NEXT 2 : Ayaneo suspend les ventes de sa console

J’écris une des premières, car la NEXT 2 n’est pas la première. Valve a également stoppé les ventes de son Steam Deck et d’autres consoles de ce type, pour le moment vendues quasiment à perte, pourraient mettre un frein à tout ce nouveau segment du marché PC.

Ce qui est plus étrange pour la NEXT 2 c’est qu’il ne s’agissait pas non plus d’une solution « entrée de gamme ». Ayaneo avait de la marge dans laquelle tailler. Le prix d’origine le plus bas était de 2299$ HT. Ce qui en faisait un engin de niche par essence. 

La marque explique que depuis le nouvel an chinois, malgré un prix élevé, la fabrication de l’engin est devenue impossible. Cette console embarque en effet dans un espace contraint un minimum de 32 Go de mémoire vive qui suppose des composants de LPDDR5X très denses. Composants qui sont notoirement plus chers en ce moment que les puces classiques. Il est plus cher d’obtenir 32 Go avec 4 composants de 8 Go soudés qu’avec 16 composants de 2 Go.

La NEXT 2 un peu trop optimiste ?

Mais surtout, les modèles de NEXT 2 sont développés dans des configurations bien plus musclées, son Ryzen AI Max 385 est développé dans une version « de base ». Des modèles en Ryzen AI Max+ 395 avec pas moins de 128 Go de mémoire vive et 2 To de stockage sont également proposés… Le ticket pour ce modèle « premium+++ » : pas moins de 4300$. Des prix élevés, très élevés, mais qui n’arrivent pas à compenser la hausse et surtout la disponibilité des modules. Les machines sont au mieux impossibles à fabriquer par manque de composants, au pire, déficitaires.

Une Ayaneo NEXT 2 toujours très aérienne en image…

Ajoutez à cela un produit « ultra nomade » assez étrange puisqu’il pèse presque 1.43 Kg et vous comprendrez qu’Ayaneo s’est peut-être laissé aller à un peu trop d’enthousiasme. Ce retour à la réalité fait mal mais c’était peut être également un mal nécessaire.

Néanmoins, la NEXT 2 est l’arbre qui cache la forêt. Plusieurs autres fabricants de Consoles PC m’indiquent que, pour le moment, ils font face pour des raisons d’engagement… Mais qu’ils ne gagnent plus d’argent avec leurs ventes depuis un moment. Ce qui pose toujours assez rapidement un petit problème.

Le communiqué de la marque :

NEXT 2 sales suspended.

Dear Backers,

First of all, thank you for your continued attention and support for NEXT 2. Since the project went live on February 10, more than a month has passed. We sincerely appreciate the trust and support you have shown us during this time.

NEXT 2 represents AYANEO’s exploration of the next-generation flagship Windows gaming handheld. It is not only a major leap in performance, but also a comprehensive evolution in design language, ergonomics, control systems, and overall user experience. Centered around the core spirit of “NEXT,” NEXT 2 continues and deepens AYANEO’s vision for the future of handheld gaming devices. While inheriting our brand’s design philosophy, it also pushes forward with new breakthroughs, aiming to deliver a more complete and advanced handheld gaming experience.

In fact, when we launched NEXT 2, storage prices were already at a very high level. At that time, we were already under significant cost pressure. However, considering that many AYANEO fans had been looking forward to this product for a long time, we still decided to release it as planned and open pre-orders so as not to disappoint our supporters.

However, after the Chinese New Year, when we communicated with our suppliers again to confirm the latest storage procurement prices, we found that storage prices had increased to several times higher than before the holiday. Under such circumstances, the overall cost of the product has become far higher than our current selling price. Therefore, after careful consideration, we have decided to suspend the pre-orders of NEXT 2.

In fact, even before the launch of NEXT 2, storage prices had already been rising for several months. At that time, we believed the price might be approaching its peak. Even if it meant making little to no profit—or even a slight loss—we still decided to move forward with the launch. However, what we did not expect was that storage prices would not only continue to rise but would increase even more rapidly. At present, the total cost of the product has far exceeded our selling price, even approaching twice the price we originally set. Under such circumstances, continuing to sell this product is no longer sustainable.

At the same time, we do not want to constantly adjust the selling price due to fluctuations in component costs. We believe that continuing to sell NEXT 2 under the current circumstances could potentially harm the interests of consumers and ultimately affect the long-term development of the brand. Therefore, we have removed the product from all sales channels, and consumers are no longer able to purchase NEXT 2 on Indiegogo.

For Backers who have already pre-ordered NEXT 2, please rest assured that we will continue to move forward with production as planned.
We would also like to clarify that this does not mean the end of the NEXT 2 product lifecycle. We are only temporarily suspending pre-orders. If storage prices return to more reasonable levels in the future, we may consider resuming the sale of NEXT 2. At this time, we cannot predict when storage prices will decline, but we will continue to closely monitor market changes.

Finally, we would like to make a commitment to all Backers:
Regardless of whether NEXT 2 will be available for sale again in the future, the after-sales service for this product will not be affected. We will prepare sufficient spare parts for after-sales support and will provide long-term, reliable service and maintenance for NEXT 2, just as we have done for many previous AYANEO products.
Thank you again for your understanding, trust, and continued support of AYANEO.

AYANEO TEAM