Highly anticipated: Aya’s Ryzen-powered gaming system, the Neo, has been available since last November but only in China. We had hopes Aya would expand to offer its hopeful Switch-killer to other regions. Over the weekend, those hopes were fulfilled.
Last November, Chinese startup Aya began offering pre-orders for a handheld gaming system similar to the Nintendo Switch but packing way more power. The Ryzen 5-equipped Neo Founder Edition was only available in China. On Saturday, Aya announced it was expanding its Neo Indiegogo campaign globally. No matter where you live, you can now pre-order an Aya Neo, so long as you can afford it.
The Aya Neo is powered by an AMD Ryzen 5 4500U 7nm APU. The hexa-core processor runs at 2.3 GHz/4.0 GHz and sports 16GB RAM, so it’s a real beast of a handheld (video below). It comes in two variants—a 512GB SSD version in black only or a 1TB setup that comes in your choice of black (Dark Star) or white (Light Moon). It features a seven-inch IPS LCD touch-enabled display, which is significantly larger than the Switch’s 6.2-inch screen.
When the campaign went live on Saturday, there were 542 of the 512GB black Neos. Aya reserved 42 for a “super early bird” special for $699, but Liliputing notes that those sold out within seconds. The remaining 500 also sold out over the weekend for $788 each.
As of this writing, Aya has 147 of the 1TB models going for $869. It also has a 1TB bundle priced at $958 that includes the black or white Neo, Aya Grip, a portable docking station, joystick cap, tempered glass screen protector, and a carrying case. The docking station alone is worth the price difference since it has ports for Ethernet and HDMI, essentially turning your TV into a desktop gaming rig. Currently, Aya has only sold 147 of 500 bundles. It expects to start shipping all versions this May.
While the Neo can clearly blow the Switch out of the water in terms of power, its $788-$869 price point might hit the pocketbook a bit too hard for many. That said, Aya set out with a modest crowdfunding goal of $54,057 and has already exceeded it with 1,550 backers pledging $1.38 million, and there are still 27 days left in the campaign. We’re guessing it will be completely sold out before then.