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Orange Pi Neo: The Upcoming Handheld Console Comes Equipped With Manjaro Linux

Who said that Linux distributions weren’t made for gaming? Many of the popular Linux operating systems out there have managed to demolish that myth in recent years, and Manjaro is one of them. You can easily run many of your favorite games on various Linux distributions due to programs such as Lutris or Proton.

Orange Pi Neo is the designation of a new handheld console for gamers that’s being built by the Manjaro Linux team in partnership with the Orange Pi hardware vendor. We’ve seen instances of the Orange Pi Neo gaming machine during the FOSDEM 2024 event.

Orange Pi Neo will be featuring Manjaro Linux

The forthcoming Orange Pi Neo handheld console will run on the Manjaro Linux distribution, and perhaps nobody could possibly complain about that. The guys from the Manjaro Linux team posted a few photos on the X platform.

The rest of the specs for the Orange Pi Neo handheld console don’t look bad at all, as they clearly indicate a solid product for hardcore gamers.

Orange Pi Neo specifications

The Orange Pi Neo handheld console is a true powerhouse of portable gaming. The machine is equipped with an AMD Ryzen 7 7840U processor and it features a 7-inch FHD+ display that boasts a resolution of 1920 x 1200 that offers vivid visuals with a 16:10 aspect ratio and a refresh rate of 120Hz. If you buy the console, you can even choose between 16GB or 32GB of lightning-fast LPDDR5 RAM memory, running at 7500MHz in dual channel configuration and paired with a generous storage capacity that ranges from 512GB to 2TB PCIe® 4.0 NVMe™ M.2 SSD.

The console was built with portability in mind, as it measures 259mm107mm19.9mm and houses a 50WHrs 3-cell Li-polymer battery, providing extensive gaming sessions while you’re on the go. As for the connectivity options, the console also stands well by including 2x USB 4.0 Type-C ports, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and a TF card slot, catering to various peripherals and expansion needs.

The rich audio experience delivered by dual 1W panoramic speakers is also worth mentioning, while the innovative cooling system, comprising a turbo large fan, dual copper pipes, as well as aluminum alloy cooling fans, and custom air ducts, ensures enough heat dissipation even during intense gaming sessions. With Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity, dual trackpads, dual 6-axis gyroscopes, and dual thumbsticks adorned with RGB lighting, the Orange Pi Neo handheld console redefines portable gaming with uncompromised performance and immersive features.

Gaming consoles running on Android or Windows don’t represent anything unusual, but it’s sure great to see that Linux distributions are getting more love. Recently, Microsoft even made an announcement that managed to piss off a lot of users: the Redmond-based giant will halt support for Windows 10 in 2025, similarly to how the company did in the case of Windows 7. This means that users will have to either upgrade to Windows 11 or the forthcoming Windows 12, or look for alternatives that don’t have the Microsoft logo on them. In other words, migrating to Linux distributions is an option that more and more Windows users consider, and for good reasons. Windows 11 still has its flaws, as it doesn’t seem to be a stable and reliable operating system.

It will be interesting to see how the Orange Pi Neo handheld console will compete against the Nintendo Switch device, but we’ll soon find out the answer to that dilemma.

 

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