PerfectDark

PerfectDark, 2 dni temu

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!)

PerfectDark, 2 dni temu

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.

PerfectDark, 2 dni temu

https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/28ee3334-fe30-48c3-8cf7-a61afb104e30.gif

PerfectDark, 2 dni temu

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!

PerfectDark, wczoraj

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

PerfectDark, wczoraj

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!

PerfectDark, 16 dni temu

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.

PerfectDark, 16 dni temu

hahahahhah I like this one! SO true!

PerfectDark, 15 dni temu

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!

PerfectDark, 22 dni temu

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!

PerfectDark, 27 dni temu

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 :(

PerfectDark, 27 dni temu

• 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 :)

PerfectDark, 27 dni temu

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!

PerfectDark, 27 dni temu

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…

PerfectDark, 27 dni temu

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!

PerfectDark, 27 dni temu

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!

www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/finance/…/index.html

PerfectDark, 27 dni temu

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!

PerfectDark, miesiąc temu

I’m glad you enjoyed it!!!

PerfectDark, miesiąc temu

I thought the same!

PerfectDark, miesiąc temu

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.

PerfectDark, miesiąc temu

I hope you enjoy it!

PerfectDark, miesiąc temu

Yes, Yuzu was a court-ordered take-down.

Ryujinx was a voluntary removal by the devs (though one of the original team now runs Ryubing)

PerfectDark, miesiąc temu

Oops! Shit, that’s just me not reading what I write!

This always happens to me on here. Thanks for pointing it out!!!

PerfectDark, miesiąc temu

I’m surprised you haven’t heard of Eden before this! It’s the choice for emulating on Android now! They’re very well established, and seem to be vouched for by all the ‘big’ names in the emulation and handhelds scene.

Obviously practicing your own caution is important, but Eden isn’t some unknown fly-by-nighter. They’re very, very much a known name now.

PerfectDark, miesiąc temu

There are links at the end of my article, but you can just follow one of countless guides on YouTube, there are many!

My old friend Terry (GrownUpGaming) has a good video on the process on YT, if you need one to follow along to :)

PerfectDark, miesiąc temu

No. Absolutely nothing on that front so far. Not even slightly close!

PerfectDark, miesiąc temu

Exactly this!

CEMU on Android is still very new to the scene, so some things work and some don’t. I’d consider it just an added bonus (like Wind Waker!) when things work!

PerfectDark, miesiąc temu

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!

PerfectDark, miesiąc temu

For fuck’s sake.

Go and look at my post history on Lemmy. I’m more than established on here, as I am on Mastodon. I’m not a ad, this wasn’t a paid review. They sent me the device and had no idea what I’d write about it. If it was terrible, I’d have said so. That’s…how this works. In the case of the AYN Thor, it’s just genuinely a VERY good handheld. I stand by what I’ve written. You would too, if you got one.

I loathe that you don’t know me, didn’t check my history with Lemmy, and just called me a paid shill. Fucking shitty.

As to reviewing this handheld and liking it. Its like if you got sent a Steam Deck, and gave it a good review…would you consider that an ad? A product which holds up to scrutiny? My findings seem to be pretty in-line with others who have reviewed the device.

Ugh.

PerfectDark, miesiąc temu

Yes, it does! I’m running all my ROMs via a 512GB Samsung card.

PerfectDark, miesiąc temu

It does, yes! I’m running all my ROMs from a Samsung SD card on there.

PerfectDark, miesiąc temu

This is not ‘my’ blog. Its my friend’s: Gardiner Bryant. I contribute there because I love gaming and I love writing.

Should we start removing all links from this community, do you think? Because sharing links to sites (by your own ‘logic’) are just ads. Right?

PerfectDark, miesiąc temu

No, Nintendo is the only one who managed that! This is just straight AMOLED

PerfectDark, miesiąc temu

Daijishō is the launcher up top!

PerfectDark, miesiąc temu

I assume most or all of it goes to Gardiner Bryant and not the OP.

I make no money from Gardiner’s site, or any other way I’ve done these articles. They’re just because I love to write and because I love the gaming scene. Thanks for realizing that!

PerfectDark, miesiąc temu

It is! I love how closely it resembles my (very loved) DSi. The clean white look makes me so happy!

PerfectDark, miesiąc temu

Oh. You’re absolutely right! I’m going to have to go back in and add that, somehow it just passed me by!!! Thank you!

PerfectDark, miesiąc temu

You don’t need that same software. The principle is still the same though, you’re loading ROMs of games on there. The 3DS console method simplifies it because they created their own freeshop, but with this, you’re going to load the ROMs yourself.

PerfectDark, miesiąc temu

From what we know (its not definitive, but 99% so), its only for Google Play Protect ‘certified devices’. And none of thes handhelds have that.

You can find the full list of manufacturers here:

www.android.com/certified/partners/

PerfectDark, miesiąc temu

Yes!

You can use things like GameHub/GameHub Lite (a community fork which strips the telemetry), or Winlator. This can run far, far more taxing games than just the little indies. Tomb Raider (2013), Halo MCC, Fallout New Vegas, Silksong, Dave the Diver, Hades II and so on. There is tinkering sometimes, but its getting more and more impressive as time goes on.

Its up to you if you want to plan for the future and buy the ‘Max’ version (with more RAM), but for all that’s possible now, the 12GB version (the Pro model) is more than enough.

It will 100% play small indie games, but remember some games are weird. They’re fickle and refuse to work (I think one of the Deus Ex games refuses to play, I might have read that somewhere?). So it might be a case-by-case basis. If it helps, do a search for AYN Odin 2 (or AYN Odin 2 Portal) + GameHub or Winlator. They share the same chip and have plenty of users sharing their experiences!

Hope this helped :)