Bursting onto the handheld gaming scene like a shooting star illuminating the night sky the Ayn Odin captured the attention of gamers around the world as soon as it was launched on Kickstarter in 2021.

The timing couldn’t have been more perfect with the explosion of retro gaming and the thirst for more powerful handhelds able to play GameCube, PS2 and other hard to emulate consoles, especially on screens larger than the typical squint inducing 3.5-inch size that had dominated. Topping it off with high end Snapdragon 845 processor, 8GB of RAM, Android operating system and HDMI out sent the community into a frenzy.

Fortunately, the frenzy lasted just long enough for Ayn to get their Odin handheld console to market early 2022 and the retro gaming community was not disappointed. It was fast, fresh, and delivered on what had been promised. While it wasn’t as cheap as many of the handheld consoles that came before the Odin did prove that there was a market for high quality, powerful retro gaming consoles. So much so that we here at ByteChronicles put our own hard-earned cash down to secure a Pro model.

The hardware

From the outset Ayn was determined to provide 2 version of the Odin Android gaming console, a value oriented Lite model and a performance Pro model. The more expensive Pro model ($577 AUD) is based on the Snapdragon 845 chipset and the Lite ($345) model is based on the Dimensity 900 chipset. The Lite models are significantly cheaper while not being too far behind the 845 chipset performance wise, making the Lite great value for money. While the Pro model remains the no compromise performance model to get.

Hardware wise both models are very similar, with 6-inch touch screen, 4/6/8 GB of RAM and 128/256 GB of on-board storage depending on the model. Connectivity is fully covered with WiFi 5, BlueTooth 5/5.2, HDMI out and USB C. The controls set the Odin aside from gaming on an Android phone, everything is built to make it comfortable to game; dual analogue sticks, analogue R2 and L2 triggers, all within easy reach. The only criticism I have of the console is the analogue sticks are the smaller Switch Lite sized sticks, chunky Vita sized sticks would have made the console unbeatable. In fact, the D-pad, A/B/X/Y buttons could all be made larger.

If you are curious about the difference between the models the Reddit OdinHandheld page has a great comparison table with all the details you could ever need.

Critical to keeping the frame rates high using high performance chipsets is active cooling. Odin keeps everything cool with large passive cooling heatsinks that are backed up with a fan for active cooling. Switching the Odin up to performance mode will engage the fan but it is barely noticeable.

Why not just use your mobile phone?

Many may argue that a modern mobile phone is faster and with strap on controllers like the Razer Kishi you can turn your phone into a handheld console just like the Odin. This may be true to an extent but there is still great value in having a separate Android device dedicated to just gaming. No interruptions, settings tweaked just as they need to be, and always ready to go. Then there is the fact that if you game regularly you will find yourself out of battery at the worst possible time., Murphy’s Law will kick in eventually. But that is down to personal preferences at the end of the day.

Gaming Options?

Being compact and powerful affords the Odin many gaming options that can be put to good use on the couch, on the go or where ever the gaming itch finds you.

• Android Gaming
• Retro gaming emulating consoles up to PS2, GameCube and Wii
• Game streaming including X-Box Game Pass and Stadia
• Local game streaming from Nvidia or AMD equipped PC’s

For a complete guide to getting setup and a comprehensive list of gaming options please see Retro Game Corps excellent Getting Started Guide

Conclusion

After ordering our unit in early 2022 and waiting what felt like an eternity, nearly 4 months, the delivery of the Odin was probably the most anticipated unboxing this year. That may have something to do with the wait, but it was honestly also the gaming abilities of this new gadget.

After getting our game on we also discovered that there is actually more benefits to having Android on board. After installing non-gaming apps; Spotify,  TuneIn Radio and YouTube it became apparent that having another Android device to run these apps on has been extremely useful and has offset the desire to buy a small tablet to use as a music and media device.

Without a doubt this is the best retro handheld gaming console thus far this year. The build quality is top notch, the screen is beautiful and the console itself is comfortable even after hours of gaming. With the power to play PS2 / Wii and GameCube generation games there is an almost endless catalogue to play through. Add the opportunity to revisit classic consoles such as PS1, Dreamcast and MegaDrive on the large screen with increased resolution and you have a frighteningly large collection of games to work though. Add to this the ability to stream games from the many cloud platforms and you have an incredible gaming platform in the palm of your hands.

If you’re a retro gaming fan or just like to game away from you’re main PC or console then this is THE must have console of the year, so far. At this point in time only the new generation of Windows handhelds such as the SteamDeck or Aya Neo can surpass Odin.

Score 9/10 – With larger buttons and analogue sticks this would be a 10 out of 10

Reference: AynTec Store

Reference: Ayn Odin Kickstarter

Retro Gamer Corp: Odin Starter Guide