No matter how fast a GPU in your mobile system-on-chip is, a discrete graphics processor will still be faster. It is probably what developers from AyaNeo thought when they envisioned the AyaNeo Next II portable game console that will feature a standalone GPU from AMD or Intel.
More or less sophisticated portable devices featured a discrete graphics processor back in the day. But the evolution of process technologies allowed to build GPUs into application processors, which is why most notebooks, portable game consoles, smartphones, and tablets feature integrated graphics today. With its AyaNeo Next II console, the company decided to change that and integrate a discrete graphics chip — AMD’s Radeon RX 6000M series or Intel’s Arc A-series (aka DG2), the company revealed at its announcement over on YouTube.
Aya Neo did not reveal much about its Next II game console’s specifications except that the Intel version will utilize the 12th Generation Core Alder Lake CPU and an Arc GPU. In contrast, the AMD flavor will ship with the company’s 6nm Ryzen 6000 6nm (Rembrandt) processor and a Radeon RX 6000M GPU. Unfortunately, the company did not disclose which GPUs it plans to integrate. Still, we would expect something very energy efficient, so think something like Radeon RX 6400M or Radeon RX 6500M, or a custom solution based on the Navi 21 graphics chip.
In addition to a discrete GPU, the AyaNeo Next II will also feature upgraded controls and certain levels of upgradeability. However, the company did not elaborate on what exactly will be possible to upgrade.
Heat is one of the significant challenges with integrating discrete GPU into a small form factor like a portable game console. Since AyaNeo demonstrated its Next II console only briefly (and we are not even sure that it was a prototype, but not a render), we have no idea how the company intends to cool down both a CPU and a GPU. Perhaps, the developer will go with a couple of high-speed fans, though we are not sure.
Needless to say that Aya Neo will position its Next II console as its Top Premium Edition flagship product, and the company will price it accordingly. Unfortunately, we can only wonder how much will the company charge for its new portable console, but we presume an arm and a leg.
