AYN recently got in touch with me, asking if I’d like to review the AYN Thor in an article, and…naturally I said ‘yes’. I’ve been super excited, seeing that there’s a new boom in DS retro handhelds, hoping that this might mean a viable alternative to the older genuine Nintendo hardware.
I’ll just give you a tldr here:
For me, this really is the alternative. There are some caveats, but they’re so few, and those it does have really don’t affect me much. This can handle all the consoles I need, I’ve been enjoying Wind Waker HD, MGS 2, Mario Odyssey and so many DS and 3DS games (Metroid: Samus Returns has been a blast!)
Regardless, this is a handheld I recommend if you can afford the higher price point!
Looks great. I might be interested in something like that. In your article you mention it’s running Android, so I immediately started wondering… how will this and similar devices be impacted by the upcoming ‘sideloading’ restrictions? And honestly, any potential future changes to Android’s policies.
Absolutely beautiful looking device.
Great review, as always I love your content! You mentioned a higher price point but I don’t think you mentioned the actual price anywhere in the review. Or did I miss it? I guess it’s just a quick search away.
Does it have a 3D display?
No, Nintendo is the only one who managed that! This is just straight AMOLED
That’s not true, there are other companies making glasses free 3D displays. For me, no 3D is a deal breaker for a device like this
I mean… The 3D idea was pretty cool, and it worked surprisingly well, but I realistically never used it other that for fun occasionally.
I’ve just hacked and started reusing my old 3DS and it’s great fun! Can download most games abs cool hacks/mods to modify them.
Is this able to hook up with the same software as 3DS so I could do the same on it?
The temptation to get the 12gb model has been so bad… I would love it…
What is the game UI you’re running in the top picture?
Or is it a different retroarch theme?
Daijishō is the launcher up top!
Hol up, DS is now old enough to be considered retro‽
Why does my back hurt so much? Unrelated I’m sure.
The original DS released almost 21 years ago. Because of that, the patent is now in the public domain, hence why products like this can be sold now
Better lie down for this fact: 3DS is considered retro.
2011 is not retro, dammit!
14 years ago, man.
Edit: I fogor how to count
Was N64 retro in 2010?
Yes. I very much remember it being uncontroversial to call the N64 retro in 2010.
Bruh. The GameCube was practically retro in 2010
Who said that?
Yeah. I mean Crysis had been out for 3 years already. N64 graphics seemed ancient at that point.
I don’t miss the crab claw pain trying to play with anything in the DS form factor and that d-pad placement looks rancid.
For sure you’d need to get grips immediately for it to resemble a controller.
Review Sample? You’re an influencer now :P
often I think to myself “damn, i should buy one of these dual screen handhelds to emulate 3DS games!”
…and then i remember that i have a 3DS lol
Damn it can play Mario Odyssey?? I am a little surprised it can emulate Switch games, but damn that’s cool.
I understand why it’s Android but that also feels so limiting in a way…
Yes! It depends on which Switch games, of course Switch emulation is a slippery slope of diving into drivers, settings and builds. But a lot of games run well!!
Even more surprising was WiiU (since that emulator is quite recent on the scene!), and PS3! WipEout HD: Fury was fun to play!
Little edit: I’ve actually got an article on Eden emulator coming up soon, I interviewed two of the devs, and I’m writing things up now. So if you’re interested in the ‘main’ Switch emulator being built and maintained, then keep an eye out for when I post it! You can just bookmark my author link here and when it’s up, it’ll appear there
the bigger wall with switch emulation on android is that mobile companies are terrible at writing gpu drivers when compared to conventional desktop/laptop graphics vendors. its why for example the older snapdragon gen 2/3 outperform their newer snapdragon elite counterparts in emulation.
theres significantly more setup time on mobile because some of the jank doesnt “just work”
The Snapdragon 865 is the undisputed winner of all for the Switch, even now after so much time has passed. Time will change that, and the community is what drives changes, but it’s definitely a unique scene!
If the SD865 is the undisputed champ does that mean that the Lite version is actually the best for Switch Emulation since that’s the one that ships with SD865?
While it’s outdated, its the divers that make it the better option for Switch emulation! But, with time will come drivers which make the newer upgrades work as well, like 8gen2. Right now, it’s the community support that keeps the 865 being the most stable and the one I’d recommend the most (with Turnip) for Switch emu!
But as for everything else? It’s a weigh up for what is most important to you!
The next Eden update focuses a lot on the snapdragon elite series, without even using turnip drivers.
Does it have an SD card slot?
Yes, it does! I’m running all my ROMs via a 512GB Samsung card.
Awesome! They don’t mention it anywhere, in a device like this it’s a selling point considering you can buy the cheapest one and still get good storage.
I’m so happy we’re finally getting a handheld that’s genuinely portable! I watched a disassembly video and really appreciate that the battery isn’t glued down, too. And have you all seen gameplay videos? Ocarina of Time 3D at 7x native resolution looks about as close to those Unreal 5 Zelda tech demos as we’ll likely ever get.
I skipped the Nintendo Switch line, but I’d eventually pick the Thor up to replace my 3DS. (If I don’t hold out for an Ayn Freya 😅 .)
Can they send me one to review too?
I think it’s the history of my posts. I’ve been interviewing developers from programs and projects for a couple of years now. From Heroic to Lutris to EmuDeck, RetroDECK, Junk Store to things like RomM and Minigalaxy. These and articles on the scene…I don’t know, I guess it’s just because I’ve established my voice as one in this gaming scene.
It’s not as loud as some, but it certainly was nice to have some validation that a company wanted me to review their product!
Super super cool. I don’t have a need for this since I have a nice modded 3ds lite, but the youtube on one screen and gaming on the other is absolutely sick. The screen size and color depth looks great too.
Does it have an SD card slot? I didn’t see it on their site but I assume so.
It does, yes! I’m running all my ROMs from a Samsung SD card on there.
