AYA NEO AIR Review-Can the Air stand out in the croud?

I find myself in unfamilier teritory. I'm a diehard Sony fan make no misstake. I've also been gaming for many, many years. I first started at the age of 9 with the Atari 2600 console. Yes that long ago. At now 52 years young I'm delighted to purchase the new AYA Neo Air. This is the first AYA product I've bought and if I'm honest I was nervous as to me they're an unknown company. After two months with the Air my excitement has grown with what this small handheld is capable of. Sony.....take note!

The PSP was my first handheld and I still have a collection of over 60 games on UMD. The PSP to this day is still brilliant, as is the ahead of it's time, PS Vita. Vita is Sony's biggest crime to date. Even some of Sony's top brass admit it should have been supported better than it was. Many clones have turned up but not until the last two years has the market really got very exciting. GPD, OneX and AYA lead the way with many different options but it was the Air that grabbed my attention. Having owned the GPD XP I can safely say the AYA handheld is by far the better build. I also own the Steam Deck but that is not Windows and to be honest it doesn't run all my games.

As soon as I saw the white  Air version I was sold. It looked very sleek with it's lack of bezels and one tone front screen that on first glance looks totally seamless. The triggers are to die for. Two tone from pink to aqua just adds a proffesional eye catching expensive look. AYA care, you can see this from the excelent build quality. Having bought the Steam Deck I've not used it since the Air arrived. The Air makes the Deck look cheap. The Deck is brilliant but next to the Air's 1080P OLED screen it just simply pales in comparison. The image just pops off the screen. A small thing, but one that really makes me smile is the light up joysticks, just looks class. I know it's not a must but the packaging is the best I've ever recived.

Having owned a Switch I can say without doubt my playtime was limited to say the least. I have big hands. I was left hurting due to the lack of shape forming into my hands after any long playtime, allthough small the Air's back grips flow into my hands making playtime much longer and less of a pain. First person games are right at home here with fast reacting sticks. It just feels right. I have 130 odd games over Steam, Origin, Ubisoft, Epic etc. Everything just works. Windows 11 home is instaled with AYA space giving you access to your games and various power settings from 5Watt up to 15Watt. I have found the sweet spot is 8Watt or the 'Game' mode at 12 for my collection of games.

Out of the box you get a 65W charger. This charges the battery in about an hour. Playtime can vary from game to game. On average I've been getting around 2 hours. This is perfect for my lifestyle. My games library is old to new and the Air runs the lot. Crysis is a joy to behold as is Tomb Raider, AVP, GTA, Fallout3&4, Half Life 2 is like a new game on the OLED screen. Star Wars Jedi Outcast is like a new game with mods. Alan Wake, Metro, Bioshock etc etc etc. Everything just works and this is the best thing about it. Keeping the unit cool has never been a problem.

Another great thing about the Air is the two, yes two USB C ports for charging and AV out to play the Air like a desktop PC. A micro SD slot is included. My unit is the 8 GB version, 16 is available and to my amazement the Air has never struggled no matter what Ive thrown at it. I'm not into emulation as I feel it cheats developers so I've not tried it.

All in all AYA have done a fantastic job with this handheld. It's build quality is up there with the best. I have paid for the console from my hard earned cash so I can give my absalute honest opinion. I can't recomend the Air enough. If you want longer playtime then go for the Pro. I have a power bank that charges the Air 3 times or just gives me hours of gaming. If I was asked if this should sit next to the Steam Deck it would be a huge yes. Sure you can get the cheaper Deck but if gaming on the go is your thing then the Air is a must have to your console collection.

Well done AYA for caring and producing a first class product. I look forward to your next handheld.