The first Steam Deck competitor with SteamOS is almost here

First non-Valve device to ship with SteamOS pre-installed: Ayaneo just announced its next gaming laptop, the Next Lite, which runs the open source operating system.

Ianio is promoting the Next Lite as an affordable alternative, but we still don’t know much about the device or how much it will cost. According to The Verge, it has a 7-inch screen with 800 pixel resolution, a 47-watt-hour battery and a hall effect joystick. Also blog post. The company also touts “vibrant colors,” including beautiful shades of green, and “high-quality craftsmanship.”

However, we still don’t know which chip powers the mobile device, so it’s hard to say how its performance compares to other devices.

Not specifying a price seems like a big omission when it’s marketed as a potentially cheaper alternative to other mobile devices on the market. It could compete with Valve’s remaining $349 Steam deck, where the current Ayano Next sells for $1,315.

The company said mobile “subscriptions” will open Thursday evening, offering a different pricing approach than one-time purchases or crowdfunding. If you’re interested, these subscriptions will be available on January 11th at 9:30 PM ET On the Ayaneo website. If you want to see how we like other Ayaneo laptops, check out our Ayaneo Next and Ayaneo 2 reviews.