The Biggest Handheld PC Brand is Making Tiny PCs Shaped like a Macintosh and NES
Nostalgia is a powerful thing.
Ayaneo has been crushing it with the gaming handheld designs lately, and now it’s expanding into the world of mini PCs. The upcoming Retro Mini PC AM01 and AM02 are basically the guts of its many handheld PCs shoved into two tiny cases clearly inspired by the old-school Macintosh and the classic NES console.
Most mini PCs look and feel pretty boring. Even Apple’s Mac mini has the simplest CNC’d aluminum design — one that hasn’t been changed cosmetically since 2010. But, you throw some nostalgic styling onto a mini PC and we’re sold. You can even swap out the little emblem from the classic Macintosh rainbow to a handful of other designs.
The only gripe we have with Ayaneo’s two mini PCs is that they lay down when in use; there should be a way to stand them up for better display.
ALL-PURPOSE MINI PCS
Ayaneo is letting us build the AM01 with up to an AMD Ryzen 7 5700U, 32GB of RAM, and 1TB of storage, which should be plenty for AAA gaming or video editing. If you’re planning to use it for something lighter like basic office work, you can configure the AM01 down to an AMD Ryzen 3 3200U, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage.
Add a little special flair to your AM01.
While Ayaneo mentions the Macintosh by name with the AM01, we’re left assuming that the AM02 is based on the game-changing NES from the ‘80s. Arthur Zhang, CEO of Ayaneo, says that the AM02 will run off an AMD Ryzen 7000 Series processor. The Nintendo-inspired mini PC also features a built-in display that can show the time or be programmed to show secondary info like frames per second, fan speed, and hardware performance.
There’s even an NES cartridge slot, but instead of plugging in a game, the AM02 pops open to reveal a USB-C port, two USB-A ports, and a 3.5mm audio jack.
What a clever way to hide the AM02’s ports.
Price and Release Date
The Ayaneo AM01 is up for preorder through its crowdfunding campaign and will start shipping in December. The most affordable build will start at an early bird price of $149, which will go up to $199 if you miss the Indiegogo discounts. At the top end, the AM01 will go for $379 with early bird pricing and an official retail price of $459.
The AM02 will start shipping at the end of February for a starting price of $439 as a part of the company’s Remake label, which combines “modern technology with the replication of classic designs.” That branding includes the Ayaneo Pocket DMG that we’re dying to get our hands on.
The Ayaneo AM01 is clearly modeled off an original Macintosh.
And the Ayaneon AM02 is based off the original Nintendo Entertainment Sytem.
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