Update 11/01/24 10:18 AM UTC - AYANEO replied to my email to give a tiny bit more info on their Linux OS use:
The SteamOS pre-installed on NEXT LITE is adapted and optimized by AYANEO based on HoloISO. Users also can install Windows system by themselves after purchasing NEXT LITE, and download Windows driver from AYANEO official website.
HoloISO is not actually SteamOS, but very close. So this is not in any way a partnership being done with Valve. HoloISO for those not aware can be found on GitHub and anyone can use it. I've asked if they can share what changes they've made.
Original article below:
Finally we're seeing another handheld vendor jump in with Linux. The AYANEO NEXT LITE was announced today and much like the Steam Deck, they plan to ship it with SteamOS! AYANEO are one of the top brands when it comes to PC handhelds, so it's really interesting to see them be one of the first to jump in like this. If Linux is a success for them, no doubt they will do more and other vendors will follow along.
Don't go expecting some next-gen power-house though, this is a "value-for-money option" but with various great sounding features like Hall Effect Joysticks, a 7-inch 800p display, a 47Wh battery, X-axis linear motors "and other features".
Now, this forward-looking flagship handheld, AYANEO NEXT, returns in full force with the rejuvenated AYANEO NEXT LITE. Building upon the foundation of top-tier flagship design and texture, AYANEO NEXT LITE comes pre-installed with the SteamOS gaming system for the first time. AYANEO NEXT LITE integrates outstanding cost-effectiveness, lowering the entry barrier while further popularizing numerous flagship features, offering an upgraded experience to more players, and allowing them to enjoy the endless fun and convenience of gaming handhelds.
AYANEO
AYANEO say "subscriptions" will open 9:30 PM EST on January 11th EST / 2:30 AM January 12th UTC. They haven't revealed specifications or the pricing yet, so we assume that will be revealed then. The announcement post also showed off two different colour variations with a white shell and orange shoulder buttons like above, plus a black shell with grey shoulder buttons.
Currently it's not clear how they're using SteamOS. As Valve have not announced any kind of partnership, and there's no official public SteamOS 3 release yet. We know Valve wanted to get SteamOS on other devices, and all those discussions would have of course been behind closed doors until an announcement. So maybe Valve will say something soon. I've reached out to both Valve and AYANEO for an answer anyway.
Interestingly, they were previously working on their Linux-based AYANEO OS that was due in 2023, but perhaps that was shelved in favour of SteamOS directly to prevent fragmentation.
What do we think, AMD still like most others or Intel this time like the MSI Claw?
See the announcement here.
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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They might pay Valve to help them with itI'm pretty sure Valve would be happy to "support" this device by themselves for free. Especially if it sells well.
As HoloISO dev said, TDP values are hardcoded for Steam Deck currently. Even if they take HoloISO or whatever and modify it, they can't modify Steam client itself, which is where all controls are implemented
1 Likes, Who?
Sounds like they are going in the other direction and targetting lower prices rather than fancier spec sheet. That's smart if they manage to bring the price down to something below the price of Steam Deck.
It's extremely unlikely to be cheaper than the Deck. Valve have economies of scale that Aya Neo don't have, and Valve don't actually need to make money on the hardware. The Next (which this is supposed to be a cheaper version of) is $1,315, and their cheapest product is $899.
3 Likes, Who?
Linux was a great decision, but this is another handheld that missed the trackpads and handheld ergonomics that Valve have perfected on the Steam Deck.
Steam Deck's trackpads are good, but honestly most people just don't use them (because they don't know how good they are unfortunately). For these people this device can literally be Steam Deck Lite, because it certainly would be smaller in size. I know a few people who liked SteamOS, but don't like the size of Steam Deck. They might be interested in this
Last edited by satoridepon on 10 January 2024 at 8:18 pm UTC
3 Likes, Who?
Now THAT's more like it!Kind of spooky..... We were just talking about something like this the other day........Ayaneo has been in this game for quite a while, and it's nice to see them not pitching a hissy-fit like GPD did.
I'll be interested in seeing how they price it. If this does well, we could end up seeing further disruption* of the marketplace, with any luck.
*Disruption in the Blue Ocean Strategy sense, for anyone who's familiar with that.
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Mohandevir Jan 10
Low cost, entry level handheld with SteamOS... Direct competitor to the Steam Deck... I was expecting a high end SteamOS based handheld... Would have made more sense, imo. Unless they aim to sell it where the Steam Deck is unavailable?
I'll be surprised if they are able to match the Steam Deck price brackets.
I'll be surprised if they are able to match the Steam Deck price brackets.
4 Likes, Who?
This looks like a cheaper Steam Deck, made in concurrence with Valve.
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rustigsmed Jan 11
hmmm like others I'm interested to know if it really is 'SteamOS'
1 Likes, Who?
Finally another SteamOS handheld! I hope this one is available for sale in more countries than the Deck, that would help to boost Linux users a lot, and the better the numbers, the most attention we'll get from developers.
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Mountain Man Jan 11
Linux was a great decision, but this is another handheld that missed the trackpads and handheld ergonomics that Valve have perfected on the Steam Deck.
Steam Deck's trackpads are good, but honestly most people just don't use them (because they don't know how good they are unfortunately). For these people this device can literally be Steam Deck Lite, because it certainly would be smaller in size. I know a few people who liked SteamOS, but don't like the size of Steam Deck. They might be interested in this
I love the track pads! I almost never touch the joysticks on my Steam Deck.
2 Likes, Who?
Kind of spooky..... We were just talking about something like this the other day........Now let's see how much else of what we discussed shows up here.
Low cost, entry level handheld with SteamOS... Direct competitor to the Steam Deck... I was expecting a high end SteamOS based handheld... Would have made more sense, imo. Unless they aim to sell it where the Steam Deck is unavailable?The high-end SteamOS handheld is the Steam Deck. Really, though, this makes perfect sense, but only assuming it's as low-cost as the literature so far implies.
I'll be surprised if they are able to match the Steam Deck price brackets.
The "Blue Ocean Strategy" has a term for this, and it's how all market disruption starts: "Crappy products for crappy customers.". That's not crappy as in low-quality, but rather "crappy" as in the big players in the market rejected them and refuse to cater to them even though there's a ready-made market just waiting to hand over their money (the fact that Linux gaming recently overtook Mac gaming, but we're still seeing companies refusing to support Linux whilst making large concessions for MacOS also plays into this).
The lack of certain features isn't a problem, either, for that reason - in fact, some more "Lite" options are likely to help adoption (as well as hopefully cover regions where the Steam Deck is not yet available).
Last edited by Pengling on 11 January 2024 at 5:51 am UTC
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So AYANEO OS...whatever was called, what happened with it?They must have realised it's better to go with SteamOS, than fragment things further.
maybe it was vaporware, they didnt knew how to react to steamOS so they pretend to have an plan to adress it in the mean time while they decided their next move, they watched the market closely to see how the deck would perform against the windows devices, to see if they could get an nice deal from microsoft, to see if it would be worth create their own system or just use something made by someone else, then finally decided on it.
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This is good. I wouldn't mind people favoring ROG or Lenovo Go had they run Linux. I just want them to run Linux to push adoption, don't really care what the teams are winning as long as team Linux won.
Gives me hope we'll see more Linux desktop releases. Wouldn't be a surprise for some SKUs for less economic country to put Linux to save money - in Indonesia, there was a time they shipped Linux by default to save money with expectation user will go to a shop to install Windows or have someone to do it for them.
Brasil had the same thing, the employees who sold the computer often ofered to install windows (pirated) on it if i remember correctly...
1 Likes, Who?
Kind of spooky..... We were just talking about something like this the other day........Now let's see how much else of what we discussed shows up here.
Low cost, entry level handheld with SteamOS... Direct competitor to the Steam Deck... I was expecting a high end SteamOS based handheld... Would have made more sense, imo. Unless they aim to sell it where the Steam Deck is unavailable?The high-end SteamOS handheld is the Steam Deck. Really, though, this makes perfect sense, but only assuming it's as low-cost as the literature so far implies.
I'll be surprised if they are able to match the Steam Deck price brackets.
The "Blue Ocean Strategy" has a term for this, and it's how all market disruption starts: "Crappy products for crappy customers.". That's not crappy as in low-quality, but rather "crappy" as in the big players in the market rejected them and refuse to cater to them even though there's a ready-made market just waiting to hand over their money (the fact that Linux gaming recently overtook Mac gaming, but we're still seeing companies refusing to support Linux whilst making large concessions for MacOS also plays into this).
The lack of certain features isn't a problem, either, for that reason - in fact, some more "Lite" options are likely to help adoption (as well as hopefully cover regions where the Steam Deck is not yet available).
in other words, companies like valve target the most profitable markets, while smaller companies target the markets that valve isnt interessed yet...
it makes me think if valve money isnt involved here, like if they purchase actions in the stock market and are using it to test the waters, with an smaller brand that wont hurt they reputation if it fails (like white labeling it)
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people asked about licencing cost...
so long as developing proton is more expensive than developing their own linux distro, i dont see why valve would charge for anything, the biggest the marketshare the more advantage for then.
once they got enough marketshare and some kind of exclusive features appear on their OS and developer actually use those features, they might consider charging for their OS.
speaking of charging, i wonder if microsoft always charge for licence sold (per unit sold) of windows, or if they share the cost of development of their operating system with other companies, as well as share the profits.
i mean, if you want to make your own hardware to sell, and you have to integrate with windows, but you cant access the windows source code and have to wait for microsoft to test and aprove your experimental drivers while you are still prototyping the hardware, you are screwed, i doubt microsoft work in that fashion with big companies, it probably is more like "co developed with intel", that said, smaller companies like aya have no hope of ever having access to something like the windows source code to have an better integration of their hardware to the inner core of windows, that is, if they need an feature that require such deep levels of integration, like, i dont know, an custom instruction set for fast video decoding with low power consumption... or more likely something like an gamepad with more axis and buttons, linux provide then with the advantage of being able to add new features as they want without asking for permission to do anything or having to reveal their plans, but if they chose steamOS instead of an in-house distro, either valve provided then with everything they needed or they havent needed anything custom...
still that is something to consider when we talk about other vendors.
so long as developing proton is more expensive than developing their own linux distro, i dont see why valve would charge for anything, the biggest the marketshare the more advantage for then.
once they got enough marketshare and some kind of exclusive features appear on their OS and developer actually use those features, they might consider charging for their OS.
speaking of charging, i wonder if microsoft always charge for licence sold (per unit sold) of windows, or if they share the cost of development of their operating system with other companies, as well as share the profits.
i mean, if you want to make your own hardware to sell, and you have to integrate with windows, but you cant access the windows source code and have to wait for microsoft to test and aprove your experimental drivers while you are still prototyping the hardware, you are screwed, i doubt microsoft work in that fashion with big companies, it probably is more like "co developed with intel", that said, smaller companies like aya have no hope of ever having access to something like the windows source code to have an better integration of their hardware to the inner core of windows, that is, if they need an feature that require such deep levels of integration, like, i dont know, an custom instruction set for fast video decoding with low power consumption... or more likely something like an gamepad with more axis and buttons, linux provide then with the advantage of being able to add new features as they want without asking for permission to do anything or having to reveal their plans, but if they chose steamOS instead of an in-house distro, either valve provided then with everything they needed or they havent needed anything custom...
still that is something to consider when we talk about other vendors.
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Updated with AYANEO statement, it's HoloISO, not partnership with Valve.
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in other words, companies like valve target the most profitable markets, while smaller companies target the markets that valve isnt interessed yet...No, that's not what it means at all. Valve is leading the charge in targetting Linux-gaming, which is a market that companies keep passing up - the Steam Deck is also an example of the "Crappy products for crappy customers." approach to disruption, and now we're seeing other companies wanting to follow and offer more of that now that it's sold what's believed to be millions.
it makes me think if valve money isnt involved here, like if they purchase actions in the stock market and are using it to test the waters, with an smaller brand that wont hurt they reputation if it fails (like white labeling it)That's doubtful - Ayaneo has been making handheld gaming-PCs since before Valve was.
Updated with AYANEO statement, it's HoloISO, not partnership with Valve.Aw, I was hoping to hear something from Valve about this today! Still, it doesn't detract from how interesting and potentially important of a development this is - that all remains the same regardless.
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Bleh, guess I didn't have enough fingers. Concerned this might hurt the Linux gaming handheld scene instead. I didn't trust Ayaneo before, things like this sure don't help and I definitely don't trust their ability to maintain a fringe spin of a fringe distro.
What will they do when issues start happening? Tell people to install Windows instead?
What will they do when issues start happening? Tell people to install Windows instead?
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Bleh, guess I didn't have enough fingers. Concerned this might hurt the Linux gaming handheld scene instead. I didn't trust Ayaneo before, things like this sure don't help and I definitely don't trust their ability to maintain a fringe spin of a fringe distro.
What will they do when issues start happening? Tell people to install Windows instead?
its even worse if the hardware is crap and they dont tell people to install windows, because people might think linux/steamOS is the issue, since its not an well know OS.
when people had an poor experience with netbooks due to windows being crap on it, the netbook form factor suffered instead of windows, because people know that windows performs well in stronger machines.
if this hardware is crap and people have an bad experience with linux on it and dont try installing windows on the same machine they might think linux is trash...
3 Likes, Who?
Bleh, guess I didn't have enough fingers. Concerned this might hurt the Linux gaming handheld scene instead. I didn't trust Ayaneo before, things like this sure don't help and I definitely don't trust their ability to maintain a fringe spin of a fringe distro.
What will they do when issues start happening? Tell people to install Windows instead?
The same thing they do for issues with their Windows handhelds - say nothing and release a new model every two weeks.
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Also, if Valve is charging little to nothing to use the OS, what benefit would there be to Ayaneo to spend money on their own OS? The point of skipping Windows is that it saves money and allows a more tailored hand-held experience. If they can get both without spending a bunch of money on Linux OS maintainers, that'd be a huge win.
"More tailored handheld experience" and "Windows" are not compatible on the same phrase ;)
If you look at the Rog Ally and Lenovo Legion, you'll see that they have to pay developer hours to have their in-house hardware management and game central apps to emulate what SteamOS does natively on that matter, and would require only a few changes to make it work in other hardware.
And at the end of the day, after closing those apps you will still have the Windows Desktop experience, where things on screen will be little and you have to configure further, or gamepads will not be available for you to input basic commands like suspend, shutdown, etc...
So yeah, they still have to develop stuff if they are OEM'ing Windows.
Last edited by nwildner on 11 January 2024 at 11:31 am UTC
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