A monster of power and functionality that should also be the most expensive handheld console ever marketed.
Here's an announcement we weren't expecting. Since the release of the Steam Deck on February 25, 2022, portable consoles and portable console/PC hybrids have clearly been on a roll. Gamers are clamoring for them - well, at least for the Steam Deck - and manufacturers are vying with each other to come up with new ideas and inventions in an attempt to pull the wool over their eyes - well, except for Valve, which remains unmoved with its platform, admittedly far less powerful, but also far more affordable for the average gamer.
AYANEO - one of the most active competitors - makes no secret of the fact that its products are far more expensive than Steam Deck. It prefers to emphasize the innovations and improvements it has made to the KUN console, which will complete an already rich range. We've already set a date for the end of August, with a more precise presentation in due form, as well as the launch of the IndieGogo crowdfunding campaign for this AYANEO KUN, which promises to do everything that other consoles are capable of... and much more besides.
The KUN features two elements particularly dear to the hearts of the brand's engineers: the latest AMD Ryzen 7 7840U chip and an 8.4" IPS panel. Two components that should make this machine " the most expensive and high-end AYANEO console " ever launched. We're not making this up, but the Chinese brand itself says so in the press release announcing the news. It also mentions a dissipation system " beyond imagination ", an " eight-way levitating D-pad ", " Hall-effect joysticks and triggers ", " four handy palettes " on the back of the machine and " two intelligent touchpads ".
These are features that are generally found scattered across a number of competitors, but which AYANEO has taken care to bring together to create the "perfect" console that the Chinese company is hoping and praying for. The 8.4-inch screen could indeed provide an appreciable boost in comfort, although we're less sure about the value of " 2.5K " image definition, as AYANEO calls it: it's probably 2,560 x 1,440 pixels. On paper, the AYANEO KUN not only performs well, but also boasts all the latest refinements. The only question is whether such a console, at a price that could approach or even exceed 2,000 euros, really has an audience? We'll have the answer by the end of August...
