TL;DR
- The AYANEO Flip has been discontinued earlier than all orders have been shipped.
- The challenge was efficiently funded final yr, however order achievement has been delayed a number of instances.
- Backers who didn’t obtain their units can request a refund or one other AYANEO product inside 30 days.
Replace, March 1, 2025 (01:58 PM ET): Rumors of the AYANEO Flip’s demise might have been significantly exaggerated. Or, on the very least, basically misconstrued.
AYANEO’s obtained a brand new replace on its Indiegogo web page the place the corporate asserts that the Flip may be very a lot not discontinued.
Reasonably, the corporate frames what’s occurring as a manufacturing delay because it seeks out new manufacturing companions. Moreover, it defends its remedy of backers, claiming that solely 18 crowdfunding orders had but to be fulfilled — a mere handful.
AYANEO says that extra Flip items ought to be produced someday inside the subsequent three months, and that transferring ahead it intends to proceed the product line with new entries.
Unique article, February 27, 2025 (05:38 AM ET): Crowdfunding is without doubt one of the foremost methods new retro gaming handhelds are produced, with large reductions for these prepared to take the danger. These dangers don’t all the time repay, although, with the most recent high-profile cancelation coming from AYANEO.
The AYANEO Flip, which was efficiently crowdfunded final spring, raised over $850,000 on Indiegogo. There have been two variations obtainable, one with a second display, just like a Nintendo DS, and one other with a full keyboard. Order achievement has been delayed as a consequence of elements shortages, however the challenge has now been discontinued totally, with some backers by no means receiving their units.
AYANEO didn’t clarify why the challenge was canceled, writing on the Indiegogo web page that it was to “guarantee we give attention to delivering distinctive experiences by means of our present and upcoming product traces.” It’s probably that elements have develop into tough or inconceivable to supply, or value will increase have shifted the maths in a approach that’s untenable to provide.
Backers who have not acquired their handhelds have 30 days to assert a refund or alternate.
Regardless, backers who haven’t acquired their AYANEO Flips have two choices: a full refund or an alternate for one more AYANEO product, with value variations settled accordingly. Nonetheless, the timeline set for refunds is simply 30 days, so should you’re one of many unfortunate few, you higher act quick.
The preferred AYANEO merchandise are Android-based handhelds just like the Pocket DMG and Pocket EVO, each of which value considerably lower than the Flip. The corporate’s Home windows-based handhelds, just like the Kun and Slide, are extra conventional handhelds that compete with the likes of the Steam Deck and ROG Ally. The modular controls on the AYANEO 3 provide an revolutionary various, however that’s topic to the identical crowdfunding dangers because the Flip.
This month, we’ve seen renewed curiosity within the clamshell type issue with the Retroid Flip 2, an Android-based handheld that drops the second display and keyboard. Given the troubles confronted by the AYANEO Flip, this extra sensible method could be the best way to go.
