It felt like magic. The Steam Deck played practically everything when Valve launched the handheld in 2022. By toggling to low graphical settings, even Elden Ring ran on the diminutive screen. But in 2025, gaming’s latest visual spectacles — including critical darlings Indiana Jones and Dragon’s Dogma 2 — won’t boot on Valve’s now-aging hardware.
Enter the Ayaneo 3, one of the most powerful (and expensive) handhelds to appear in the wake of Valve’s hit. For over two weeks, I’ve been testing a preview build of the ridiculously powerful handheld. Both of the aforementioned titles run on the Ayaneo 3, as do multiple embargoed AAA games that will be released in the coming months — running on medium settings, no less!
But where the Steam Deck miraculously fit the best of desktop PC gaming on a handheld that cost $399 and worked out of the box, Ayaneo’s PC power comes with costs on all fronts.
The hardware is much more expensive, starting at $799 if you pre-order early on Indiegogo and opt for the less powerful CPU. Want an Ayaneo 3 similar to the one I tested, featuring the more powerful AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 CPU? The pre-order price starts at $1,399. The build I tested, with a retro-inspired exterior, a collection of modular handles, and 4TB of storage will set you back $1,999 if you order on Indiegogo (and will retail for an eye-watering $2,099).
Photo: Chris Plante/Polygon
You may wonder who would pay nearly three times the price of the best Steam OLED for a console that can play an extra handful of new games. Consider the broader PC gaming ecosystem, where those with the means will calmly drop $2k whenever NVIDIA launches a new top-of-the-line GPU to run the same games at ever-higher resolutions and frame rates. It should be no surprise, then, that the “more power no matter the cost” mentality of desktop PC gaming culture would migrate into handheld gaming, turning that new landscape into a similar arm’s race.
And it’s PC gamers who will have patience for the Ayaneo 3’s quirks. Don’t expect the “it just works” ease of the Steam Deck. Prepare for the sort of tinkering that’s long been required for gaming on Windows. I spent my first two hours struggling to get the Ayaneo 3’s controls to be interpreted as a controller rather than a keyboard and mouse. And then I ran into issues with the HDR settings.
Should I blame Ayaneo’s ambitious but flawed UI or Windows 11? I’m still not quite sure, but probably both?
But when it works: magic!
After the first couple of days of frustrations, my time with the Ayaneo 3 has been a pleasure. I feel, as I did with the original Steam Deck, like I’m holding the future. The hardware itself is decadent: comfy Hall triggers, forceful haptics, a 7” 144Hz OLED screen with 800nits HDR, and shockingly excellent sound — besting one of the Deck’s strongest surprise features. Though the modest battery — like with many handhelds — practically requires you to carry an industrial-grade power brick for lengthy on-the-go gaming.
Photo: Chris Plante/Polygon
In a true act of overkill, the handheld is the first of its kind to feature modular controls. In theory, with the tap of a button, the two ovals housing the joysticks, D-pad, and buttons will pop from the handheld, allowing alternative modules to take their place. I tested an unfinished preview unit — with specifics regarding the modules under embargo — so I can’t speak to the feature’s longterm reliability, but I can say it’s novel to play a fighting game on a handheld using a custom fight pad module.
Is that novelty worth the cost? No. But that’s beside the point. The Ayaneo 3 isn’t for someone who wants to stretch their dollar. It’s for whoever who wants the most powerful handheld on the planet, no matter the cost on their wallet and their time — the gaming equivalent of steroids that build muscle fast but cost a fortune and have, well, let’s just say side effects.
For now, barring any unexpected headaches, the Ayaneo 3 has usurped the Steam Deck OLED and the Asus ROG Ally as my go-to handheld. But as it continues to get updates, I’m left wondering what kind of magic I’m wielding.
I keep talking about magic, which calls to mind images of wizards and sorceresses. But if I were to roll a D&D character for my Ayaneo 3, the better fit would be a barbarian, a class with incredible power. When it hits, it obliterates the competition. But it can also be clunky and awkward. Occasionally, getting it to do what I want feels like arguing with a brick wall. Then, WHAM, the Ayaneo 3 runs a modern game at 60 fps without breaking a sweat.
If the final product “just works” like the Steam Deck does, its bounty of high-end features may justify the price tag. And if not? As the Indiegogo pre-sales already show, a contingent of PC gamers won’t let some headaches get in the way of horsepower.
The Ayaneo 3 is available for pre-order on Indiegogo. It was tested using a pre-release unit provided by Ayaneo. Vox Media has affiliate partnerships. These do not influence editorial content, though Vox Media may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links. You can find additional information about Polygon’s ethics policy here.
