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Home / Hot Stuff / Gaming / The Ayn Odin handheld console is like a Switch and an Android phone had a baby

The Ayn Odin handheld console is like a Switch and an Android phone had a baby

Handheld of the gods

From the best games on Google Play to the slew of emulators that allows you to explore gaming’s history, there’s a lot to love about Android gaming – apart from pawing at glass. The Ayn Odin (from £128, shipping November) deftly deals with that snag by reimagining an Android device as a swish modern handheld console. We’ve seen Android handhelds before, but the Odin looks to be a bit special. You get an ergonomic case, all the usual buttons, and a 1080p 5.98in display. Built-in button mapping lets you assign buttons to touchscreen titles that don’t yet support physical controllers, and there’s an optional dock for telly gaming. It’s worth noting the low-end ‘lite’ only packs a D900 processor, but go ‘base’ or ‘pro’ (£153 or £194, respectively) and you get a Snapdragon 845 instead, bringing top-notch performance whether digging into Retroarch, streaming, or playing the latest native Android games. Even then, this package won’t worry Steam Deck when it comes to raw power – but then the Odin’s just half the price.

Profile image of Craig Grannell Craig Grannell Contributor

About

I’m a regular contributor to Stuff magazine and Stuff.tv, covering apps, games, Apple kit, Android, Lego, retro gaming and other interesting oddities. I also pen opinion pieces when the editor lets me, getting all serious about accessibility and predicting when sentient AI smart cookware will take over the world, in a terrifying mix of Bake Off and Terminator.

Areas of expertise

Mobile apps and games, Macs, iOS and tvOS devices, Android, retro games, crowdfunding, design, how to fight off an enraged smart saucepan with a massive stick.