concern is that AYN are not the best at getting their models shipped out to paid customers in a decent time. There are still customers waiting for their AYN Odin handhelds. Now factoring in seven different Loki models, there could be a long wait! We have ordered all the five models to check out, when they do arrive we will have full reviews for each.
Late entry: GPD WIN 4
The GPD WIN 4 was recently leaked and then announced by GPD themselves. Like many of the next generation handheld gaming PC’s it will feature the AMD Ryzen 7 6800U processor. This is a smaller form factor design than say the AYANEO Next and ONEXPLAYER and will have a 6″ 1080p H-IPS display with 1 or 2TB NVMe SSD and 16 or 32GB LPDDR5 RAM. You can read everything you need to know about the GPD Win 4 here.
Final thoughts
Those are our picks for the best forthcoming PC gaming handhelds. The rest of 2022 looks to be an amazing time to buy one. Have you already ordered one, or what would be your choice? Let us know in the comments as we are very interested to see what you think!
Where to buy PC Gaming Handhelds?
DroiX are the best place to buy PC Gaming handhelds. They have been championing Windows handhelds since the first GPD Win 1 and stock all the latest models of GPD, AYA NEO, ONEXPLAYER, Anbernic and more!
