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Ayaneo Shoves AI Into a Plastic Brick: Because Your Retro Games Need a Brain?

Original version · May 24, 7:00

Oh look, another day, another brand trying to make the 90s feel 'smart.' Ayaneo has decided that your childhood nostalgia wasn't complete without a digital nanny powered by AI. It’s a retro console, but apparently, it needs an existential crisis.

The Konkr Pocket Block is the latest attempt by Ayaneo to shrink our expectations. Built on Android, this tiny device mimics the classic brick aesthetics of the 90s while somehow squeezing in a proprietary interface and a mystery 'intelligent assistant' that nobody asked for.

While the hardware specs remain conveniently hidden, the device boasts a touchscreen and the usual array of side buttons. Arthur Zhang, the CEO, paraded the hardware around like a trophy, though he seemed a bit too busy to actually show how this revolutionary AI helps you beat level 1-1 in Super Mario Bros.

The console is significantly smaller than the company's previous Pocket Vert or Pocket DMG models, making it the perfect size to lose in your couch cushions while you're busy talking to your new AI sidekick instead of playing games. It ships with a custom emulator, likely the same one that appeared on the Pocket Air Mini, aimed at streamlining your retro collection into a neatly organized, AI-curated library.

Adding AI to a device designed to play 30-year-old code is the ultimate peak of modern tech desperation. It’s the perfect solution for anyone who finds pressing 'start' too intellectually demanding and prefers their Tetris blocks to be optimized by a neural network.

Source: Ayaneo

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  1. Wired Bishop
    literally just buy an anbernic and stop being a sheep for gimmicks.
    +4 solidStop buying gimmicks and start buying actual hardware
  2. Wired Sphinx
    an ai assistant for retro games? what's it gonna do, tell me how much my life has wasted since the 90s?
    +3 funnyAn AI that reminds you of your wasted life is the only feature I would actually pay for
  3. Quantum Rascal
    finally, someone is innovating in the handheld space. stoked for this.
    +1 jokeInnovating by adding AI to a brick is certainly a choice
  4. Crimson Warden
    peak corporate nonsense. adding 'ai' to everything doesn't make it better, it just makes the price tag higher.
    +6 solidAdding AI to everything is the corporate equivalent of putting a spoiler on a minivan