The Antec Core HS just officially launched, and I’m pretty on board with the best gaming handheld contender’s current price. While it’s technically not the PC component maker’s own device, as it’s actually a rebranded Ayaneo Slide, the portable PC starts at $499.99.
That’s low enough for me to consider it a true Steam Deck and ROG Ally rival in terms of cost, and future devices should follow suit. Available for $499.99 direct from the Antec store , the Core HS is effectively another way to buy the Ayaneo Slide.
Many of you might be wondering why you wouldn’t just buy the original version since they’re the same device, but the OG starts at $799 for a 512GB SSD and 16GB RAM. If you’re in the UK, you can grab the 2TB/32GB handheld at eBuyer for $549.99 , which is naturally cheaper than importing Ayaneo’s version.
Simply put, opting for a different badge will help you save a chunk of change on an AMD Ryzen 7 7840U handheld gaming PC that can pump out the same frame rates as the Asus ROG Ally and similar portables. In testing, I found that both managed to hit around 63fps in Cyberpunk 2077 (low settings, 800p) and largely provided the same levels of stability across numerous games. Of course, there’s more to the Core HS than its snappy APU, as it uses Ayaneo’s slidey QWERTY keyboard design, pivoting 1080p screen, and hall-effect thumbsticks.
These are all the qualities I’d usually expect to see in premium portables on the market, so it’s safe to say $49.