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PayPalThe latest update for the OrangePi Neo handheld with Manjaro Linux is not a positive one, with the whole thing now unfortunately "on ice". In other words, the planned release has been paused.
Why? You can thank the AI surge once again. Because of course you can - it's affecting every consumer device thanks to shortages and high prices with data centres buying up lots of production.
Manjaro Linux Project Lead Philip Müller updated the rather long post on the official forum with a status update for 2026, which simply says:
Due to high prices of DDR5 RAM and SSDs the project is currently on ice. Certifications for CE and FCC are now complete. Also a lot of improvements around the Manjaro Gaming Edition had happened. We are now waiting for a good time to launch the product …
Considering it was going to be releasing with either the AMD 7840u or the 8840u, if they do still manage to get it out - would it even be worth it at this point? They've already been through a few delays before as it was due out in Q1 2025, then it was pushed to Q3 2025, then they were hoping for H1 2026 and now it's on ice.
Unless the AI hype bubble bursts, we'll see delays and cancellations from other vendors too. Just look at how difficult it is for Valve with the Steam Deck OLED repeatedly out of stock.
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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4 hours ago
Not to mention ARM gaming is coming on at an insane rate and the chipset's are more suited to mobile gaming. Im not sure how fast a Snapdragon Elite is in comparison to an X86 APU of comparable cost but given the huge never ending global demand for phones/tablets we see these chipsets getting upgraded & refreshed faster, like real upgrades not like AMD who change the naming convention and keep the last GPU inside a slightly updated CPU.
matiaslavik 3 hours ago
... In a year or two, we'll only be playing software rendered pseudo-3D games, because nobody can afford modern hardware.
but also: (insert my obligatory i-hate-ai-its-ruining-everything)
but also also: this device always seemed cursed from the get-go to me. Along with a few other indie handhelds. For this one specifically: why are you all trying to reinvent the wheel from scratch with a tiny team of people (majaro gaming edition?) when you could just parter with steam and license their steamos and let their virtually infinite resources and people do all the software work for you?
but also also also: as liam mentioned, if it ever does come out, the specs will be so outdated they'll either have to a) price it so low that they lose money on each sale? b) develop an entirely new system with new chips and etc... option a is untenable and what's the likelihood of option b?
Last edited by Jarmer on 27 Feb 2026 at 5:41 pm UTC
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