Ayaneo Mini PC AM01 review: “I adore this ridiculously adorable retro rig”

Jan. 25, 2024

Incredibly compact

Retro Mac design

Surprisingly capable

Uses older tech

Only for lightweight gaming

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Specs

A tiny touch I probably appreciate far too much is the little rainbow magnetic logo on the top that can be swapped out. You’ll find three additional badges in the box, including one with Ayaneo’s logo in the center, one with a wee gamepad, and a pixelated A button, providing a barely noticeable degree of customization. Of course, you’ll also get a bunch of stickers to whack on the PC’s faux screen if that takes your fancy, but I reckon it looks better naked.

For a change, I won’t be using my usual suite of benchmark games for this review, as that feels sort of mean-spirited. Instead, I picked two new releases, namely Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown and Sonic Superstars, as examples of contemporary releases to mix in with some classics. The fact these two outings are 2D with some three-dimensional elements should help test whether it can tip its toes in the modern realm of PC gaming, or whether it’s pigeonholed to explore the past.

Rolling onto some additional PC games thatshouldhave no issue running fast by default, I decided to dive back into the murky world of Dishonored. I was slightly disappointed in the results since I couldn’t quite maintain a 60fps average, but honestly, skulking around as Corvo still feels pretty nice at 1080p. Though, that could be down to the fact I played the 360 version at 30fps.

I’ve been on a bit of a Tomb Raider kick thanks to the upcoming news of a remastered Trilogy, leading me to install every outing pre-reboot. The older DOS-era games ran like butter, and while that’s not that surprising, playing through Lara’s big debut in 4K using an Xbox controller without booting up my desktop PC feels glorious. The newer entries to the series, Anniversary and Legend, run pretty well too, running at around 70fps with everything cranked up full.

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I’ve been messing around with PCs, video game consoles, and tech since before I could speak. Don’t get me wrong, I kickstarted my relationship with technology by jamming a Hot Wheels double-decker bus into my parent’s VCR, but we all have to start somewhere. I even somehow managed to become a walking, talking buyer’s guide at my teenage supermarket job, which helped me accept my career fate. So, rather than try to realise my musician dreams, or see out my University degree, I started running my own retro pop culture site and writing about video games and tech for the likes of TechRadar, The Daily Star, and the BBC before eventually ending up with a job covering graphics card shenanigans at PCGamesN. Now, I’m your friendly neighbourhood Hardware Editor at GamesRadar, and it’s my job to make sure you can kick butt in all your favourite games using the best gaming hardware, whether you’re a sucker for handhelds like the Steam Deck and Nintendo Switch or a hardcore gaming PC enthusiast.

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