Antec Core HS Review – A Real Contender for Mobile PC Gaming!

What is the Core HS?

The thing that was immediately interesting about this device is that it’s technically not even an Antec product, it’s actually an Ayaneo device. Ayaneo are a Chinese company founded back in 2020, and while you may not have heard of them, they have been pretty active and successful in this market with these types of devices, and other similar products tailored towards retro gaming handhelds, with the only issue being that they never had a presence in the western market, but that’s all about to change.

So ok, this isn’t really the Antec Core HS, it’s actually the Ayaneo Slide, and that’s no secret either, as the Ayaneo logo is even still this new product. This isn’t merely Antec taking a product not well known here in the west, slapping their name and reputation on it, and presenting it to a new market, which is a pretty common practice in the tech industry.

This collaboration effort between Antec and Ayaneo to bring this product to the Western market makes sense, as it’s something the Chinese based company wouldn’t have been able to do by themselves. So after what i can only imagine being many lengthy discussions and board room meetings, the Antec Core HS is born, it’s the same product but for a different audience, and that’s not something either company is shy about, as this could potentially open doors for collaborations in the future. When we spoke to Antec at Computex, they seemed pretty excited about what this could mean for the two companies if this is successful. 

It also means we’re getting a product that’s already been proven in the market, a different market admittedly, but it’s been sold, played, tested, and loved already, so that’s a positive start and already puts Antec on the front foot compared to some of the competition.

While we attended Computex recently, that was our first time getting hands on with this device, and like many others who attended, we were suitably impressed with what we saw, and we actually have a full video from Computex where we looked at it, and a lot of off camera stuff where we were playing with it to blow off some steam, so you should definitely check that video out when this video is over to see our first impressions. Of course though, with it being such a massive event it was hard for us to get a full idea of what it’s like to use as we’d have to spend hours with it to get to know what it’s like, which is what we’re here to do today.

In terms of the name, it’s quite a simple one. Core HS which denotes what the device does. It has a hinge and slides, HS, and after sitting there aimlessly sliding it up and down and tilting it back and forth, it’s pretty forgiving and feels like it would stand the test of time, showing that the quality is definitely something that’s been focussed on.