Ayaneo Claims Pocket Block With Game Boy Vibes Is The First AI Gaming Handheld

Ayaneo is expanding its handheld lineup a few new models, one of which is the KONKR Pocket Block that draws heavy design inspiration from Nintendo's original Game Boy, one of the most popular consoles of all time with over 118 million units sold. Curiously, however, Ayaneo is leaning heavy into its claim that the Pocket Block is the "world's first AI gaming handheld."

What does that mean, exactly?

"Integrating AI-driven concepts and features, Pocket Block is an all-new vertical Android gaming handheld and a highly personalized portable gaming device designed for self-expression. Carrying forward the spirit of classic vertical handhelds, Pocket Block combines retro aesthetics with cyber-inspired design language, recreating the pure joy of handheld gaming within an exceptionally compact and lightweight form factor," Ayaneo states.

Yeah, that doesn't really answer the question. Further down the press release, Ayaneo doubles down saying, "In the age of AI, it aims to deliver a smarter and more immersive gaming experience while staying true to the essence of portable gaming." Make of that what you will.

There is no mention of the actual hardware inside the Pocket Block, so it's hard to tell if those AI features might be related to upscaling technologies (not likely) or something else. We'd also be remiss not to point out that Ayaneo's claim is suspect, to put it nicely, without any further qualifiers. There is no shortage of gaming handhelds with AI capabilities, like MSI's Claw 8 AI+ that has even has "AI" in its product name. Even Ayaneo offers handhelds with AI capabilities, like the Next 2, a flagship Windows handheld powered by an AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395.

Curious claim aside, the Pocket Block is an attractive handheld, and not just in product renders. During a product showcase event on YouTube, Ayaneo showed off the upcoming handheld, which is small enough to fit on an outstretched hand.

From the product tour, we can make out a D-Pad and A-B-X-Y buttons on the front, along with Start, Select, and a few others. There's also a  grill visible on the front of the unit that evidently houses the microphone, according to a recent product manual leak (PDF) that was spotted by X user @RetroDeadFred.

The left side houses a pair of customizable buttons, one of which is preset to an Xbox button and the other preset to a back button, and a microSD card slot. On the right, there is a power button and volume up/down buttons.

Around back, the Pocket Block houses four shoulder buttons/triggers (L1, L2, R1, and R2) similar to traditional game controller. Then on the bottom, there are left and right speakers, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and a USB-C port t hat supports charging and data transfers.

There are side buttons as well, and triggers/shoulder buttons on the back similar to a traditional game controller. Other features include a microSD card slot (left side), a 3.5mm audio jack (bottom), and a USB-C port (bottom).

Past leaks also indicate that the Pocket Block sports a 3,500 mAh battery and 10W charging (wired), though anything beyond what we can actually see in the press renders and product showcase has not been confirmed.