The IO Neo Air is a laptop-class processor system that is thermally challenged, as demonstrated by Dave2D in his video. Despite this, the system is designed to handle heat effectively, with a fan that can spin up and create a noticeable rumble. However, even with its advanced cooling system, there are limits to how much heat it can dissipate.

In terms of performance, the IO Neo Air is capable of running demanding games at relatively low settings, which is a pleasant surprise. This is due in part to the fact that the system's small 1080p screen is less affected by graphics settings than the larger 720p display on the Steam Deck. However, this also means that the system will not be able to handle the most graphically demanding titles.

One of the main drawbacks of the IO Neo Air is its battery life. The system requires a battery bank or the included wall charger to function, which can be inconvenient in many situations. While it does charge quickly and can top off in around an hour, this is not ideal for those who plan to use the device on the go.

Another aspect of the IO Neo Air that may be frustrating for some users is its quality of life issues. The system runs Windows 11 out of the box, which provides native compatibility with games from Steam and other platforms. However, this also means that the system's user interface can feel awkward and challenging to use, particularly when compared to the Steam Deck.

In terms of the user experience, the IO Neo Air may not be the easiest device to live with. The system's small size and lightweight design are advantages, but they also mean that there are no easy ways to access certain features or adjust settings. For example, trying to change screen resolutions can be a bit buggy, which can be frustrating.

Despite these issues, the IO Neo Air is still a unique and innovative device that could potentially lead to improvements in future models. By pushing the boundaries of what is possible with handheld PCs, the company may be able to create a better Steam Deck alternative in the future. For now, the system's strengths lie in its ability to run demanding games at relatively low settings, and its compact size makes it easy to carry around.

WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: envalve's steam deck is too good it's probably the most successful handheld gaming pc aimed at the masses but it's hardly the first one around brands like gpd and ioneo walked so valve could run though it's not to say competition has dried up in fact it's better than ever and this is proof let's talk about it this is the iron neo air it's small easier to carry around than a steam deck and runs windows 11 for all that compatibility but we'll get to that later in the video the air looks absolutely sick in this white colorway with blue pink and red accents there's also alternatives black sakura pink and this awesome duck yellow version my favorite part of this whole look is the led lighting around the joysticks that make it look like a thing of the future plug it into charge and they turn red to let you know that it's juicing up it's a beautiful design all around but also feels very high quality and comfortable in the hand smooth plastic all around with no chassis flex or creaking and the inputs feel very nice as well in many ways the io neo air reminds me of a nintendo switch light but newer and better with some serious hardware the biggest standout for me by far is the screen with a 1080p 5.5 inch amoled display similar to what you'd find on a smartphone it's sharp while producing rich colors and deep blacks that look absolutely stunning it's better than what you'd find on the switch light and especially on the steam deck both of which make do with decent 720p ips displays but oled makes a huge difference in picture quality viewing angles and because we're gaming response time though playing games at that native 1080p resolution is another story given the air's performance my ineo is a mid-range standard spec which retails for 649 msrp and features a ryzen 5 16 gigs of ram and a 512 gig ssd now if a few of those numbers sound familiar it's because this device competes with the highest end steam deck in price and does offer comparable performance on paper however it's important to keep your expectations in check because the air's biggest limiting factor is ironically its small size i would know powered with what is essentially an off-the-shelf laptop class processor this system is thermally challenged to say the least a point that dave2d demonstrated in his video of the system pretty well the good news is that the io neo air is designed in a way where heat is generally out of the way from core touch points however with its fan cranking full blast not only do you hear it spin up but you can also kind of feel it rumble too unless this thing somehow breaks physics there's only so much heat dissipation the system can do but to its credit the visual impact of dialing back both graphics and resolution settings in games hurts way less on the air's small 1080p screen compared to doing it on the decks honking large 720p display especially when playing at a comfortable distance where you probably aren't pixel peeping as much of course this can only go so far with more graphically demanding titles but the takeaway here is that i was pleasantly surprised with how well you can run stuff on the air with just a little bit of practical optimization however what isn't so pleasant is the battery life this means you'll want to carry around a battery bank or the included wall charger while on the go which is less than ideal in many scenarios even if it can charge quickly and top off in around an hour not to say i was expecting much given the small form factor but it's disappointing nonetheless which brings me to my next point quality of life the io neo air might be easier to throw in a backpack compared to the steam deck and is certainly lighter and more comfortable to hold for longer play sessions but it's not exactly the easiest system to live with we've already covered battery life and hardware limitations but something that's between both a blessing and a curse is that the ineo air runs windows 11 out the box the positives are pretty obvious if you've used a steam deck before it gives the air native compatibility for games just like any other traditional pc of course performance permitting this means the majority of games on steam game pass for pc fortnite anything on the epic game store and so on but on the flip side windows 11 doesn't feel quite right on a handheld console i've tried and even daily drove my fair share of gpds and io neos in the past and the reality is that the ux has always been a challenge when it comes to these tiny windows pcs after all it's a full desktop os running on a phone size screen more often than not it feels like i'm fighting the interface to do stuff i'm struggling to play around with graphic settings then dealing with some visual bugs which i guess is par for the course when it comes to enthusiast-minded devices but even still this doesn't do the quality of life any favors i don't want to run the comparison to death but the reality is that valve and the steam deck set almost a comically unfair benchmark for user experiences with handheld pcs especially considering it's a first gen device valve as a company has the backing of the community and the gaming industry to support the deck and optimize titles for it but it's not to say ayan neo isn't working hard to ease the frustrations of running windows on a form factor that it wasn't intended for the air features the company's own take on steam's big picture mode as its main hub to tweak performance settings and launch games there's even a performance overlay that's unapologetic inspired by the one on the deck to change things like screen brightness resolution fan profiles and tdp it works mostly well though in my use it's been kinda buggy especially while changing screen resolutions on the fly it's hard to expect a smaller company like ion neo to match valve with its resources and years of fine-tuning its software experience but i want them to keep pushing the envelope and making strides to make this windows steam deck alternative work for everyone because i doubt we'll see valve take bigger risks than they've already have with the deck at least anytime soon but if a competitor competitor's out here trying something new a naive part of me would like to think that it could lead to a better steam deck at some point this thing might need a little bit of work but i think it's genuinely awesome let me know what you think in the comments below and i'll catch you guys in the next onevalve's steam deck is too good it's probably the most successful handheld gaming pc aimed at the masses but it's hardly the first one around brands like gpd and ioneo walked so valve could run though it's not to say competition has dried up in fact it's better than ever and this is proof let's talk about it this is the iron neo air it's small easier to carry around than a steam deck and runs windows 11 for all that compatibility but we'll get to that later in the video the air looks absolutely sick in this white colorway with blue pink and red accents there's also alternatives black sakura pink and this awesome duck yellow version my favorite part of this whole look is the led lighting around the joysticks that make it look like a thing of the future plug it into charge and they turn red to let you know that it's juicing up it's a beautiful design all around but also feels very high quality and comfortable in the hand smooth plastic all around with no chassis flex or creaking and the inputs feel very nice as well in many ways the io neo air reminds me of a nintendo switch light but newer and better with some serious hardware the biggest standout for me by far is the screen with a 1080p 5.5 inch amoled display similar to what you'd find on a smartphone it's sharp while producing rich colors and deep blacks that look absolutely stunning it's better than what you'd find on the switch light and especially on the steam deck both of which make do with decent 720p ips displays but oled makes a huge difference in picture quality viewing angles and because we're gaming response time though playing games at that native 1080p resolution is another story given the air's performance my ineo is a mid-range standard spec which retails for 649 msrp and features a ryzen 5 16 gigs of ram and a 512 gig ssd now if a few of those numbers sound familiar it's because this device competes with the highest end steam deck in price and does offer comparable performance on paper however it's important to keep your expectations in check because the air's biggest limiting factor is ironically its small size i would know powered with what is essentially an off-the-shelf laptop class processor this system is thermally challenged to say the least a point that dave2d demonstrated in his video of the system pretty well the good news is that the io neo air is designed in a way where heat is generally out of the way from core touch points however with its fan cranking full blast not only do you hear it spin up but you can also kind of feel it rumble too unless this thing somehow breaks physics there's only so much heat dissipation the system can do but to its credit the visual impact of dialing back both graphics and resolution settings in games hurts way less on the air's small 1080p screen compared to doing it on the decks honking large 720p display especially when playing at a comfortable distance where you probably aren't pixel peeping as much of course this can only go so far with more graphically demanding titles but the takeaway here is that i was pleasantly surprised with how well you can run stuff on the air with just a little bit of practical optimization however what isn't so pleasant is the battery life this means you'll want to carry around a battery bank or the included wall charger while on the go which is less than ideal in many scenarios even if it can charge quickly and top off in around an hour not to say i was expecting much given the small form factor but it's disappointing nonetheless which brings me to my next point quality of life the io neo air might be easier to throw in a backpack compared to the steam deck and is certainly lighter and more comfortable to hold for longer play sessions but it's not exactly the easiest system to live with we've already covered battery life and hardware limitations but something that's between both a blessing and a curse is that the ineo air runs windows 11 out the box the positives are pretty obvious if you've used a steam deck before it gives the air native compatibility for games just like any other traditional pc of course performance permitting this means the majority of games on steam game pass for pc fortnite anything on the epic game store and so on but on the flip side windows 11 doesn't feel quite right on a handheld console i've tried and even daily drove my fair share of gpds and io neos in the past and the reality is that the ux has always been a challenge when it comes to these tiny windows pcs after all it's a full desktop os running on a phone size screen more often than not it feels like i'm fighting the interface to do stuff i'm struggling to play around with graphic settings then dealing with some visual bugs which i guess is par for the course when it comes to enthusiast-minded devices but even still this doesn't do the quality of life any favors i don't want to run the comparison to death but the reality is that valve and the steam deck set almost a comically unfair benchmark for user experiences with handheld pcs especially considering it's a first gen device valve as a company has the backing of the community and the gaming industry to support the deck and optimize titles for it but it's not to say ayan neo isn't working hard to ease the frustrations of running windows on a form factor that it wasn't intended for the air features the company's own take on steam's big picture mode as its main hub to tweak performance settings and launch games there's even a performance overlay that's unapologetic inspired by the one on the deck to change things like screen brightness resolution fan profiles and tdp it works mostly well though in my use it's been kinda buggy especially while changing screen resolutions on the fly it's hard to expect a smaller company like ion neo to match valve with its resources and years of fine-tuning its software experience but i want them to keep pushing the envelope and making strides to make this windows steam deck alternative work for everyone because i doubt we'll see valve take bigger risks than they've already have with the deck at least anytime soon but if a competitor competitor's out here trying something new a naive part of me would like to think that it could lead to a better steam deck at some point this thing might need a little bit of work but i think it's genuinely awesome let me know what you think in the comments below and i'll catch you guys in the next one