Ayaneo ditches HoloISO for Windows 11 on the Next Lite handheld console, price stays the same

A few weeks ago, Ayaneo announced the Next Lite handheld console as its first console that is not Windows-based. Valve itself was rumored to provide a customized SteamOS for Ayaneo, but this was not the case, as Ayaneo revealed it would be using the HoloISO version of Steam instead. This apparently created an uproar in the community and Ayaneo was forced to reintroduce support for Windows 11 out of the box.

The return to Windows 11 is mentioned in the latest pre-order emails. Ayaneo explains that the HoloISO support announcement sparked “lively discussions” inside the user community, since HoloISO may still have compatibility issues and is not completely reliable. As such, Ayaneo paid heed to this “valuable feedback” and decided to ship the Next Lite consoles with Windows 11 64-bit Home Edition pre-installed. Nevertheless, the company encourages users to download the HoloISO system image from its site, as this version is streamlined and efficient, offering “convenient game management, smooth and stable gaming performance, [and] lower overall power consumption.”

Surprisingly enough, Ayaneo is not increasing the base price of $299 for the console, even though it is now shipping with Windows 11 instead of the Linux-based HoloISO, so at least the affordability factor has not been compromised. There still are users who think that any decent Linux OS would be better than Windows 11 for a handheld gaming experience, but Ayaneo had to appease the majority.

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