Ayaneo Pocket AIR Mini

AYANEO Pocket AIR Mini - Budget handheld with 'Apple' quality

What do you get when you unleash the typical premium quality of AYANEO handhelds on the budget segment? That leaves you with the AYANEO Pocket AIR Mini, a compact handheld that gives the feel of an old-fashioned Nintendo or Sony handheld while playing.

Check out the comprehensive and independent review of this device at RetroReady.

Please note that we are now also selling the Limited Edition Arcade Home version!!!

Key features

The AYANEO Pocket AIR Mini has it all. A nice compact 4:3 screen that does full justice to old-fashioned Nintendo and Sega games, an ergonomic grip, a sturdy pocket-sized design, active cooling and even joysticks with hall effect technology on board. The latter is particularly special because not very many retro handhelds yet offer such durable technology, which protects the sticks from wear and tear. Furthermore, this model offers colourful LED lighting around the sticks and a battery with an output of no less than 4.500 mAh. That guarantees four to eight hours of user life (depending on the games you decide to play on it).

Why this model is special

What makes this model special, however, is that it is built entirely for retro gaming. You can see that in the processor (MediaTek Helio G90T chipset), which allows us to keep the price nice and low. And thanks to its high resolution of 1280 by 960 pixels, you can, for example, scale up your SNES and Mega Drive games to four times perfect, what more could you want? Despite that 4:3 display, Game Boy- and Game Boy Advance games look razor-sharp. And with Android as the operating system on board, you have complete control over which emulator you use for which system. You're not stuck with predetermined options thanks to the Google Play Store. Finally, you have a choice of three colour options, all of which bring out the design language perfectly. If AYANEO excels at anything, it's design.

Just to be clear: the AYANEO Pocket AIR Mini comes in two versions. At RetroGear, we sell the variants with 2 GB working memory and 32 GB storage, and with 3 GB working memory and 64 GB storage.

Both versions emulate systems up to and including Sony PlayStation 1, Sega Dreamcast and Nintendo 64.

If you opt for the 3 GB + 64 GB version, GameCube is also possible, but limited.

64 GB may not sound like a lot of storage, but for cartridge-based games in particular, it is often more than enough in practice. If you do need more space, you can easily expand the memory with a microSD card.

What you get

If you decide to go for this handheld, you can count on these things in the box.

• the AYANEO Pocket AIR Mini
• a USB-C cable for charging

A charging block is not included; you can just use the one from your smartphone. In addition, AYANEO and RetroGear never supply pirated roms on an SD card. You are responsible for taking care of your own backups of the games you own.

The Arcade Home Edition includes the following games:

Knights of Valour series:
Knights of Valour ver.115
Knights of Valour v114 Hong Kong
Knights of Valour 2 V107 – 4P
Knights of Valour 2 Ve 106 – 4P
Knights of Valour 2: Nine Dragons
Knights of Valour Plus v119 set 2
Knights of Valour: Super Heroes – 4P
Knights of Valour: Super Heroes Ver.101 – 4P
Knights of Valour: Super Heroes Ver.102 – 4P
Knights of Valour: Super Heroes Ver.103 – 4P

Oriental Legend series
Oriental Legend v126
Oriental Legend v111
Oriental Legend China, Set 1
Oriental Legend China, Set 2
Oriental Legend English, Set 1
Oriental Legend – 4P
Oriental Legend v105
Oriental Legend 2 – 4P
Oriental Legend SUPER
Oriental Legend: Chaos Rising

Demon Front
Demon Front V102
Demon Front V103

The Killing Blade
The Killing Blade Ver100
The Killing Blade SUPER

Dragon World
Dragon World 2001 China
Dragon World 2001 Hong Kong
Dragon World 3 SUPER

Other games
Martial Masters
Road of the Sword MV101
Alien Challenge
Happy 6 in 1
Photo Y2K v105

Specifications

• Processor: MediaTek Helio G90T
• Processor: Octa-core Cortex-A76 (up to 2.05 GHz)
• GPU: Mali-G76 MP4
• RAM: 2/3 GB LPDDR4X
• Storage: 32/64 GB (expandable via microSD)
• Operating system: Android
• Screen: 4.2-inch LCD
• Resolution: 1280 × 960
• Aspect ratio: 4:3
• Image refresh rate: 60 Hz
• Joysticks: Dual Hall effect with RGB
• Triggers: Analogue L2 / R2 (and four shoulder buttons)
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.0
• Battery: 4500 mAh
• Audio: Stereo speakers, headphone jack
• Dimensions: 165.9 × 82.5 × 18.7-27.6 mm
• Weight: 269 grams

Frequently asked questions

For which systems is AYANEO Pocket AIR Mini suitable?
Basically, you can run some GameCube and PlayStation 2-level games on the AYANEO Pocket AIR Mini. But to make sure you don't get cheated, it's better to consider PlayStation 1, Sega Dreamcast, Sony PSP and Nintendo 64 (and everything below that, of course).

Is this really a budget handheld?
If you look at the price, then sure. But if you pay attention to the value for money, the Pocket AIR Mini really is a step above most budget handhelds.

Are there any games on it?
Yes, if you choose the Arcade Home edition, it includes games; see the list above.
If you prefer a different version, that’s fine, but you can still make use of our MIT Games collection. You can also download Android games or play games from your own collection of backups.

Can I expand storage?
Yes and very simple too: just via a microSD card. So we highly recommend that if you are looking for extra space or convenience.

Why buy from RetroGear?

• Fast shipping & reliability: we ship from the Netherlands and we do so quickly: ordered before 14:00 = shipped the same day).
• Expertise & support: our team consists of passionate gamers with expertise and a customer service team that is always available.
• Wide range: we sell so-called retro handhelds, but also focus on modded Game Boys (and thus preserving on slow tech).
• Sustainability: we focus on circular economy by refurbishing old appliances and trading them in.
• Dutch company with European warranty: you do business with a Dutch company, which means you have access to European-defined warranty options.