AYANEO Pocket Block Leak Hints at New Vertical Handheld
The recent leak of AYANEO's 'Pocket Block' via a user manual upload on manuals.pl, before any official announcement, suggests a new direction for the premium handheld manufacturer, directly targeting the popular vertical form factor market currently dominated by devices like the Miyoo Mini Plus and ANBERNIC RG35xx.
RetroDodo reported on the leak, which originated from RetroDeadFred on X, an enthusiast known for sharing early information. The uploaded manual provides an outline of the handheld, showcasing its button layout and basic Android setup, but notably lacks specific hardware specifications, pricing, or a release date.
Design and Controls Revealed
Images from the manual show a compact, vertical device with a grey casing, drawing clear inspiration from the original Game Boy DMG. A darker grey border beneath the display houses a front-facing microphone. The D-pad appears generously sized for the smaller design, indicating a focus on comfortable d-pad input for classic titles.
Action buttons feature a subtle red tint, positioned below the signature AYA button, which typically accesses AYANEO's system menus for on-the-fly settings adjustments. Below these, the Start, Select, and '=' buttons are visible, essential for navigating games and the Android operating system.
Hardware Implications and Market Position
The rear of the device appears sleek, featuring heat dissipation holes, strongly suggesting the inclusion of an active cooling solution like an internal fan. This hints at a System-on-Chip (SoC) with a higher Thermal Design Power (TDP) than typically found in passively cooled budget handhelds. Four shoulder buttons, a micro-SD card slot, a USB-C charging port, and a 3.5mm headphone jack complete the external hardware.
The real story here is AYANEO's strategic move into the more budget-friendly vertical handheld space, a segment they've largely avoided in favour of higher-spec, horizontal devices. The absence of analogue sticks, while keeping the form factor compact, raises questions about the device's intended emulation ceiling. AYANEO often packs more power than strictly necessary into their devices; if this Pocket Block follows that trend, it risks being over-specified for its D-pad-centric control scheme, much like the ANBERNIC RG Rotate, which struggles to justify its processing power without full analogue input for PlayStation Portable or Nintendo 64 titles.
What This Means for the Affordable Handheld Scene
RetroDodo speculates a price point around the £100-£120 mark, similar to the AYANEO Pocket Air. If AYANEO can hit this price, the Pocket Block could become a strong contender. However, the company's tendency to over-engineer its devices with powerful SoCs could push the price higher, potentially out of the direct competition with the sub-£80 Miyoo Mini Plus and ANBERNIC RG35xx series.
This entry from AYANEO could shake up the affordable vertical handheld market, offering a premium build quality often associated with the brand. It will be interesting to see if AYANEO can balance its usual high-performance approach with the cost-effectiveness required to truly compete in this segment, especially given the control limitations for more demanding systems.
If you read this far, you're the audience for Player Clothing: individually numbered, limited-edition retro-gaming t-shirts. One print run per design, then gone.
Follow RetroShell on X for daily retro gaming news. Join the community on r/RetroShell.
Originally published by RetroDodo. Read original article.
