The Most Powerful Retro Handheld? AYANEO Pocket S 1 Month Review

👉Join new RH video creator BassDerek as he dives deep into the features, performance, and details his overall experience of the AYANEO Pocket S after owning it for a month in today's in-depth review. Equipped with the cutting-edge Snapdragon G3x Gen 2 chipset, this device promises unparalleled performance and near flawless emulation capabilities, but is it worth your money with a few compelling competitors on the market (including AYANEO's own Pocket EVO with its glorious OLED screen?). Let's find out!

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Please be aware that this description may contain affiliate links. By purchasing something, RH may earn a small commission of the sale at no extra cost to you. This video is for education and entertainment purposes only and is not intended for kids. All opinions are our own.

#ayaneo #emulation #retrohandheld #retrogaming

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📖Chapters
00:00 - Intro
00:13 - Overview
01:49 - Ergonomics and Controls
07:40 - Display
09:47 - Audio
10:47 - Heat and Fan
12:45 - Software
17:09 - Retro Emulation
20:20 - Android Gaming
22:11 - Pros, Cons and Considerations
25:02 - Thanks for watching!

[retrohandhelds]

What's your thoughts on the Pocket S? Stay tuned for Pocket Micro, DMG and EVO vids (soon TM)!

(Apologies on some of the jumpy cuts, and short lived specs / price sheet pop-ups, we blame tired Stubbs -- for most things really. Check Derek's original uncut video above for 7 minutes of extra info goodness!)

[richardisted]

I bought one of these and have been using it for a few months now and TBH it has become my preferred portable device (as you said, if you can afford it as your second device it might work for you); it is great for using on my 2 x 30 minute train rides as the weight / size /screen size factors "works". I mainly play RPGs (with lots of menu navigating using the D-pad) and Action RPGs so the d-pad is fine for my purposes, but I can imagine fighting game specialists may be disappointed.

The biggest surprise for me has been the performance of Sega Saturn emulation which for me I am finding that the games are running a lot better than on the Steam Deck; it has become my go-to device for that kind of emulation. I am also really satisfied with the battery life and able to just not thinking about charging for a long time.

I acknowledge the price wise it is up there and anyone who is comfortable with the form factor of the Odin 2 and has that device already would probably be advised to stay away. If I had not bought this then I would have considered getting the Odin 2 Mini.

[codylester]

I just ordered the Evo, it’s going to be my first AyaNeo device. The price is a little bit steep, but it’s basically my ultimate handheld. Powerful like Odin, but with a better screen and full size analog sticks for local game streaming

[michaelbenny]

Great video Derek. I like the format of your Pros/Cons/Considerations screen

[CaracolHiperbólico]

I see you have moonlight installed, could you maybe make a small video showing the game streaming performance (comparing the ayaspace game modes, bitrate, frame pacing..)? currently nobody has reviewed that aspect of the Pocket S and many people are interested on it :)

[namcojr]

Weird that people don't like this DPAD. I have had over 25 handhelds and this is clearly the best DPAD of them all. Odin2, ROG Ally, whatever, included. It's just perfect. Once i got this in my hands, i got rid of the Odin2 and i don't miss it one bit, this is a far better experience. Well done Ayaneo (now, those prices... ugh).

[MithosDagon]

Yeah, without an OLED screen and after my experience with the pocket air I’m happy I skipped this one and went with the Odin 2 Mini Pro

[RetroGamingWithDeadfred]

My daily driver and favorite current way to play 3X 3DS games. Great video friend~

[wonkydn]

Great video and awesome device overview! Love the considerations too. Plenty of things to think about when buying devices that arent black and white.

[smmuny]

Awesome review! This might just replace my Retroid Pocket Flip. WOW

[nosoykitos]

Have you tried it with their case? Curious how it affects ergonomics

[DigitalJedi]

Good video good format! I still have the same concerns about this device. I’m not sure the price to performance especially when compared to an Odin2 or a SD.

[iTheBeep]

I wish this had a 90-120hz panel, considering the cost & specs. I don't mind it not being OLED, but I would've really liked a high refresh screen.
If this also had support for SIM/LTE, this could've replaced my phone.

[jimfaker]

Nice review! By the way, did you installed Dead Cells through Google play? Because on my device it says it's not compatible 😅

[I.M.T.S]

I got a 16/512G 1080p one. I really like the design, but quality control still leaves much to be desired. The display has a 1mm band on the right edge, top to bottom that doesn't render properly. That area just copies whatever pixels are immediately on the left of it. Dead zone is unnecessarily large, and you can't adjust it. Near one of the bottom screw there is a little gap between frame and back plate as if something is pushing from inside. The graphics driver is not mature yet. Wuthering waves crash consistently when you look at some particular landscape, most probably due to driver issues as I dont have the same problem on my RP4 pro. Switch emulation performance is solid but some games have driver issues. Turnip fixes issues for some games, but still not there yet.
This was my first Ayaneo device, and most probably, it will be the last. The huge difference between indiegogo price and retail price induces FOMO. You feel like you dont have enough time to make informed decision.

[mindyournose]

Even the rg cubes fan keeps it cool when that gets little bit warm after 1 OR 2 HOURS of use 😂

[jjayala]

If I was more tech savvy and didn't mind control mapping I would have gotten this but I got the rp4 pro. Which I love but this looks so nice.

[Catlight]

Aya should honestly have scrapped this, the DMG, and the micro, and put all their focus on the EVO. The EVO actually looks like good competition for the Odin 2.

[Pridetoons]

I already have an expensive flat Handheld and I barely use it because it's too flat.

[KyleRuggles]

Great review BassDerek! Welcome to the fold!
Ayn sure could learn something from Ayaneo, their software is way more mature than Ayn's.