Steam Deck competitors are coming thick and fast. From the Asus ROG Ally to the Lenovo Legion Go, many big tech companies have made their own play for a slice of the handheld PC pie. Now, Chinese company Ayaneo is having a pop at the champ with the Ayaneo Slide, a high spec but dinky device available to purchase via crowdfunding platform Indiegogo.
The best handheld gaming PCs have a decent mix of the three Ps: performance, portability, and price. It looks like Ayaneo has those three covered with its recently announced Slide device. This new product aims to outmuscle the Steam Deck thanks to its AMD Ryzen 7 7840U processor, while offering something different thanks to its slidable 1080p screen that hides a full QWERTY keyboard.
Ayaneo has made the curious decision to run a crowdfunding campaign for the Slide on Indiegogo rather than simply release it to the market. The campaign has so far raised $106,731 from 114 backers, 1599% of its $6,671 goal. Of course, most crowdfunding campaigns set easy-to-reach goals so they can use the fact they smashed the target amount in promotional materials, and it looks like Ayaneo has done the same here.
Launching the Slide through Indiegogo is an interesting move, considering Ayaneo may lack the brand awareness to convince consumers to fork out hundreds of dollars for a handheld that doesn’t even exist yet.
A cursory glance at the campaign page raises even more questions. Supposedly, the Ayaneo Slide will begin shipping in mid-December, despite the fact Ayaneo is yet to produce a working prototype, according to the campaign page. We can only assume the latter information is erroneous, considering Ayaneo has released a YouTube video demonstrating the Slide’s performance across various games.
Many folk will prefer to wait until hardware experts have got their hands on the new device, but those wanting to secure the Ayaneo Slide’s early bird price may find reassurance in the fact that Ayaneo has a “trust team proven” badge, which means “This campaigner has a history of fulfilling campaigns on the IGG platform or is an Enterprise-run campaign.”
Ayaneo Slide price
The Ayaneo Slide price is $699 for the base model with 16GB RAM and 512GB storage, but this price is only available on a first come, first served basis, and is limited to 100 people. It will then revert to $799 on Indiegogo or $899 when it hits general retail.
There are four models available in total, with differing amounts of RAM and storage. Here’s the full list of Ayaneo Slide prices:
| Model | Early bird price | Indiegogo price | MSRP |
| 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD | $699 | $799 | $899 |
| 32GB RAM, 512GB SSD | $799 | $899 | $999 |
| 32GB RAM, 2TB SSD | $959 | $1,059 | $1,159 |
| 64GB RAM, 4TB SSD | $1,299 | $1,499 | $1,599 |
Ayaneo Slide specs
Here are the Ayaneo Slide specs:
| APU | Ryzen 7 7840U (up to 5.1GHz) |
| Cores / threads | 8 / 16 |
| Graphics | 12 RDNA 3 CUs (2.7GHz) |
| RAM | Up to 64GB |
| Display | 6-inch IPS, 1080p, 400 nits |
| Storage | Up to 4TB |
| Weight | 650g |
| OS | Windows 11 |
| Price | $699 – $1,599 |
| Dimensions | 226 x 90 x 37.5mm |
Ayaneo Slide release date
The Ayaneo Slide release date is mid-December, according to the Indiegogo campaign page. This is when Ayaneo promises to begin shipping products to backers. It’s unclear when it will be available to consumers outside the Indiegogo crowdfunding platform.
If you want to stick with the tried-and-tested Valve, check out our list of the best Steam Deck games. Or if you’re looking to pimp out your device, we’ll put any Steam Deck-related offers on our Black Friday deals hub when they become available.