Really interesting review, thank you.

Thank you for saying so! I really appreciate that :)

When you say this isn’t ready for most people, is that because the software needs more time, or the hardware isn’t there yet?

100% its the software. Drivers just aren’t there yet, but they’re being actively worked on as we speak, so early 2026 will be a solid assumption. Most PC games I tried worked incredibly well, out of the box without anything needed. But yes, as drivers improve and release, that compatibility will only get higher and higher.

As it stands:

• PC games are the best thing on the Odin 3. They work so well.
• Switch games are a gamble, a lot work beautifully but there’s still a lot which haven’t got the right support yet. But my friend who is a developer of Eden (Switch emulator) was sent an Odin 3 Max to help with development. So that’s only a matter of time.
• PS3 is the same as Switch, some work, some do not.
• PS2, all the games I tried were fantastic. Played SO nicely, upscaled and perfect. But there’s still a handful that will need some of that community driver goodness.
• Older-older systems are fine in dedicated emulators, but in RetroArch, its a mess.

The hardware is phenomenal and ahead of its time. We’re just waiting for the support for the Snapdragon Elite to play catch-up now. But after spending so long testing it, if you’re someone who likes to be at the forefront of things, then it’s a solid investment. I’d buy one, if I wasn’t sent a review unit. But I have the benefit of testing for so long to come to that conclusion!

If I bought one of these today, could I expect to see better compatibility over the next 6 months to year with Steam games, or will it still be mostly for Android games and old system emulators?

Yes. 100% yes. Keep an eye on EmuReady.com also, there’ll be more and more compatibility reports for the Snapdragon Elite as the days and weeks pass, a good way to know if the PC games you love are running well. And you can always ask me to test out and try some games that you love most too, if you’d like!

Sadly that review will never be posted. Potassium isn’t good for me, due to an autoimmune disease!

Its going to be a very interesting time with these retro handhelds when that happens. Still, its amazing to be able to play full AAA Steam & GOG games on Android before that even happens.

Its exciting!

GameCube and PS2 are a breeze to set up. I never use RetroArch for either of them, all you need to do is set the bios for PS2, change the input (AYN will automatically be set, but I find its better safe than sorry as it can make the odd error when configuring input for you!), choose your upscaling and go!

GCN was even easier, input and upscale, then play!

I’ll be writing up a thorough guide/games/settings post, I’ll find you an link you when I do if you’d like? But for PS2 and GCN its the work of 2 mins at the most on each :)

No RetroArch. At all.

Thank you so much! It’s always a bit of a nervy experience when I’m sharing a review. Even more so when I linked it in their own Discord, because if anyone will rip through details and point out flaws…its gaming fans. So hearing this? SO kind of you!

I’m lucky that I manage to somehow convince all these people (the devs and other creators!) that they should in fact be friends with me, and that they’re all kind enough to listen to my requests. In fact, the PortMaster team are going to let me interview them soon, so that’s something to look forward to!

Battery depends on settings, like always. But one example was Nier: Automata with high settings across the board, for around 1:25 playing, it took just under 20% of battery. But that’s because I pushed the settings. Emulating PS2 it coasts, but best to limit to to say 2.5x upscale (obviously), unless you’re going for a full 4K in a monitor. And further down, the old systems will go for eons. Android native games gave me 7ish hours at the highest settings I could opt for? While running at 120FPS and not dropping a single frame.

Take this with salt, because I’m hopped up on codeine waiting for Tuesday when I can get tooth pain sorted!

(thank you again SO much for the nice comment!)

My article can be pretty easily broken down into:

• What ROM hacks are
• Pokémon ROM hacks in particular
• Lazarus
• The dev’s own response to shitty behavior

I don’t think I focused on Twitter’s behavior. I didn’t share any screenshots of tweets, nor did I quote any. There’s not much I can see I wrote here that can be glorified by the losers.

Should I…not write about how shitty the situation is for the developer (and so many others in this space) because a handful of idiots might think they’re being mentioned? I’m struggling to find what I should cut out of my article there!

hahahahhah I like this one! SO true!

Agreed on all fronts there!

I’ve been spending a fairly sizable amount of time lately with the Android emulation scene, and the amount of times the public goes nuclear over the tiniest inconsequential things is…just unbelievable. From the []-phobes to death threats. I wish that people would learn some social skills.

The dev of Lazarus didn’t have this kind of reaction to Seaglass, so I think we could say that this trend of being a disgusting bigot is one which is being ‘allowed’ more recently than it once was in social media.

Its such a shame that:

a) I can see why a company like this would bake in invasive permissions and telemetry, and b) They did so. They have a wonderful product. One interesting thing though is that each time GameHub Lite releases an update, pointing out the shadiness of some of GameHub’s ideas…the next official GameHub update makes the product better and less of a privacy nightmare.

It’s an odd situation, but like you said, at least we have options!

As-is the thing has sold a ton despite no new games existing really.

Their numbers were announced, it’s sold 10.36m units so far, but these stats were from before the new Pokemon game was released. So…I’d hazard far more than this!

https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/finance/hard_soft/index.html

Like most, it never really interested me. I just liked the clamshell self-protecting design. The 3D slider was firmly set to the ‘off’ position for me!

I’ve never really been into any Pokemon games before, but I am getting closer to wanting to try sink into one! How beautiful is the upscaling for 3DS games on the Thor?! The games just sparkle. I have gotten slightly distracted by Metroid Prime 2 though…

their prices are still a little high for me

I’d recommend keeping an eye on something like Buyee (or one of several others that do the same thing!). Keep an eye on Mercari on there, sort by ‘newly listed’ and you’ll get a deal. I’ve bought a lot of Nintendo consoles using that method, and have got some amazing deals!

• Shin Megami Tensei 4
• Bravely Default
• Professor Layton (I LOVE PROFESSOR LAYTON!!!)
• Kid Icarus: Uprising
• Metroid: Samus Returns (I’m obsessed with Metroid)

But I’m also playing The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D for the very first time on the AYN Thor at the moment. I’ve never stuck with it, and I’m enjoying it so much. What a game! I’d have expected the ancient age would make it less of a game, but nope. It’s perfect!

There’s so many more, but that’s a nice little cross-section of GREAT games :)

One thing I’ll add, since reviewing the AYN Thor, I have been playing a LOT of 3DS games. Upscaled and looking so beautiful. I just love the games they made for this console. I wish the Switch had more…pocketability? But seeing how the size increased for the S2, I don’t expect that will come about again :(

I’m one of those who are waiting for the final episode to be released before I dive in! Super excited to try it though!

That was a great interview, thanks for doing it!

Thank you so much, I’m really glad you enjoyed this one. A few more are on the way, slowly. The team who make Decky Loader should be soon-ish. Also GameHub Lite (since emulating Steam games on Android is fascinating to me!), and a handful more planned.

I thought the same!

I’m glad you enjoyed it!!!