The RAM crisis is so bad this new gaming handheld costs more than an RTX 5090
- Ayaneo announced the Next 2 handheld's specifications and price
- The new gaming handheld will cost up to $4,299, and its early bird price is $3,499
- The Next 2 will be available via Ayaneo's Indiegogo campaign this February
Gaming PC hardware is taking a huge hit thanks to the ongoing RAM crisis, with rising prices and even the delaying of the highly anticipated Steam Machine. Unfortunately, it appears as though things are only just getting started.
Handheld brand Ayaneo has revealed a wealth of new information about its upcoming Next 2 handheld gaming PC including the fact that it will cost $4,299 / around £3,160 / AU$6,130 for a 128GB RAM and 2TB storage model. That's more than an RTX 5090!
Its early bird price is set at $3,499 / around £2,570 / AU$4,990, for consumers who want to save a little by backing the Indiegogo campaign.
The Ayaneo Next 2 is a beefy handheld gaming PC, equipped with AMD's Ryzen AI Max+ 395 processor, a 116WH battery, and a 9-inch OLED display. Those specifications are almost equivalent to those of a budget gaming laptop, as the Max+ 395's performance is similar to that of an RTX 4060.
While the Ayaneo Next 2 was always expected to be an expensive handheld – since all Ryzen AI Max+ 395-powered handhelds are – the $4,299 retail price tag could be a step too far, even for consumers willing to pay high prices for handheld devices, and it's largely due to the RAM crisis.
It's not just the 128GB model either, as the base model matches the RTX 5090's $1,999 MSRP, equipped with the less powerful Ryzen AI Max 385 processor and 32GB of RAM.
A model with the AI Max+ 395 has 64GB of RAM, which isn't needed for handheld gaming (and certainly not 128GB), but consumers will have to pay $2,699 to get their hands on it.
If RAM prices continue to skyrocket, there's a high chance Ayaneo's listed retail prices won't stick once it officially launches too.
Analysis: 128GB of RAM isn't necessary for handhelds
The RAM crisis isn't going anywhere any time soon, and Ayaneo hasn't made it any easier by using high RAM configurations. Most mainstream handhelds run perfectly fine with 32GB of RAM (some even with 16GB), which is why the push for 64GB and 128GB seems like complete overkill.
The AI Max+ 395 APU, 9-inch OLED display, and 116WH battery are already enough to make the Next 2 a niche device, with a high price, but the addition of 128GB of RAM makes it unattainable, even for consumers willing to spend big bucks for portable gaming.
Nvidia's RTX 5090 is hardly available at any retailer store, and the third-party options are all far above the $1,999 / £1,799 / AU$4,039 MSRP, with some almost costing $5,000 on Best Buy. That same amount can net a consumer a brand-new desktop gaming PC, which is a better option over both the Next 2 handheld and RTX 5090 GPU.
It wouldn't surprise me if new handhelds in 2026 end up creating 8GB RAM configurations, because the PC hardware market looks like it's only going to get worse at this rate.
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