Ironically, it’s no secret that the operating system itself is a major weakness of Windows Gaming Handhelds. It is this habit that helped the steam deck and its Linux-based Steamos maintain its position as market leaders, but it can now be threatened by the opposition that comes out entirely from the left field. aokzoe a1x.
The Aokzoe A1x is a very new handheld for the market in terms of its release in April 2025, and is now available for orders via Kickstarter. But I have a pre-production model, and my early impression is that it is ultimately a Windows handheld that cannot be held back by that operating system. Time will tell if the A1x will become one of the best handheld gaming PCs, but in my opinion it is directed towards a flight start.
I have to admit that I was a bit overwhelmed when I first put the Aokzoe A1x in the box, but this comes mainly because I came straight from testing the Ayaneo 3, the first modular Windows handheld. From now on, moving to test the handheld with a relatively simple design felt like a step backwards, but it only took a few hours to dissipate this feeling.
With the A1x running, it became very clear that Windows is not the same drawback to countless other handhelds, including the Rog Ally X, Legion Go, MSI Claw, and the aforementioned Ayaneo 3.
but why? Well, that’s easy. So far, this handheld nearly 10 hours of gameplay did not crash or utter when using the A1X Quick Access Menu (OneXConsole).
Changing the system’s VRAM allocations quickly caused a full system reset, causing concern that I had bricked the handheld. Hell, the simple act of controlling the game and the quick access menu all work. No habits, delays, no freezes. I just had a problem with A1X on Windows.
All the issues I just mentioned are very common in other Windows handhelds, so my expectations for the Aokzoe A1X were expected. I was hoping that there was no trackpad in particular and only the touchscreen I rely on would have a hard time navigating the operating system. Instead, thanks to the responsive 120Hz VRR display in a native landscape setup, again, everything I’ve done so far with the A1X is a simple, dedicated keyboard button with a laugh.
Given that Windows works similarly with A1X, desktop gaming PCs also eliminate one real barrier to prevent steam decks from being knocked out of the top spot, and A1X also has a steam deck in terms of gaming performance.
The Aokzoe A1X uses an AMD Ryzen Ai 9 hx 370 like the Ayaneo 3, but I’m a bit surprised to see the performance improvements from the A1X in early testing.
Running the Cyberpunk 2077 benchmark quickly at 30W, the A1X used AMD FSR 3 in high quality, achieving an average frame rate of 55.94FP with high graphical presets while enabling frame generation. This is compared with the Ayaneo 3 hitting 52fps under the same conditions but at a native resolution of 1080p instead of 1200p on A1x. It will be interesting to see if the A1X can outperform the Ayaeno 3 in other game tests in my full review.
However, while I’ve been impressed with the A1x so far, the $1,499 price tag is a concern. It can be purchased on Kickstarter for $1,159, but it is suggested that the full retail price will be much higher, and even considering what you’ve seen so far, it’s an incredibly difficult sell.
Are you planning on buying an Aokzoe A1X or another gaming handheld right away? If so, you can check out the best steam deck games to see games that run very well on handheld gaming PCs.
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