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
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!
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.
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’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 😅 .)
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
The next DS we wanted but never got. Seems cool!
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.
Wow this device looks amazing, love the form factor, and the wider top screen makes it so much better and more versatile
This looks really cool. This is what the DS should have been when it came out. Or at the very least the 3DS. I’m about to check this out.
Not sure the DS could have had a screen like the top one at that time, at least not without making it cost like $1,500. The tech wasn’t there yet.
