(Credit: Ayaneo)
Yikes: The memory shortage means Ayaneo is charging up to $4,300 for its upcoming handheld.
Over the weekend, the Chinese vendor debuted the Next 2, a Steam Deck-like gaming device that runs Windows 11. The product not only stands out for its large 9-inch screen and hefty 3.1-pound weight, but also its monstrous pricing.
(Credit: Ayaneo)The base model, with 32GB of RAM and 1TB of storage, will retail for $1,999. However, the top-tier model, which has 128GB of RAM and 2TB of storage, will sell for a whopping $4,299.
In a live stream, Ayaneo CEO Arthur Zhang blamed the pricing on the ongoing memory shortage caused by tech companies hogging chip supplies for their AI data centers.
“Finally, let’s get to the pricing and cry for a moment. Man, this is too hard. To be honest, I originally didn’t want to sell it,” Zhang said in comments translated from Chinese. He noted that prices went up as the company was developing the Next 2, and that Ayaneo won't make a profit at these prices.
For perspective, the first-generation Next was also pricey, but the most expensive model was $1,565 for 32GB of RAM and 2TB of storage .
“The storage vendors are killing us,” Zhang later added. The memory shortage has already caused price hikes for PC graphics cards, RAM, SSDs, and other components.
The good news is that Ayaneo is offering the Next 2 at a discount for early buyers, who place an order on Indiegogo. So far, the campaign has only received 60 backers. Ayaneo plans on shipping the first Next 2 units to overseas customers in June.
The memory crunch, which is expected to last into next year, also forced Valve to readjust the launch date and pricing for its Steam Machine and Steam Frame VR headset.