This Strix Halo gaming handheld is the ultimate Steam Deck killer – if you're willing to pay a fair penny

Over the last few years, Ayaneo has made a name for itself in building some of the best, most premium gaming handhelds on the market. And in the Next 2, it's certainly continued that trend.

While you can get retro gaming handhelds from the brand, starting at under $100 / £75, it is also renowned for luxury devices with price points to match. That's where the Ayaneo Next 2 comes in, with a flagship variant costing almost $3,500 – over £2,500.

It's also worth noting that's an "early bird" price – after the initial pre-order phase (on Indiegogo), the price will rise to $4,299 (around £3,145).

Of course, that particular version is insanely well specified, with 128GB of RAM and a 2TB SSD. And considering the current prices for RAM and storage, those components won't come cheap for any manufacturer today.

Thankfully, all versions of the Ayaneo Next 2 come with similar core specifications, including the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 or AI Max 385 CPUs. That's as good as you can get in mobile computing these days and puts the Zen 2 processing inside the Steam Deck to shame.

The RAM is also LPDDR5x running at up to 8,533Mbps, and you even get a mighty 9.06-inch 165Hz OLED display for good measure. It has a resolution of 2400 x 1504 and with the amount of grunt inside even the standard models, you shouldn't have any trouble driving it.

The "more affordable" Ayaneo Next 2 options

The entry-level Next 2 is still a beast, with its AI Max 385 CPU, 32GB of RAM and 1TB of storage, and is available to pre-order now for $1,799 (that'll rise to $1,999 after the early bird round).

Alternatively, you can opt for a mid-range model with the AI Max+ 395 chipset, 64GB of RAM and 1TB of storage for $2,299 (raising to $2,699 later). In all honesty though, while I've not had a chance to test any of them yet, I expect even the entry version to bat its way through pretty much everything I could throw at it.

I'm a massive fan of my Z1 Extreme Lenovo Legion Go S (SteamOS) and that's already a beast. Heaven knows how well the the flagship Ayaneo will perform.

It'd also be interesting to find out how much life you can eke from the 116Wh battery in usual gaming terms.

Whether it's truly worth the price ticket is a big question, but if I had the money I'd love to find out.