AYANEO opens Next 2 pre-orders and the prices might shock you

When you’re gaming on the go, Android-based handheld consoles can be a fantastic alternative to our phones, offering responsive controls and supporting an impressive array of emulators. But for the most demanding games, sometimes you’ve got to level up to PC hardware, with something like the KONKR Fit we just saw AYANEO introduce. That’s not the only Windows-based handheld the company’s been working on, and this week it’s also getting orders started for its eagerly anticipated Next 2.

When AYANEO first started talking about the Next 2 last year, it was clear this was going to involve some serious hardware. Specs like an AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 chipset and the presence of a beefy 115Wh battery had us expecting some more top-shelf components — and, presumably, a lofty price tag to match. This week AYANEO opens its Indiegogo project for the Next 2, confirming both of those assumptions.

Some of these details we already knew about, like the Next 2’s big, beautiful 9.06-inch 165Hz OLED panel (with a 2400×1504 resolution). As you’d only expect, there’s a bevy of buttons and triggers, but AYANEO finds a few ways to stand out even there, like adjustable torque to get the thumbsticks feeling just how you like.

Maybe the biggest outstanding questions we had concerned memory and storage, and AYANEO is now finally spelling out our options. The Next 2 will be available with 32GB, 64GB, or a whopping 128GB of LPDDR5x RAM, and your choice of either 1TB or 2GB of NVMe storage.

With specs like that, you’re probably already bracing yourself for the sticker price, so let’s not delay the bad news any longer.

On the more “affordable” side we have the Next 2 with 32GB RAM and 1TB storage — as well as with a slightly lower-end Max 385 chip. Early bird pricing for that is $1,799, eventually rising to $1,999.

Above that there’s the Next 2 with 64GB RAM and 1TB storage, with early pricing of $2,299, ahead of $2,699. And at the top of the range we have the Next 2 with the full 128GB RAM and 2TB NVMe, starting at $3,499 before climbing to $4,299. Both these options go with the Max+ 395. Shipments of all models should get started by June.

That’s… a lot. And if you still have some money to burn, AYANEO is also offering a few add-ons like a screen protector, thumbstick caps, or a $45 storage bag. During the early bird pricing, you can even score a bonus pack with that screen protector and thumbstick caps for free.

While AYANEO has been showing off the Next 2 in both Polar Black and Arctic White, it’s only currently accepting pledges for the Polar Black variant. So far we haven’t heard anything about availability of the second color option.

With prices like these, we imagine that even the biggest mobile gamers may be thinking twice before splurging. But this is also some undeniably attractive hardware, and if you’ve got the means to pick one up — well, consider us jealous.