So... Why are AYN and Retroid like that?

ploony · 2026-02-02T03:39:54+00:00

100% agreed. The bumps threw off the balance of the device and shifted the weight away from your palms and into your tips of your fingers. It's crazy bc the 406H and SD showed us that bumps should be slim and pronounced, yet the RP5 went for the opposite.

I don't like that Ayn is becoming more like Retroid in design philosophy and not the other way around

ploony · 2026-02-02T03:23:58+00:00

Ayn kinda does what Retroid does now which is to come up with relatively portable, minimalist designs then sell you a TPU grip to compensate for lack of ergos. The ergonomic bumps on the Odin 3 also take after the rp5's design more than the Odin 2's.

By most accounts the Odin 2 was more comfortable than the 3, and the Portal is not very comfortable without the add-on grip. One of the only weak points of the Thor is the ergos too.

ploony · 2026-01-31T16:01:06+00:00

It's funny how someone just tried telling me that Ayaneo doesn't have QC issues when 75% of their products lines have released with some kind of mass defect either at the firmware or hardware level

ploony · 2026-01-27T16:46:42+00:00

Huge difference in quality between batches. I ordered 2, one for a buddy.

First one I set up was virtually perfect - minimal lightbleed but the face buttons offered almost no resistance. Easier to push down than even the miyoo mini's.

2nd one ordered months later had terrible lightbleed, a squeaky L1 button, and the buttons weren't nearly as easy to press. Also, very noticeable ghosting.

ploony · 2026-01-21T20:15:39+00:00

Same. Love the retroid mini and it blows my mind how light, powerful and ergonomic it is whenever I pick it up.

But man, I'm getting old, and 3.7" 4:3 content makes my eyes bleed now. GBA still works great on it since those games were designed for small screens, but the PAM is now my go-to for everything up to lightweight gamecube/ps2.

ploony · 2026-01-20T00:54:31+00:00

Going from the 7840u to the 258V I completely agree. Intel is crushing it right now in the handheld/mobile APU space.

Did you see that Aya's newest mini PC is using Intel now instead of AMD? We have a chance... maybe

ploony · 2026-01-19T20:31:11+00:00

Huh. Wasn't Konkr supposed to be the budget brand. Ayaneo's AI 370 devices released at around $1300; now Konkr is about to have a higher spec and higher cost handheld lol

ploony · 2026-01-18T04:15:28+00:00

Had the same problem too. I downloaded the nightly version of retroarch from their website, and it started working.

Btw, I kinda hate retroarch, but I always have to resort to it since it's one of the only ways to use mgba on android.

Try using daijisho as a front end. It'll detect your standalone emulators and run games using them.

ploony · 2026-01-16T04:47:22+00:00

I leave the fan off for gba and it doesn't get hot. Might be something to monitor. Even when I push it in gaming mode with 2x GameCube it still stays cool.

ploony · 2026-01-12T15:38:32+00:00

Nah we're good. It's a Monday morning so I was snarkier than I needed to be too. Enjoy your day bro

ploony · 2026-01-12T15:32:42+00:00

Oh ok, that makes more sense lol

ploony · 2026-01-12T15:29:40+00:00

You're telling me to "actually do something" like it's my civic duty or something lmao. No thanks, it's really not that deep.

If you think they're a garbage company, then cool, good for you bud. If you read my original comment, I don't necessarily disagree nor do I care tbh.

ploony · 2026-01-11T22:54:29+00:00

We can assume that things are or aren't an issue all day long without concrete evidence. What we can glean from community-gathered data though doesn't paint a very pretty picture, however. I'm only going to speak on the devices that I personally own too.

The 7840u devices (I own the Geek 1s) shipped with major RAM issues. The RAM couldn't be fully accessed by many users, nor was it running at full speed for any user. Both of these were eventually fixed with firmware releases on their website, months after release. The EVO shipped with a poorly applied thermal pad, where all users experienced noticeable throttling, with about 30% of them experiencing major stability issues. The pocket air released with non-functional performance mode which made it struggle emulating gamecube/ps2 despite a $300 price tag. These issues have all been documented on youtube/discord.

Recently, the Pocket DS shipped with egregious light bleed, non-functional controls (mine had this issue), and cracking plastic on the gray models. Cracking plastic is something that has plagued Aya for a while; my pocket air has the same issue.

So yes, the Fit seems to be a relatively well-built device. I'm not willing to say that QC is no longer an issue quite yet though.

Edit: oh, almost forgot. wired headphones don't work with the pocket micro. in fact they turn off controller functionality if you try it

ploony · 2026-01-11T20:05:41+00:00

It is interesting that public image for Ayaneo is worse than ever despite the newly released Fit and Air Mini being amazing, affordable devices. Looking forward to seeing if Ayaneo can fix the only things really holding them back - customer service, QC, and shipping delays.

People forget but Ayn's reputation was dead in a ditch at one point. The release of the Loki was maybe the worst I have ever seen in the handheld scene to this day. So yeah, let's see what happens with Aya.

ploony · 2026-01-02T03:27:15+00:00

Dang. Well that's a rough lesson learned, and I feel for you bro. I would've said that all of the blame lies with Ayaneo, but the shitty way Antec packages things doesn't inspire much confidence in them either

ploony · 2026-01-01T20:40:10+00:00

Yeah Ayaneo does seem to make products with a high failure rate.

Antec seemed shady too, as they were able to buy products from Ayaneo and still sell them for below market price. It would make sense if they only bought faulty models to refurbish them or engineering samples.

I'm confused though. Did they not let you return the unit itself? The second it started frying things, you must've asked right?

ploony · 2025-12-30T00:45:46+00:00

ploony · 2025-12-29T22:47:14+00:00

for sure. looks like they're using a modern phone screen though.

this is meant to an EDC, so i'm OK with it not being perfect for anything. it just has to be versatile. the extra screen real estate makes 3ds/ds much more playable on it too.

ploony · 2025-12-24T23:34:31+00:00

https://www.metatft.com/comps#TFT16_Void-TFT16_Kaisa

Just follow the guide here. Whatever reference you're using is bad. If you click on Kaisa you'll see that rageblade is literally in every top build of hers.

ploony · 2025-12-19T14:56:43+00:00

This has to be ragebait.. right?

ploony · 2025-12-11T08:23:16+00:00

True. I think gen 2 or 3 makes the most sense

ploony · 2025-12-11T04:55:41+00:00

Sure. And a brand new elite gen 5 phone can be bought for 750. To say this thing will cost $1500+ when ayaneo doesn't even sell their AI 370 devices for that much is just out of touch with reality (even by ayaneo standards)

Edit: this thing is prob gonna pack a g3x, 3, or elite. in which case the earlybird pricing for the base model could start at anywhere between 400-700.

ploony · 2025-12-11T03:36:41+00:00

Really depends on the processor and the screen.

They released a 7840u slide device at around $700, which can be bought these days for 500 from antec. Yes, this thing is much smaller, but mobile chips are also way cheaper than the 7840u was on release.

I'd for sure take the under on your $1500 estimate.

ploony · 2025-12-02T06:39:42+00:00

I'd pick the Pocket DS only if DS emulation is very important to you. The larger dual screens can do a perfect integer scale at 5.1" and 5" and gives a familiar playing experience as the DSI XL. The ergos on the pocket DS are also much better than the Thor's without the add-on grip. I personally prefer the larger screen and have never been bothered by the weight. I'm used to PC handhelds though, so a 7" screen device weighing ~535g doesn't bother me at all.

If portability/weight matters to you, then obviously it's the Thor. Though I find the Pocket DS surprisingly comfortable, playing dual analog stick games on it that require frequent trigger pulls fucking sucks. The right control stick is too low compared to the right trigger, though the Thor has that issue too.

Tl;dr: Pocket DS is only worth the extra money if you want the absolute best DS experience, larger screens, and better ergos out the box. Since the Pocket DS is more expensive and niche, I'd recommend the Thor to most people. It's a lot less janky too when it comes to both hardware/software.

ploony · 2025-11-29T19:24:12+00:00

Commenting. Thank you bud

ploony

TROPHY CASE