What you need to know
- In a recent “Sharing Session,” AYANEO provided more details about its upcoming Pocket S2 handheld.
- This included a better look at the design, along with some of the various features and capabilities.
- The AYANEO Pocket S2 will soon be available for pre-order from Indiegogo, but pricing has yet to be revealed.
It’s been about two and a half months since we first caught wind of the AYANEO Pocket S2, when it was announced at GDC 2025. Now, we’re finally learning more about what the handheld is expected to offer in terms of both the design and performance.
The original announcement came alongside Qualcomm’s introduction of three new gaming-focused chipsets, headlined by the Snapdragon G3 Gen 3. This is the successor to the G3x Gen 2 that was announced in August 2023, with AYANEO being the only company to actually use it in a device. After it initially arrived with the Pocket S, AYANEO has since used the G3x Gen 2 in four different handhelds, most recently, the upcoming Pocket ACE.
Watch On
Much like its predecessor and the Gen 2, the Pocket S2 will be the first device to make use of the G3 Gen 3. During the Sharing Session, we got a better look at the aluminum and glass chassis, complete with sides that are more rounded. This should hopefully quell any issues for those, like myself, who found the original Pocket S to be uncomfortable during longer playing sessions.
The Pocket S2 remedies another problem from the original, thanks to the fan cutout on the back plate. This, paired with the “fishbone biomimetic air outlet” along the top, will hopefully prevent any potential thermal throttling.
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AYANEO Pocket S2 |
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Display |
6.3-inch IPS, 2560 x 1440, 600 nits |
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Processor |
Qualcomm Snapdragon G3 Gen 3 |
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RAM |
LPDDR5X |
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Storage |
UFS 3.1 / UFS 4.0 |
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Battery |
8000mAh |
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Extras |
RGB Joysticks, Hall Triggers, TMR Electromagnetic Joysticks, Micro-switch D-pad & ABXY buttons |
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Colors |
Obsidian Black, IceSoul White |
One of the more impressive aspects of the Pocket S2 is the battery, as AYANEO managed to pack an 8,000mAh battery into this sleek chassis. It’s not completely unheard of, as AYN’s Odin 2 and Odin 2 Portal both feature batteries of the same size. However, both of those handhelds are larger and thicker than the S2.
Something else that was rather intriguing is that the Pocket S2 apparently “supports Turnip Driver Out of the Box.” For the unaware, these are graphics created by the community that are designed to improve performance and compatibility in a variety of emulators.
I’m interested to see just how AYANEO is implementing this into the software of the Pocket S2. Not every emulator includes support for third-party drivers, so I can’t help but wonder if that means we’ll run into issues if the drivers are implemented on a system level.
Sadly, AYANEO didn’t provide any details regarding the price of the Pocket S2, so we’ll have to see how much of a dent this will put in our wallets. However, we do have a landing page for the Indiegogo campaign, where you can register to be notified when pre-orders are live. As a bonus, those who “pledge within the first seven days when the campaign is live will receive a special gift pack as our thanks for ordering early.”
So far, the AYANEO Pocket S2 appears to check a lot of the boxes if you want an ultra-powerful gaming handheld. Pre-orders are expected to open soon, but we still don’t know how much it’s going to cost.
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