In a low-key press release, Ayaneo announced the Next Lite, a new model PC in its Next series of handheld PCs. Why low-key? Because Ayaneo has decided not to make too much noise about its distinguishing feature: it is the first non-Valve handheld to use SteamOS as its operating system.

The announcement itself, found on Videocardz, is unfortunately a bit thin on details, but the Next Lite will feature a 7-inch 800p screen and a 47Wh battery; fans of Ayaneo products may recognize these numbers, and coincidentally the current Next Pro also has the same size IPS panel and battery.

Since this little PC is powered by a two-year-old AMD Ryzen 7 5825U, one would expect Next Lite to be powered by something newer, such as the Ryzen 7 7840U (used in the Ayaneo Air 1S) or the latest Ryzen 7 8840U.

However, with the Next Pro priced at $1,215 and Ayaneo promising that Next Lite will "lower the entry barrier while further promoting a number of flagship features," it is quite possible that a slower 7040U chip will be used.

Whatever processor is used, it's great to see SteamOS finally making its way into another handheld PC. When hardware boss Dave last spoke with Valve, Valve was very keen to get their OS onto other machines, and their initial focus was on handhelds.

Of course, that makes sense, since SteamOS is primarily Steam Deck these days. Therefore, adapting it to other portable platforms would be much easier than a full desktop PC. Frankly, I'm a little surprised that Ayaneo isn't making more noise about adopting SteamOS. Because SteamOS is the biggest advantage Valve's pocket shooter has over all Windows-based machines.

In the past, Ayaneo has been somewhat reticent about his plans regarding SteamOS, and since this new venture is not a direct collaboration with Valve, one would imagine that he wants to test it under the radar first.

Like other Ayaneo products, Next Lite will be crowdsourced and funded. Funding applications are expected to open on January 11, but we have yet to see a special page for that purpose.

We are trying to contact Ayaneo to get more details on Next Lite. For now we can only look at the pictures and hope that Next Lite is the first of many handheld PCs with SteamOS that will be available in 2024.