AYANEO built their name on retro handhelds that push limits, but are soft on the wallet. Now they turn to something smaller, simpler: the Pocket AIR Mini. This thing fits in your jeans pocket and pulls up classics from decades past for prices that barely break three figures.
It measures 165.9 x 82.5 x 18.7mm at the narrowest edge, 27.6mm where the grips curve in, and weighs only 269g, making it lightweight enough for long sessions without strain. The gadget is available in black, white, and blue, with greater storage models featuring a vintage power scheme. The plastic feels durable, and the rounded corners make it simple to hold. Buttons click with a satisfying snap, and the layout is Game Boy-inspired but with modern features like as RGB lights on the stick.
- NOTE: Out of box to play console but NO Nin10do-games, please prepare your own games if needed.
- High resolution display 3.5-inch 640*480 IPS screen full lamination
- Built-in 3000mAh 3.7V LiPo battery 4-6 hours life long enduration
The screen measures 4.2 inches diagonally, 1280 x 920, and has a 4:3 aspect ratio, making it ideal for old school games. The brightness is 500 nits, making it viewable outdoors or in bright settings. The IPS panel maintains colors clear and viewing angles wide, immersing you in pixel art from the NES period or detailed sprites from later generations. Touch input is used for menus and fast taps, but the majority of play is done with traditional controls.
Inside is a MediaTek Helio G90T processor with two high-performance Arm Cortex-A76 cores and six efficiency-focused Cortex-A55 cores. The graphics are handled by a Mali-G76 with four execution units. RAM is 2GB or 3GB, and storage is 32GB or 64GB, with both extendable via a microSD card. Android 11 enables you to easily install emulators and sideload games. A small fan gently whirs to manage heat during extended play.
As for controls, the analog sticks and triggers use Hall effect sensors to prevent drift, which is an issue with cheaper options (even some pricier ones). The analog sticks include programmable RGB backlighting, which looks great in low-light environments.
The 4500mAh battery can last between 4-6 hours on a single charge, depending on the game and settings. Its USB-C port allows for 18W charging and data transfer, while the 3.5mm socket is for wired headphones. Other features include WiFi 5 for faster downloads, Bluetooth 5 for connecting controllers or earphones, and dual front speakers.
Emulation knocks it out of the park with a wide range of systems supported. The good news is that Gamecube and PS2 games run smoothly on the base model, but if you’re looking to get really demanding titles to run at full speed, you might just need to do a bit of modding. PSP games, on the other hand, come out looking great with a nice clear 2x resolution scale-up to fill the whole screen without any blur. Then there’s the older platforms like PS1, Dreamcast, N64 and the very first Game Boy – the lot of them run like a charm, often even at higher resolutions than the original hardware could manage.
The good news for the 2GB model is that it can still handle pretty much every system going, even the likes of 3DS and Switch emulation – although it does have to skip the really heavy tasks. If you jump in on their Indiegogo super early bird deal, you can get the 2GB/32GB package for $70 or the 3GB/64GB for $80 – and you can do that right up until the end of a full 30-day campaign.
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