Odin

[Demon Cleaner]

Just got a new mail from Indiegogo about the Odin, whose campaign will start soon.

https://www.indiegogo.com/project/preview/d789a83f#/

[Harrison]

Looks very nice. Form factor is very nice. Screensize and resolution are great. CPU, GPU, ram etc are all a big step up from the current generation of retro handhelds. The price for the pro version converted from HK$ is about £186 so not actually that expensive either. And the lite is only about £120 which for the spec seems a bargain. But why would you buy that over the Pro.

Only downsides I instantly noticed were the joystick layout. I, like most, prefer the dpad at the top and the 2 sticks either side lower down. I also noticed the controls state only the left stick is analogue, and the right one is digital. Bit annoying for things like Playstation games, but ok for things like N64 emulation where it would be mapped to the C buttons.

Will be very interesting to see how this handles PSP, N64, Dreamcast, Saturn and possibly even Gamecube emulation.

Is Android the best OS vs Linux? I noticed it mentioned Windows support so that's an interesting option, but you then have OS overhead. Android can often open up many different possibilities, but it's never quite as elegant as a custom Linux build.

This is also a lot cheaper than the Steam Deck, and is stated as being out the end of this year, so we will get to see how good it is months before Steam bring their handheld to market.

It will also be very interesting to see what all the other makers such as Anbernic and PowKiddy do next, as the existing hardware spec most have been using is now being left behind.

[Harrison]

This is a video you have probably seen because this YouTuber seems to be about the only one who has been recirculation preview development Odin devices and actively testing it.

https://youtu.be/REdSr-rgI3g

The dock with its native N64 and Gamecube ports looks really cool.

Very tempting handheld, but, as other YouTubers without access to a real device are pointing out, this is from new manufacturer with no track record, and this will be crowdfunded where it takes your money straight away regardless of hitting its target or ever shipping any units. So I will wait into these are at retail for real hanhs on reviews.

Equally the Steam Deak is going to walk all over this in terms of performance, and I'm definitely buying one of those at the moment.

[Demon Cleaner]

I'm definitely going to wait, and probably not get one. Quite pleased with the One XPlayer at the moment.

[Harrison]

I'm tempted. Whilst I am going to get a Steam Deck, I'm invested in this as an alternative mainly for emulation of newer systems. But I will be waiting until its already released.

[Harrison]

Have you watched the latest videos Ayn have been making, showing the Odin Pro running games?

They have now showcased a few emulated PS2 games running perfectly at 60fps, and it looks really good. So tempted so I can use it to play through some of the menu PS2 RPGs I never had time to play.

[Demon Cleaner]

Yes I've seen, but I don't wanna spend much money on something I basically already have. OneXPlayer runs PS2 just fine too. Plus I mainly keep it to play my PC games when I'm on holiday.

[Harrison]

You have to admit it's impressive performance for the £217 price point.

[Demon Cleaner]

Oh, my fault, I thought you were talking about the AYA NEO Pro, that one is quite expensive. It's the one I first backed before switching to the OneXPlayer.

The Odin might really be interesting for emulation only instead of carrying around many devices. The RG552 comes with a 5 year old chip, has shitty firmware which the company seems not to care about at all, that's pretty lame, they might lose some faithful customers because of that, plus it's very expensive. I was waiting for it to come out and buy one, but latest reviews really showed my the weaknesses and basically told me off.

But thanks for reminding me, I actually ordered one Odin Pro now :lol:

Btw, I also pre-ordered the Retroid Pocket 2+ in the 16-bit look version, it looks very nice, is quite affordable, and seems to be quite powerful too.

[Harrison]

Yeah it is a bit confusing the two company names AYA and AYN. It confused me quite a lot to begin with.

Great you have ordered one. I've still not yet because I already have a Steam Deck preordered but I've been looking at the Odin since early information so will most likely buy one.

And yes, the Anbernic RG552 is receiving some quite bad reviews. Build quailty doesn't seem up to their usual standard, with reviews saying the plastic case flexes when being used. Like you I was going to buy one as their previous systems have been so good. But the move to Android hasn't helped, although you can dual boot it into Linux. But the old chipset and price don't make a lot of sense when you put it next to the Odin Pro.

[Harrison]

I was tempted to get a RP2+, as I already own the original RP2. But with the Odin coming out I don't think I would use it much. Although the smaller size is good for putting in your pocket. The right slide stick is a bit annoying too, compared to a full analogue stick. The new frontend GUI is a massive improvement though.

[Demon Cleaner]

Plus my Finnish girlfriend's name is Aija, pronounced the same :lol:

I need to get rid of some money, collecting a huge stash, but don't have a need for it. Being kind of stingy doesn't help. But sometimes I just think to buy now because perhaps later, with all the shit happening, you can't. Problem is that I have everything I need, meaning hi-fi, computer and electronic wise, so basically I only spend money on food and drinks. House is perfect, car is perfect, although I wanted to buy the Audi S7, but again, there's at the moment no need for it.

- - - Updated - - -

I was driving the Lotus, friend of mine has a top garage and some nice cars :)

https://i.imgur.com/KcQJLk8.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/e2xkwDe.jpg

Lux beer :lol:

https://i.imgur.com/i2idMSC.jpg

Video here, how can I post this?

https://i.imgur.com/fPAoG5C.mp4

- - - Updated - - -

His latest acquisition.

https://i.imgur.com/QIc9KQW.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/QtoeGvD.jpg

[Kin Hell]

Very nice DC. :D

I trust you drank the beer after you'd been out driving.... Yes? :hmmm:

[Harrison]

Wish I had that problem of having too much money I didn't know what to do with. :blink:

[J T]

Plus my Finnish girlfriend's name is Aija, pronounced the same :lol:

I need to get rid of some money, collecting a huge stash, but don't have a need for it. Being kind of stingy doesn't help. But sometimes I just think to buy now because perhaps later, with all the shit happening, you can't. Problem is that I have everything I need, meaning hi-fi, computer and electronic wise

You should buy invest in a retro-tech buying-n-selling website. I hear Amibay could be bought.

[Demon Cleaner]

Very nice DC. :D

I trust you drank the beer after you'd been out driving.... Yes? :hmmm:

Actually it was before :lol: Because we had to wait a bit before driving, battery was empty.

He is actually police officer here in Luxembourg, they make quite good money compared to other countries. But some years ago he started a company together with a friend where they only buy and sell fancy cars. Lately they didn't get along and now he owns it alone. Btw, he got the McLaren quite cheap, for 220.000€ and the new price was 330.000€ :lol: Problem is that you need quite a solid starting fund to start something like this, but he told me that he sells around 250 cars a year, so imagine you make only 10.000€ profit per car, that's quite something.


You should buy invest in a retro-tech buying-n-selling website. I hear Amibay could be bought.

:lol: True, but that involves work. Could ask Harrison though to help :hmmm:

[Harrison]

Back to Odin.

The Odin Lite is now released and the first backers and reviewers are receiving them.

The Lite uses different hardware making it cheaper, including a completely different chip. The initial belief was that with the cheaper chip and other differences it wouldn't be a capable as the Base,/Pro Odins. But in other regards it looks very similar. Case is near identical.

In the first full Youtube reviews there are a couple of notable things that are not as good. It's audio isn't as soon. Less bass, range and separation. Without comparing side by side you might never realise, but in one review with axmic near to each you could definitely tell the difference.

The next is the screen. The first preview batches of Lite had a screen near identical to the Pro. Good colours and great viewing angle. Apparently this will change from the next batch onwards for sloghtly cheaper panels that are less warm and more towards the blue. Probably to meet the cheaper price point, but could just be a screen sourcing issue. But the biggest negative is these new screens will draw more power so reduce battery life. For retro gaming this drops from 14h to 12h. And for Android games it can mean a drop from 6-7h form to 5h. So could mean all the difference. Personally even 5 hours is good for a day's gaming.

But that's nearly all of the negatives.

To the possitives in many of the side by side tests the Lite and Pro don't perform that differently, and surprisingly most emulators and games actually perform better in the Lite. Both can run N64 and Dreamcast era emulation at full speed 60fps at 2x and even 4x resolution. And both can cope with PSP at at least 2x. The Pro does offer more power here and can manage some at 4x, whilst the Lite had to drop to 2x to match fps.

For the next generation including Gamecube and PS2 they both run most things as well as current emulation can support. The Pro is slightly ahead on fps, but it isn't a big as expected. But manage Wii and DS emulation fine. But Switch emulation is currently a bit limited due to the emulator.

The area where the Lite wins the most is in battery life and temperature. The Lite runs around 46C with fan and 52C without. Whereas the Pro is more around 60C. So the Lite runs cooler and you can get away with not using the fan so it's silent.

And due to the lower power requirements of the Lite's CPU the battery lasts longer. Although as mentioned the Lite will be getting a more power hungry acreen that will reduce this a bit.

Finally the last negative. The Odin is an Android based handheld running current Android Apps and Ganes, as well as Android based emulators. If you are happy with that then the Lite is the better of the 2 to buy. But the hardware on the Pro/Base supports Windows 11, so you can run Windows on them, but not the Lite. And there are now Linux distros available for the Odin Pro that utilise the OSs and emulation frontends already seen in other handhelds such as those from Anbernic, so if you are a fan of EMUElec and others this might be important. The Lite's hardware doesn't support Windows or these Linux Distros.

So if you want a handheld that is capable of running Android, Linux and Windows, and don't mind it running a bit hotter, with shorter battery life, but better audio and possibly a better screen than spend a bit more for the Pro.

But if you are happy just to run Android apps and emulation, hang mine battery life, and dunt mind the slighly inferior audio and screen than go for the cheaper Lite.

So really buy the Lite unless you really need and want the Linux support. You won't notice thr audio and screen differences without owning both, and the better battery life and cooler running temps are a bonus too.

But if you already own a Pro/Base it isn't worth buying again.

[Demon Cleaner]

At the moment I’m fine with Android and LaunchBox. I was playing PS2 games yesterday for 3 hours, draining the battery for around 30% and I didn’t notice any negative temperature. You have to test PS2 games one by one and configure them individually to run well. Not all of them are. Tried all of the 5 Burnout games and they run fairly well, even with 2x but underclocked to 75%.

Don’t know if I would like to try Windows on it, as it’s the ARM Windows, plus I needed 4 weeks to fully setup my SD Card for Android (1TB completely full).

Gamecube runs perfectly with what I tested, as does DC, PSP and N64. Still have to try Wii, don’t think I tested it yet, but the Dolphin MMJR emulator is great.

DS runs great with Drastic and 3DS depends on the games, only tried Donkey Kong Country 3DS version, it runs fine, but definitely not at full speed. The Citra MMJ emulator is also great though.

Saturn is always a mixed bag, but I’m using Yaba Sanshiro 2 Pro with some tweaking and it runs fine.

[Harrison]

I keep meaning to order an Odin, but I don't have enough time to be able to mess around and set one up at the moment. I'm planning on ordering one for the autumn. Although my Steam Deck pre-order should finally be available within the next month or so, and I'm itching to fully test the Steam Deck with emulation.

Did you see Ayn have been working on another new handheld, called the Loki? It looks very similar to the Odin but with be a Windows only version running an AMD Ryzen 6800U with 16GB ram and M2 storage.

https://www.ayntec.com/pages/loki-max

[Demon Cleaner]

Yes, I’ve been following the handheld scene for longer time now and I have to say that it’s quite difficult to keep up with all the releases, there’s just too many.

[Kin Hell]

Yes, I’ve been following the handheld scene for longer time now and I have to say that it’s quite difficult to keep up with all the releases, there’s just too many.

LOL DC.

Buy a nice Amiga & have a break. :D

[Demon Cleaner]

No space for an Amiga, I just emulate it on the handhelds :D

[Harrison]

The handheld scene really has taken off in the last 3 years and is great we are now getting real quality products.

The AYN Odin's are definitely the best at the moment, and it's great to see the team didn't just stop with their first success, but are continuing development.

[Demon Cleaner]

I put my OneXPlayer for sale on eBay and preordered the Loki Max. I don’t use the OneXPlayer at all, I think that on the go, like now in Finland, I like to play retro games and not Windows games, it’s just so much nicer to pick up and play.

I know that the OneXPlayer is by far more powerful than the Odin Pro and I could use even higher end emulation, but it’s huge in size and at least 3 times the weight of the Odin, which definitely gives the Odin a big advantage. It feels very comfortable in your hands but after one hour you have to put it away.

And as far as I know the Loki Max will be around if not exactly the same size than the Odin plus very powerful. I got 125$ discount because I backed the Odin, which is already very nice. Plus it comes also with Windows which will be a big plus compared the the Odin.

[Harrison]

Nice.

The Odin definitely has the advantage of size compared to most PC hardware based handhelds.

I was tempted by the Loki but as my Steam Deck should be with me in the next month or so I don't really have a need for one. Although the Deck is much bigger looking at the pictures, so if I suddenly needed one for using on a train or bus I would be tempted. I also expect the Loki will have a longer lasting battery.

Look forward to finding out what you think when it arrives. Have they given an estimated delivery date?

[Demon Cleaner]

So I had put my OneXPlayer on eBay some months ago, I put a price tag of 979€. One week later a guy offered me 900€, I made a counter offer of 925€ but he declined. And that was it. During that period now I went down with the price all the time, at the moment I'm at 849€ and I regularly get offers ranging from 400-500€, which are not realistic. I should have sold it to the first guy :mad: We always know better afterwards.

[Harrison]

I probably would have taken that offer to be fair. But sometimes it can pay off to stick to a price. You just don't know. Where are you advertising it for sale?

[Demon Cleaner]

It's on eBay, but I removed it yesterday as we leave tomorrow to London. Will put it online again once I'm back.

[Harrison]

Might be worth considering alternative places to advertise it, suxh as retro and emulation forums.