The latest in a long line of Ayaneo PC gaming handhelds, called the Ayaneo Next Lite, will not only be an incredibly affordable portable option, but will also change the course of its operating system.
According to a statement published in the official Ayaneo Twitter/X account, the handheld will come with Windows 11 Home Edition 64-bit preinstalled instead of Linux. A great option for those who are more familiar with the Windows operating system than a Linux-based one. However, for those who prefer the latter, users will still have the option of the open source version of the Linux HoloISO project, which is based on SteamOS.
All this and the Next Lite is still launching at the affordable price of $299 up to and during crowdfunding, which is much less expensive than other options on the market. It's a change from Next and Next Pro, which appears to be stick with Linux based operating system. And that makes more sense since both are meant to compete with the Steam Deck.
Ayaneko could differentiate itself from the market
While I'm generally pretty on board with the idea of using Windows OS for Ayaneo Next Lite, given that it's the most used OS by far, it's necessary to keep in mind gaming laptops that use it in general .
What makes SteamOS so great is that it's tailor-made for the Steam Deck, so it feels fluid and intuitive. However, other PC gaming laptops that use the Windows operating system, such as the Asus ROG Ally and the Lenovo Legion Gomakes the mistake of not adapting said operating system to the system, which results in a much clumsier user interface.
While we don't know what Ayaneo is planning with the Windows 11 operating system it's using for the Next Lite, creating a unique UI would be a great way to differentiate it from other handhelds that would have otherwise received more attention due to their branding. They are more well known.
On the other hand, Ayaneko has also made some unusual decisions, such as choosing HoloISO, which hasn't been updated in months (at the time of writing) instead of ChimeraOS for the Linux-based operating system. Therefore, it is not known what the manufacturer is planning other than targeting a much larger market. We'll have to wait and see how things develop when the handheld finally launches.
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