Yesterday, AYANEO held a special "Sharing Session" for its upcoming "premium" handheld, the AYANEO Pocket VERT, going over some of the features that will be included with the Game Boy-style device.
Many of these features we'd already heard about in the past, such as the fact that it will include diamond-cut shoulder buttons, a 3.5" 1600×1440 LCD screen, and will offer "10× pixel-perfect Game Boy scaling". But there was also another surprise announcement from AYANEO's CEO, Arthur Zhang, which we can safely say we didn't expect.
That announcement was that the device will actually include a large hidden dual-mode trackpad located beneath its glass front, which will be situated beneath the D-Pad and buttons.
This touchpad is being described as suitable for "diverse use cases" and will reportedly be programmable to act as a stand-in for both joysticks, if you decide to try and load up any games featuring analog movement.
Of course, this isn't the first time AYANEO has added a touch-screen to a Game Boy-inspired device. If you cast your mind back to last year, you may remember that AYANEO previously included a trackpad on its Pocket DMG device, with the option there being a stand-in for its missing right analog stick.
Reviewing that machine, Hookshot's editorial director Damien McFerran called that solution "surprisingly decent" despite his initial "misgivings". So, it will be interesting to see how its implementation here will compare.
Other than the hidden trackpad, AYANEO also shared that AYANEO Pocket VERT will feature a high-density 6000mAh battery and active air cooling, and has stated it will also include the MagicSwitch key, previously introduced on the Pocket DMG, to control the volume. Three colourways are also expected to be available at launch. These include Midnight Black, Moon White, and Lava Red.
Right now, it's currently unknown exactly when the AYANEO Pocket VERT will go on sale or what chipset will be powering it, but we'll keep our eyes peeled for any more news as it emerges.