Handheld gaming PCs have become more common since the launch of the Steam Deck, with significant price differences across brands. Due to rising memory and storage costs driven by increased demand from AI and data-center companies, AyaNeo has suspended preorders and early-bird sales of its upcoming Next 2 handheld to address these escalating expenses.
While current preorders are unaffected and will be fulfilled, AyaNeo explained in a blog post that “significant cost pressure” had forced it to rethink its launch plans. “After the Chinese New Year, when we communicated with our suppliers again to confirm the latest storage procurement prices, we found that storage prices had increased to several times higher than before the holiday,” AyaNeo explained. “Under such circumstances, the overall cost of the product has become far higher than our current selling price. Therefore, after careful consideration, we have decided to suspend the preorders of Next 2.”
AyaNeo stated it had anticipated minimal or negative profit on each Next 2 unit and expected storage prices to eventually stabilize. However, the company did not anticipate component costs reaching record highs. “At present, the total cost of the product has far exceeded our selling price, even approaching twice the price we originally set. Under such circumstances, continuing to sell this product is no longer sustainable,” AyaNeo wrote. The company confirmed it will continue to support backers and has prepared sufficient spare parts for after-sales support.
The Next 2 is among the most expensive handheld gaming PCs available. The entry-level version was priced at $2,299 for preorders and $2,699 at retail, featuring an AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 processor, 64GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD. A higher-end model with 128GB of RAM and a 2TB SSD was set at $3,499 for preorders and $4,299 at retail.
AyaNeo also planned a lower-tier version with 32GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD, and an AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 385 processor for $1,999 at retail. These prices are significantly higher than those of the Steam Deck or its OLED variant, which also faces stock shortages due to the ongoing memory chip scarcity.
The ongoing shortage of RAM and components has impacted nearly every segment of the gaming and technology industry. Valve delayed its Steam Machine release to 2026 and has not yet announced pricing for the new hardware. Console manufacturers may also raise prices; Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa told investors a Switch 2 price increase in 2026 is possible. Sony has not confirmed another PS5 price increase yet, but CFO Lin Tao indicated that “monetization of the install base to date” remains a priority.
