Ayaneo’s Next Lite takes on the Steam Deck with an unofficial version of SteamOS

Ayaneo’s initial blog post announcing its next handheld gaming PC, the Next Lite, says the device has SteamOS preinstalled, but now the company has confirmed it won’t have official support for Valve’s Linux-based operating system. After this article was originally published, CEO Arthur Zhang told fans in Ayaneo’s official Discord that “it should be noted that we are using third-party SteamOS, not official SteamOS.”

As reported by GamingOnLinux and Handheld HQ, it will instead have a version of the HoloISO project, which its creator describes on GitHub as something that “attempts to bring the Steam Deck’s SteamOS Holo redistribution into a generic, installable format, and provide a close-to-official SteamOS experience.” Without official support from Valve, the prospects for this device running the software well seem much further from reality than the blog post on Ayaneo’s site suggests.

Ayaneo is pitching the Next Lite as a cost-effective option, but we don’t know too much about the device just yet or how much it will cost. It has a seven-inch 800p screen, a 47Wh battery, and Hall effect joysticks, according to an Ayaneo blog post. The company is also advertising “vibrant colors” that include a good-looking seafoam green and “high-end craftsmanship.”

But we don’t yet know what chip powers the handheld, so it’s hard to know how its performance might stack up against other devices.

Not listing a price feels like a big omission if it will be marketed as a potentially cheaper option than other handhelds on the market. It could be going up against Valve’s remaining stock of $349 Steam Decks, while the existing Ayaneo Next sells for $1,315.

The company is advertising that “subscriptions” for the handheld will open on Thursday night, creating the possibility of a different pricing approach than a one-time purchase or crowdfunding.

If you’re interested, these subscriptions will be available at 9:30PM ET on January 11th on Ayaneo’s website, and in another Discord message, the company said purchases will open at the end of this month, with shipping before Chinese New Year, which falls on February 10th. If you want to know how we’ve liked other Ayaneo handhelds, check out our reviews of the Ayaneo Next and Ayaneo 2.

Correction January 11th, 9:03PM ET: Ayaneo’s announcement blog post states the Next Lite would ship with “SteamOS” preinstalled, however, this was incorrect. After publication, the company has since clarified via other channels that it will ship with HoloISO, a distribution based on SteamOS, and we have updated this article to reflect that.