[Experience] Enjoy PC Games on Bed... 'Nintendo Vibes' Ayaneo Air

UMPC Industry's 'Ayaneo' Lightweight Version
Console Game-Like Body... Retro Mood
Enjoy Latest High-Spec PC Games Without Lag
Heat, Battery, and Price Barriers Are Drawbacks

A scene of playing the action role-playing game 'Fallout 3' on the ultra-mobile PC (UMPC) 'Ayaneo Air'.

[Asia Economy Reporter Minyoung Cha] The lightweight version of the 'Ayaneo' series, which gained popularity in the ultra-mobile PC (UMPC) industry, the 'Ayaneo Air' series, has recently been officially released in South Korea. Until now, it was only available through social funding and parallel imports, but One Store has taken exclusive distribution rights. The era of easily enjoying PC games while lying in bed or in the back seat of a car has arrived.

On the 28th, I tried the 'Ayaneo Air 512GB Black' model. At first glance, it looks like a console game device, but its essence is a UMPC. This product is a portable PC running Microsoft's Windows 11 operating system (OS).

Playing the action role-playing game 'Fallout 3' on the Ayaneo Air.

Compared to the Nintendo Switch, the size is similar, but the Ayaneo Air is thicker. On the other hand, the Ayaneo Air weighs 398g, making it lighter. The weight is comparable to that of a typical smartphone. It is light enough for women or children to use without much difficulty. The joystick's top handle buttons are finished in a cobalt blue tone with fine pearl particles, giving it a premium feel.

After entering the Microsoft (MS) account, connecting to Wi-Fi, and completing the basic initial setup, I downloaded the action role-playing game 'Fallout 3' through the Epic Games platform. There was some trouble during the initial setup process, causing an error that forced a restart. Since I also had to download the Epic Games launcher, it took more than an hour and a half before I could start playing. Despite connecting to 5G Wi-Fi, the game download alone took about 50 minutes, requiring some patience before enjoying the game.

A comparison between Ayaneo Air and Nintendo Switch

When the game started, the 5.5-inch Full HD OLED display shone brightly. Since visual aspects are important in games, the display is a crucial element. The speakers placed at the lower left and right corners were also satisfactory. Like playing on a regular console, I could freely enjoy conversations with NPCs (Non-player characters) and quest missions by moving the joystick. Because it can be used just like a PC, games can be downloaded not only from Epic Games but also from Steam, Xbox Live, Ubisoft, and even indie games created by solo developers. It is equipped with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, and managing games is easy, so storage limitations are unlikely to be a big issue. There was no lag even after playing games for more than 30 minutes.

Ayaneo Air components. Supports USB Type-C charging.

Heat generation and battery life are areas that need improvement. Ayaneo emphasized that the battery has been stabilized, but it was difficult to enjoy gaming for more than an hour and a half on a full charge. While there was no significant heat felt around the joystick areas, heat was noticeable in the center of the device even before starting the game. Although the cooling system is placed on the back and top of the device, it felt hot to the touch. Perhaps because it is a Chinese product, the Korean language guidance on the device was somewhat awkward. The official manual was also provided only in two versions: English and Chinese.

The price barrier is higher than that of general gaming consoles. With a retail price of 1,190,000 KRW, even applying the discount event running on One Store until the 31st of this month, it remains in the 1,000,000 KRW range. It can be purchased from One Store, Funshop, Hi-Mart, and other retailers.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.