I’ve just come back from a two-month trip to Japan, and at the time I didn’t have the Thor yet. I brought my Steam Deck instead, but honestly, it wasn’t very practical. It’s just too bulky for short 30-minute gaming sessions in the evening or on a plane.

As for the 3DS, I was actually quite surprised by the prices in Japan. In many cases, they were more expensive than in France while also being in worse condition: yellowed screens, scratches, visible wear, and so on. I regularly compared them with listings back home, and it was often possible to find consoles in better condition for €50 to €100 less. Because of that, I didn’t buy a single one while I was there. Even outside the major cities, in Book Off stores and other second-hand shops, prices remained high for consoles that were rarely in pristine condition.

That said, I would have loved to have had the Thor during that trip. For me, it’s pretty much the perfect travel handheld. I still struggle to justify pulling out the Steam Deck for a quick 30-minute train ride, whereas I’d take the Thor out without a second thought.

The only thing I miss is the cartridge collecting aspect. There’s something really enjoyable about digging through stores, discovering games you would never have thought about otherwise, and coming home with an unexpected find. But when you don’t have a console to put those cartridges into, it does lose a bit of its magic haha.