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There's no shortage of gaming handhelds here at Computex 2026. Intel unveiled Arc G3 here in Taiwan, and with it, we've seen some impressive new handhelds arrive, including MSI's Claw 8 EX AI+ and the Acer Predator Atlas 8.
The thing is, I've never really been a fan of gaming handhelds in the first place, mostly because of how big and heavy they've become. Sure, they're powerful enough to run AAA games on the go and even double as mini Windows PCs when connected to an external monitor, but the size trade-off has always felt a bit much for me — I don't really want to carry another bulky gadget in my backpack every time I travel.
That was until I checked out the Ayaneo Pocket Play here at Computex 2026. It genuinely made me rethink gaming handhelds, partly because it looks eerily similar to the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play from back in the day, and partly because it doubles as an Android phone.
Ayaneo Pocket Play is the perfect tribute to the Xperia Play
Ayaneo is no stranger to gaming handhelds. In fact, the company recently announced the NEXT 2 Windows gaming handheld, complete with a massive 9-inch OLED display and AMD's Ryzen AI Max+ 395 processor underneath. However, Ayaneo also makes Android-based gaming handhelds, and the new Pocket Play feels like a direct callback to 2011.
At first glance, the Pocket Play looks remarkably similar to the Xperia Play from 2011. It features a sliding display that moves upward to reveal physical gaming controls underneath, including a D-pad, ABXY buttons, two circular touchpads, and several customizable buttons. If you've ever used a phone with a sliding mechanism, the nostalgia hits almost instantly the moment you pick this thing up.
The display itself is a 6.8-inch OLED panel capable of reaching 165Hz, although it does come with fairly noticeable bezels around the sides.
Coming back to the design, the top section houses the L and R shoulder triggers, which naturally become accessible once the display slides upward. The handheld itself feels fairly lightweight, which should help during longer gaming sessions. That said, I did find the build quality a little flimsy.
The unit I tested came in the Origin Gray finish, which looked great but picked up fingerprints and smudges almost immediately. Ayaneo also plans to offer the Pocket Play in Deep Space Black, Stellar Silver White, and Crimson Red.
Powering everything is MediaTek's Dimensity 9300 chipset paired with the Arm Immortalis-G720 GPU. It's not the newest flagship silicon anymore, but it's still more than capable of handling modern Android games.
During my brief hands-on time, the device had no trouble running games at high frame rates, although I did notice it warming up after extended play sessions.
On the software side, the Pocket Play runs Android 15 with Ayaneo's custom software layered on top. One of the customizable buttons can be mapped to launch the company's gaming hub, making it easy to jump between games, while another button gives you access to performance settings.
As for the rest of the specs, you're looking at a 5,000mAh battery with fast charging support. It's also being positioned as a smartphone, which means Ayaneo has included a dual-camera setup on the back consisting of a 50MP primary sensor and a 16MP ultra-wide camera. That said, I'm not exactly holding my breath when it comes to camera performance.
The Ayaneo Pocket Play doesn't seem designed to replace your dedicated Windows gaming handheld. Instead, this feels like a device built specifically for retro gaming enthusiasts and people who miss the days of phones like the Xperia Play.
As for pricing and availability, things are still a bit unclear. The Pocket Play originally launched through Kickstarter earlier this year, but shipments were reportedly paused because of delays. We've reached out to Ayaneo for updated information on both pricing and availability, and we'll update our coverage once we hear back.
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