Review of the AYANEO Pocket S, a portable gaming device with Andoroid! Lightweight and easy to hold, yet high-performance device that can play large titles

AYANEO Pocket S sales model
Available in Ice Soul White and Obsidian Black

1080P 12GB/128GB: 89,800 yen (tax included)

1080P 16GB/512GB; 109,800 yen (including tax)

1440P 12GB/128GB: 94,800 yen (including tax) *Official High Beam exclusive

1440P 16GB/512GB: 114,800 yen (including tax) *Official High Beam exclusive

A total of four models are available according to memory, storage, and screen display resolution performance. In addition to this, an exclusive protective case (5,800 yen [tax included]) can be purchased separately. In this article, we had the opportunity to test the "1440P 16GB/512GB" model and present a review of it.

Portable device weighing approximately 350g with WQHD resolution and a large capacity 6000mAh battery

What is most impressive about the Pocket S is its slim body, designed specifically for use as a portable gaming device. Measuring 213.9mm in width, 85mm in height, and 14mm in thickness, the Pocket S is like a smaller version of the Nintendo Switch, a portable home video game console. Weighing approximately 350g, it does not feel heavy when held in both hands. I did not feel much fatigue even after holding it for about an hour during the test play. The only protruding parts on the back are around the LT and RT trigger buttons. The grip feels very firm because of the thin and lightweight body and its small size, which allows for a firm grip with both hands.

Next, let's look at the button layout. On the right side, there are four push buttons (A, B, X, and Y), a joystick, the RB and RT buttons, a button to call up the customizable functions of the main unit settings, and the home button. On the left side are the joystick, cross keys, LB and LT buttons, as well as the menu and view buttons. The feel is similar to that of the Switch, and those who have played with handheld video game consoles in the past will feel right at home.

On the top of the device are the power and volume buttons, as well as the "LC" button for switching between currently running applications and the "RC" button for returning to the home screen immediately. On the left side is a mircoSD card slot, on the right side is a built-in slide-type button for switching the performance mode of the device, and there is a single USB Type-C port on the bottom of the device.

The ability to expand storage using microSD is a nice touch. This is a great feature that can be used to expand the storage capacity using microSD, which can easily handle the tens of gigabytes of social games that have been released in recent years due to the frequent updates of social games. The maximum internal storage capacity of this model is 512 GB, so there is plenty of space for those who choose that model, and it is unlikely that they will have much opportunity to use it, but for those who plan to purchase the 128 GB model, this is a very important specification.

The screen is 6 inches in size, with a WQHD resolution of 2560 x 1440, and a refresh rate of up to 60 Hz. The SoC, a chip that integrates key devices such as the CPU that processes various operations and the GPU that controls graphic rendering performance, uses the Qualcomm Snapdragon G3x Gen 2, which is supplied for high-end smartphones. Thanks to this, in the verification described below, we were able to run the much-talked-about major titles without difficulty.

One thing to note is charging-related. The only included part is a USB Type-C cord; there is no adapter. If you do not have an environment in which you can charge the device by directly inserting a cord of a similar standard, you will need to prepare a corresponding adapter separately. As a side note, the "Pocket S" can be charged without an adapter by connecting it to the Type-C terminal on the disk slot side of the PS5. However, this method was personally tested by the author, so if you decide to use it, please do so at your own risk.

AYASpace and virtual button functions allow for game-specific settings

AYASpace" is a familiar feature of AYANEO devices. By pressing the dedicated button on the lower right side of the main unit, a total of five items such as "Performance" and "Controller" appear on the right side of the screen, allowing for detailed settings. In the "Performance" section, you can check the frame rate output, CPU and GPU utilization, temperature, and cooling fan speed per minute in real time.

The "Performance Mode" in the Performance section has four modes: "Saving," "Balance," "Game," and "Max," and the upper limit of the device's output performance increases in the order listed. In my impression, even large titles could be run on the Game mode. However, my impression is that even large titles can be run in Game mode. Unless you are playing a title with a very heavy load, there seems to be no need to select MAX mode.

Another useful feature of AYASpece is the virtual button function: when you turn on "Key Mapping" in the Controller section, tap "Go to configuration," and a dedicated bar appears at the top of the screen. By selecting "Add Mapping Point" here, various prepared buttons can be freely placed on the screen as virtual buttons. Button input is reflected as a tap operation at the location of the placed virtual buttons, so even titles that are not compatible with the Pocket S's built-in controller can be operated indirectly with the buttons. Incidentally, the virtual button settings are automatically saved for each title, so there is no need to rearrange them each time you switch from one title to another.

Performance check of three major titles

The three titles reviewed in this review were "Genshin Impact," "Collapse: Star Rails," and "Narutokyo. Of these, "Collapse: StarRail" is compatible with "Pocket S" button operation. Since there are probably a fair number of titles that do not yet support this feature, the virtual button function using Add Mapping Point is definitely something to keep in mind.

Here are my impressions of the performance of "Genshin Impact," "Collapse: Star Rails," and "Ming Tide" in Game mode on the Pocket S.

Genshin Impact" is an open-world action game by Chinese game maker miHoYo. Players explore the vast world of Teiwat in search of their estranged siblings.

The game is played with the highest image quality setting and a frame rate of 60. The frame rate remained between 58 and 60, with no processing slowdowns. The frame rate did occasionally drop to around 50 when I used flashy moves during battles with multiple enemies, but it did not bother me because the game was running so steadily.

The next game we tried was "Collapse: Star Rail. This is an RPG in which the main character becomes a member of a "star-colored sky train" and travels through various stars in the universe. The frame rate was set to 60 with the highest quality setting. The frame rate remained between 50 and 60, and the game was stable throughout the battles and exploration. There was no problem even when the battle speed was increased.

Furthermore, this title is the only one among the titles discussed here that supports "Pocket S" controller operation. However, to use this function, the game must be restarted, and then "Controller Mode" must be selected from the "Switch Operation Mode" option screen. Although this is a time-consuming process, the intuitive operation with the built-in controller is a great advantage, so it is recommended to use this function as much as possible.

The last game we tried was "Naruto. It is an open-world action game set in a vast world that once collapsed due to a disaster called "Scream," but was later restored, and the main character travels around the world in search of his lost memories.

The game was played with the graphics preset and resolution set to high and the frame rate set to 60. As a result, the frame rate remained between 50 and 60, and the game ran smoothly without any processing slowdowns. Like "Genshin Impact," this is an open-world game, so the load on the game is expected to be quite high, but we were able to play this game without any problems.

Thanks to its lightweight and slim body and its high performance that can withstand the load of large social games thanks to its SoC with high processing power, the "Pocket S" is both convenient and high-spec. It is a product that can be confidently recommended to those who want to play high-load social games anywhere.

AYANEO Pocket S Specifications

Natsumu Uchiyoshi

Freelance writer with about 10 years of experience. After graduating from a technical college, he experienced writing articles for major game magazines and creating strategy books for editorial production companies. After working for a weekly magazine for a long time and rewriting press releases, he recently started writing for Akiba Research Institute and other web-based magazines. Basically an omnivore, he plays everything from RPGs to action, simulations, and FPS.