Ayaneo Pocket Micro

[tall gazelle]

Premium means it’s both expensive and something you like.

If you don’t like it, then it’s overpriced crap.

If it’s not expensive, it’s a budget handheld you find cute.

[muted rampart]

this is a really good distinction c:

[tall gazelle]

Don’t forget the last one.

If it’s both cheap and something you don’t like, then it’s E-Waste, and anyone who buys it is therefore buying e-waste.

[muted rampart]

i think we could nail down a more objective definition if we really tried but i like y'alls summary

[muted rampart]

🤭 secret third option

[tall gazelle]

For a secret option, remarkably it’s very commonly picked.

[mortal silo]

lol agree

[muted rampart]

for me the analogue pocket is both something i like, and imo the best way to experience my fav gameboy colour games from back in the day, like my og pokemon crystal that i still need to put a fresh battery into

but even if i never do that i could just use the save state feature on the pocket if i wanted to

and it has helped me preserve save states from some other old carts that the battery miraculously survived on

something i could do with a convoluted setup on other hardware that may end up being cheaper but will definitely have more moving parts.

[primal cloud]

What is something you guys consider overpriced?

[mortal silo]

did it with an ez flash junior back in the day, wasn't terribly difficult

[muted rampart]

mac

most apple products

[mortal silo]

anbernic devices at retail prices

[muted rampart]

but i still buy them lol

[tall gazelle]

Depends on the device and what it’s got.

[primal cloud]

I’m not hating here… I actually do like the ayaneo pocket micro. And I do have the money for it.. by saying that I feel is overpriced in not saying that the handheld sucks or that I would never buy it….. I just consider it overpriced for how it is compared to the current market. But yeah I guess it is kinda subjective.

[mortal silo]

honestly, the ayaneo dmg i might consider overpriced after i receive it. it'll be my first ayaneo product and i'm still not convinced everything is hyped up as people make it out to be

[tall gazelle]

The Analogue Pocket official Metal Shell option, I would consider it too much money for me to spend, but I wouldn’t consider it overpriced because jesus that shell is obscenely well designed.

[muted rampart]

omg yeah that definitely

500 for a pocket is way too much

220 is fair imo

and even 320 for a metal version seems fine

but 500???

[mortal silo]

i think that's fine. price is also a subjective measure. as long as you're realistic in how you're pricing things based off the features.

[muted rampart]

that is insane

[tall gazelle]

Like, that kind of detail for a cnc-ed aluminum shell? I got a cnc-ed shell half as complex as that thing for $200 alone, I can’t imagine the manufacturing costs that thing took.

[mortal silo]

didn't they like immediately sell out?

[muted rampart]

not on all the colours

actually it sold a lot slower than the other flavours of pocket

[waxen grove]

Metal a30 anyone?

[muted rampart]

most of them sellout in seconds

the metal took a bit longer

was up for a few hours iirc for two of the colours

and the last one no one wanted

[mortal silo]

that looks hideous

[muted rampart]

i know it is supposed to be an anime thing

but i cannot unsee joker console in those colours

[mortal silo]

what in the ever weeb loving shit is that

[muted rampart]

internet edge lords have ruined that colour scheme

im so sry anime fans

change the green to white and make it a frieza console

it would fit the bill too

little console that thinks it is far more powerful than it is

🤭

[mortal silo]

design is nice though. i replaced my a30 front plate with a laser cut aluminum sheet. but it has some issues because of the increased thickness. a single front shell replacement is pretty good

[muted rampart]

i am still thinking about that FF7 a30 someone made

[waxen grove]

Or just the me you many and that same hideous look it seems to be very popular over in Asia

[mortal silo]

we're not in asia are we lol

[muted rampart]

speak for yourself

im in america

[tall gazelle]

I’m hoping Sakura can make a FF6 version of their FF4 sticker for the A30, like what they did with the RG300X.

[true cipher]

This is such an unforgivable flaw for so many.

[mortal silo]

i think the concept would be cool. but is it just me or dose anybody else think just slapping some images on a plate without regards to button cutouts is kind of lazy

[tall gazelle]

It is a difficult challenge since there isn’t much FF6 art to use that would sort of match the aesthetic for the FF4 Micro, and that had the advantage of literally being designed as a faceplate for a handheld.

[waxen grove]

Metal switch lite

[carmine cove]

Full blown stickers feel a bit weird to me.

[muted rampart]

love the idea of this, wish it was pink and green, or white and purple, or just solid black/black/black/red 🤭

[true cipher]

It's not overpriced, it's just expensive. And it might be expensive due to reasons you personally may not value, but that doesn't mean it's priced egregiously beyond the value of these things.

CNC shell, glass bezel-less face, build quality, high res screen, G99, all of those bump up the value and it's up to each person to determine how much each matters to them. If a competing device skimps on any of those things then they can obviously be cheaper, or they can redistribute the budget to other factors that you might prioritize instead, but they're not the same package/offer.

[tropic meadow]

Hell yeah! I still need to play FF6 one of these days

[waxen grove]

any better?lol

[wary mirage]

Wow that looks cool!

[versed obsidian]

yeah! I think the purple is the wrong purple for Gengar but otherwise cool!

[still ermine]

Still too loud lol

[muted rampart]

gengie! idk why the red buttons lol. gengar is purple/white/black.

https://tenor.com/view/gengar-pokemon-pokémon-ghost-spooky-gif-13252827236819600415

oh it's the eyes

i forgot they are red in the show

that is a cute system

[mortal silo]

i think the design and even color scheme is probably fine. just not a fan of the finish of the powder coat. feels like it's such an asian thing to have super sparkley finishes. would prefer a super matte or satin finish. solid darker color

[fallow basin]

Well I paid the monies.

[dense trench]

I've noticed that many people are upgrading their orders from 6G to 8G. Could someone please explain what’s going on? I originally ordered the 6G version because the G99 SOC seems inadequate for playing PS2 games. Also, the screen isn't suitable for PSP or NDS games. However, I’m really concerned that the 6G version might not be as enjoyable as the 8G version.

[crude hornet]

6g is enough for ps2 in my opinion

unless you want to push some high resolution textures

[wary mirage]

as a ktr1 owner (which has the same chipset) the only benefit ive noticed with 8gb is that it's capable of very light switch emulation

emphasis on the very light part

[steep surge]

It's only overpowered if you are only emulating below ps2 and gc .To be honest it doesn't do anything for me especially as the gold one disappeared. No fomo here

[waxen grove]

Android 8gb is advantageous as well for future

[muted rampart]

future of what tho? as far as i can tell emulation development for anything new is kind of stagnant on android.

for G99 i think 6 is plenty. but it never hurts to have more if you have the budget for it.

[hollow bobcat]

“future proof” until the next drop—next month lol

[muted rampart]

i mean, if you use new products as comparison points for future proofing then nothing is future proof.

[dense trench]

Thank you for your advice, especially regarding the ktr1.
Since I have a 12GB version of the Odin2, my interest in the Micro version is more about its design and satisfying my curiosity. I hope to choose a less expensive version if the performance is sufficient. If the only difference is in the switch, that's fine; I will opt for the 6GB version. Thanks again for your advice.

[stoic sparrow]

You definitely can’t future proof a g99, especially with this battery. Just get it for gameboy advance and other cool shit it can do right now.

[stoic sparrow]

For the razer edge 6 was still really good lol, just some switch stuff where it got issues, and that chip was way stronger. 6 is way more than enough here

[muted rampart]

like that video on the ayaneo youtube channel of them playing terraria on it

it ran really well

[stoic sparrow]

This chip is seen as an ok to slight upgrade to any t618, and many of those survived on 4gb ram iirc lol

So yeah 6 is way more than enough lol

[wary mirage]

Most welcome 🤗

[true cipher]

It has almost double the benchmark scores though

[stoic sparrow]

I’ll have to check again, but from everything I’ve seen, that still doesn’t translate to great gcn/ps2

[autumn wagon]

cpu seems to be around 30-40% better, while gpu slightly less than double of the t618. its midway between the t618 and t820/d900

[waxen grove]

Android games and software

[odd raft]

Just wait for the rp mini, no? Seems to me that the rp mini made this one redundant

[fresh vigil]

The ayaneo pocket micro have (i guess) some more collectors value and feels premium, however i can totally see how retroid is punching ayaneo in the face right now launching easy to buy products instead of indiegogo campaign

[west oasis]

I think it's two different markets. The rp mini is not mini and is not something I personally would consider. If I'm looking for a small capable android device this is one of the few options

Definitely not redundant

[fresh vigil]

I’m still glad this exists, i’m still buying it after reviews come out

[west oasis]

I just wish it wasn't metal

[odd raft]

what do you mean the rp mini is not mini

they are almost practically the same size

there isn't a scenario where I wouldn't take the rp mini but I would take the micro size wise

[muted rampart]

like warframe?

i think G99 is gonna struggle no matter how much ram you give it

[west oasis]

Do you consider the rp2s mini? This is bigger

Also has stacked shoulders which makes it much less mini for me

I'll take inline shoulders on a small device every day of the week

[muted rampart]

rp mini is bulbous

not pocket friendly

[somber wave]

to be fair I'd only call the pocket micro pocket friendly if you remove the sticks

I wish the micro were plastic and the sticks were recessed

[west oasis]

I just don't see the appeal of the mini over the 2s honestly if I'm looking for a smaller android device. I didn't buy the micro either but still considering it

In before someone says OLED

[somber wave]

better stick ergo, oled, higher res, (slightly) larger screen, able to play PS2/GC (presumably, official chipset isn't revealed but it's supposed to be better than t820)

[west oasis]

But double the cost

[somber wave]

I am very very sick of 480p

but I'm also very fond of 4:3

[west oasis]

Barely bigger screen, buy a bigger device if you want PS2/gc

[somber wave]

where can I find a bigger 4:3

(I guess 406 soon)

[west oasis]

This could all be moot if the announce some crazy cheap price

But I'm not paying $200 for a 3.7 in screen. To each their own though

[somber wave]

I doubt it's gonna be $200

my guesstimate is $150

[west oasis]

My guess is still $175

Theyll price it more than the rp4

Cheaper than the cube

[somber wave]

I honestly expect them to axe the RP4 base

[west oasis]

I just hate that no one will make a small android device

[somber wave]

RP2s, Mini, RP4Pro, RP5 is the price spectrum I expect

[somber wave]

353m?

[west oasis]

3566 can't run android without you wanting to throw it through a window

[somber wave]

not even gamma lite?

[west oasis]

Painful

[cyan nymph]

To be fair 405m is pretty pocketable

[somber wave]

I think the t610/618 makes just enough heat we won't see it in anything smaller than an rp2s anytime soon

[somber wave]

that's true

slightly bigger footprint than rp2s but flat

[cyan nymph]

Ye

[west oasis]

Metal. I should clarify. Same reason I didn't buy the micro

[cyan nymph]

Oh yeah metal

[west oasis]

Meanwhile anbernic will release 7 more h700 devices

Not bitter at all lol

[cyan nymph]

I do wish the shoulder buttons placement is better in the micro

[somber wave]

there will be a 406V and a 406H by the end of the year - hopefully the H aims for pocketable rather than "556 but squished"

[west oasis]

Cynical me says it'll be the latter

I'm a flat device truther

[somber wave]

I'm sure it'll have stacked shoulders but I'm hoping it's basically just a 40xxH but thicker (body, so it's more flush with the shoulders like the o2mini or TSP backside)

[cyan nymph]

I’m kinda hoping it’s vita oled

[somber wave]

that would be 506

[cyan nymph]

😭

[somber wave]

I did find a drone headset that uses a 960x720 oled

no idea what size though

headsets don't really tell you the screen size the way a monitor does

[cyan nymph]

True

[gray pewter]

Call them

[muted rampart]

i hate the 2s square height

that is the appeal of the mini for me personally

rp2s and rgb30 are too tall

if i want a lil mini gba thing w some android capability. i want a gba aspect ratio screen

[muted rampart]

gamma lite isn't too bad on 3566 ime

[west oasis]

Yeah - hate the 2s chin

[vital sun]

As obvious in the title, "mini" is only mini while "micro" is... micro. Hence a bit smaller, indeed.

[somber wave]

I mean if you want something to live in your pocket full time the 28xx is the current king imo.

Surprisingly powerful and decent res for an actually micro stickless candybar

[muted rampart]

personally, i want the micro to be portable in ways that an android or smaller x86 cannot be. i think in a small case to protect the sticks it will do just that.

[somber wave]

the sticks look easily removable, though I'm not sure how you make it still look good after that

[muted rampart]

i mean arthur just yoinked one off during a livestream so i think they will be removable

[cerulean patrol]

Something like this is what modders used for the 351p back in the day.

Just a nub to fit over the joystick stalk.

[somber wave]

Yeah something like that would be nice

[sour fox]

Wish I could find these again

[tall gazelle]

Wait, didn’t they use these for the RG350 since that didn’t use Switch sticks but actual stickboxes?

Which was the whole reason that mod could work for the device?

[cerulean patrol]

The STL I used was for the rg350, your right. Printed them for a 351p though.

[lean vapor]

Limited edition bag

[hearty compass]

looks like a nice eyeglass case, perfect for being ashamed of your hobby

[bleak kelp]

It will cost 100 dollars!

[muted rampart]

i think that is the bag for retro colour or first 7 days buyers

[odd raft]

find it weird that to this day only eta and dodo got review units

you would think we would have seen more reviews by now

makes me wonder if they blacklisted every reviewer who criticized the pocket S

[wary mirage]

Tbf retro dodo's review was fairly critical

[odd raft]

#🐈│retro-game-corps message

[cyan nymph]

This is beautiful

[vital sun]

I wish manufacturers never send early units to "reviewers" because by doing so, they become more "influencers" than unbiased reviewers. And if it means much less preorders, be it.

What's unpleasant from Ayaneo is this way of sorting influencers not based on their audience but on forgiving they are.

[muted rampart]

1: we don't yet know for sure that (a blacklist) is what is happening (though it seems likely)

2: yes, you just described a pre-release marketing campaign. that's just how it works if money is a factor.

[vale crescent]

I can see why Ayaneo etc might get a bit annoyed with reviewers.

Pocket S coverage tended to be...it's good, but expensive, so don't buy it.

Odin 2 mini coverage tended to be....it's good, and expensive, but worth it.

When you match specs, they were the same price, same power, no stand out bad points...

I didn't really get it.

*Disclaimer - neither device is my thing.

[muted rampart]

mhm, even if they are blacklisting. it is silly to get mad at them for it imo.

if the reviewers in question get sent units and consistently review their product in comparison to others as though every viewer is looking for the most performance for the least money and disregards nearly every other use case as a conscious or unconscious result of that review style, then the marketing team is absolutely correct to not give those reviewers priority.

[odd raft]

the problem is

if they choose to only send review units to people who will talk positively of them

[muted rampart]

tbh that is why i get a bit annoyed at ppl calling channels like rgc "more objective". just because they perceive someone comparing products to find the 'best deal', as objective. but it's not any more objective than trying to find the best screen on a device. (regardless of price). or other comparison points that miss the nuance required to do an actual fair and honest review.

[odd raft]

you end up in a situation where only reviewers like ETA, which is more an infomercial channel than a reviewer, get units

I don't necessarily think that RGC is objective

but gating which reviewers get units does get you in a situation where only the biased reviewers are allowed to review

that is bad for everybody no matter how much you like Aya

[muted rampart]

id like to give ppl the benefit of the doubt. and judging by the real reception to these devices, vs the perceived reception based on what reviewers say that translates into ppl in the community not buying the device and then talking bad about them, it makes logical business sense to try and minimize the impact that content like that has.

ppl generally seem to favour the pocket s who want something more pocketable than the other options rn. but if you just went based on community reaction to reviews you just see a lot of "oh why not just buy a steam deck/odin 2 at this price"

so how do you as part of a marketing team for a product take action to minimize this kind of reaction in the community?

[vale crescent]

The only way to get around it is to make a worse built handheld SKU for cheaper. Then reviewers will like it more

[muted rampart]

in general i do agree though that limiting reviews to only positive creators is bad for the consumer in the end.

if you only have a positive feedback loop then your product can never improve in a way that will meet fans where they are at. on the other hand, there is a way to limit units to less critical/biased creators up front, then when the product has launched to a wider audience to lift the embargo on reviews once it is actually shipping. the real discerning people will wait for those reviews, and the rest will order or not.

i see this as a multi faceted problem. on the one hand these companies clearly benefit from preorders, and at the same time im a huge critic of preorders on principle.

[tall gazelle]

Yeah, I suppose it makes sense since that’s pretty much what was happening with the Odin 2 Mini (and that’s from the same exact company) and that thing only won its cred by people still trusting that Ayn would do well with the Odin 2 Mini while still wanting that more portable O2. Pocket S didn’t exactly get that chance.

[muted rampart]

exactly. then you gain the reputation of the company who does everything on the cheap for the value of it. and no one wants to end up like data frog or powkiddy.

[tall gazelle]

I will say that the main reason I haven’t canceled my Micro order is because while I’m enjoying the Unicorn’s hardware, I do think the software is unironically worse than AYANEO’s software for the Pocket Air, and I had that thing since launch.

[tall gazelle]

So I genuinely can say that I trust that AYANEO can at least make something better than what the Unicorn currently is, and to me it is up to ZPG if they’re going to fix the issues the device currently has.

[muted rampart]

exactly, and the pocket store also didn't get the chance once the odin 2 came out bc reviewers showed ppl that they could compare them in raw computing numbers like apples to apples. when really the use cases and hardware value proposition was very different for each console.

one of them came with an OLED (better ergos imo), LTE, better wifi/BT, and more storage for slightly less computing power (which really only benefits a handful of titles that have stagnated in emulation development on android anyways). the other just did bigger numbers on the CPU whilst also being a worse experience in most other ways.

but reviewers didn't really put it that way

and so the community doesn't understand that nuance for the most part

and anytime the pocket air gets brought up the convo devolves into "odin 2 is better"

in more or less words

[tall gazelle]

I will say the Pocket Air had a lot more issues than just being weaker than the Odin 2. But they have also updated the device a good bit since then.

[vale crescent]

I mean, that applies to everyone.

Think about the devices that everyone recommends as standard. Data frog, V90, xx line, RP2S, RG556, RP4 pro, Odin 2....

All those devices are the cheapest thing that has that level of power, or close to it.

It's a community that is focused on power price ratio.

[muted rampart]

totally fair. and they def need to be better with being transparent on when they are fixing firmware issues so we aren't left to assume it is down to the community to resolve it.

[muted rampart]

ive never heard ppl recommend DF or PK devices

personally

but i see what you mean

they care about numbers more than specific use cases. which is exactly the reason iphone got popular in the first place

[tall gazelle]

Yup, at the same time though, I’ve heard almost no complaints about the Unicorn’s software beyond the most obvious issue in the mis-inputs, and I genuinely still think the Pocket Air had on average better software early in its life.

[tall gazelle]

Which is why I do get your point on the issue.

[muted rampart]

but is it more powerful higher numbers than the other thing for the same amount of money though????? 🫨👀 (for legal purposes, this is a bit of cheeky sarcasm)

[vale crescent]

Mostly it's for people who don't want to spend more than $40.

Either as throw away devices, gifts, or to people in countries with a low GDP.

[muted rampart]

ah, i understand

[tall gazelle]

Ironically no, it’s worse than the Retroid Pocket 4 base model, and even then it’s not more powerful than the Cube, which also has a better software than the Unicorn.

But $130 is the cheapest 1:1-Android price, and I still think they did make something great in the hardware, with the main issue being the software, where even ZPG should be capable of fixing the issues so that the device works as well as it could (if not Gamma being able to do it instead).

[tall gazelle]

But now we’ve just gone back to “ok, but why does this thing get a pass and not the other thing”.

[muted rampart]

im quite looking forward to ayaneo OS tbh. im hoping that will solve some of the issues with x86 ayaneo.

the air lineup is my fav ergos of any console so far.

it could easily be my EDC and main PC system.

[vale crescent]

Oh, I didn't know they were making their own OS.

[muted rampart]

and their screens are amazing

not enough ppl giving credit for a great screen. all i ever hear about is

https://tenor.com/view/jeremy-clarkson-power-gif-11143478

[tall gazelle]

It’s less of an OS and more of a modified variant to Android with an AYANEO theme.

[muted rampart]

the average handheld fans are jeremy clarkson. they just want more power they don't care the package it comes in

the ayaneo fans that understand a bit more nuance are like james may

omg i understand that show now

and the steam deck people are hammond

[tall gazelle]

It’s more so basically Odin Launcher, but with more options.

[vale crescent]

Ahh, just like Gamma OS or something, gotcha.

[muted rampart]

did i misread is it not for x86?

[tall gazelle]

And yet the RG556 got considered a contender with the RP4 Pro despite being comparable in performance to the RP4 Base model and for a much higher price at launch.

Which again, is my own point on the fact that the community seems to pick and choose what rules to apply to what device.

[muted rampart]

i very briefly checked it when i was looking at loading batocera on the air plus

[muted rampart]

omg tru

i forgot about that

[tall gazelle]

AYANEO never gets that “but the screen is gorgeous” recognition, meanwhile Anbernic gets it the one time they use an OLED panel that isn’t the Vita.

[tall gazelle]

It literally wasn’t even like “well, you can either get the RP4 for cheaper and a more portable device, or spend more for an OLED screen on an ergonomic device and they’ll both be the same average performance”.

No, it was literally “you can either spend around $175-$180 for an ergonomic device with an OLED screen but with a significantly weaker chipset, or you can spend literally only $20-$25 more to get a smaller and more portable device, but with a significantly more powerful chipset that will play most Wii and PS2 games upscaled at the cost of worse ergonomics and a not as good screen”, with no mention of any software issues for the 556 beyond the cardinal snapping.

[vital sun]

Agree. But I don't consider Russ from RGC as a very aggressive reviewer 😉

[waxen grove]

Ayaneo ds flip is my jam...so is pocket s... I guess I'm kind of a fanboy to be honest I haven't been very critical of any of their devices even though like every device there is definitely errors that happen I was especially a proponent of purchasing the next light when it was relaunched back in February instead of spending the same amount or a little more on an Odin 2

[vale crescent]

Say what you want about them, but they are doing stuff nobody else does.

*disclaimer - I own 0 Ayaneo products.

[true cipher]

Seems so. I totally get why Ayaneo wouldn't want to cater to this bias because that's antithesis to their product philosophy. The Micro is going to get blasted for being poor value, but the people who would want it aren't getting it for price to performance, so why even bother with someone whose measuring stick seems to be that.

Case in point I have never been interested in an Odin 2. It's excellent value, but it's too ugly for me. The Pocket S I copped at the highest tier because of the sleekness, material and specs. Ayaneo has little to gain and more to lose from being judged on things they don't try to compete in.

[muted rampart]

i think russ is a great reviewer, if you are looking to maximize the value of your purchase. otherwise it's like i said, he tries to be too 'objective' but by doing so he is missing the use cases that some of these consoles are designed for.

i do think one responsibility he should take ownership of is to try to come up with a better way to amend reviews when he doesn't realize a battery save mode is enabled like the pocket air or the trim ui smart pro.

leading a ton of people in discussions ive had to be shocked at the actual capabilities of each respective device

[mortal silo]

i think we may be looking too deeply into this. russ's review title's have all been pretty neutral. is it a coincidence that the last review product he receives is titled "premium and underwhelming"

[tall gazelle]

To be fair on the Pocket Air review, the reason he didn’t realize it is because that was one of the initial bugs in the Pocket Air, where it wouldn’t actually switch to max performance if you clicked on it once, so you had to toggle it back and forth from normal to max twice to get it to trigger properly.

[river moat]

Actually if russ did miss something he would let us know through community as well

[muted rampart]

true. on the trim ui however it was a physical toggle. and i know the turnaround time for new tech videos tends to be short so it is easy to miss stuff like that. im not blaming him, stuff happens, just saying i would appreciate him finding a better solution than a follow up video or pinned comment that gets a fraction of the views.

a lot of other creators will go back in and add text blocks over the performance aspect of their previous reviews that need amending and that seems to help.

[true cipher]

My only real problem with Russ is that it feels like he's got different standards for different devices for inconsistent reasons. Some he will do a full review of battery life, give a pass for the state of software and revisit later for updates or community fixes. Like when he gave the Claw like 2 consecutive re-reviews to give them a chance to improve the driver situation, etc, and that was after it launched . When for example for the Pocket S he did his "final review" on non-final hardware/software and stated he had no plans or expectations that it would be fixed/supported or to do a revisit, even though a lot of the things he pointed out were already not reflective of the units that actual customers got shipped and that Ayaneo has supported their products better than others who for some reason don't get critized for that (and that the community has to pick up the slack).

That and that he says "In addition" too much.

[muted rampart]

or maybe even mentioning it in future videos when the console is referenced or compared to something that had a very understandable mistake like that. edit: this sentence needs fixing. im eepy. does this make sense?

[true cipher]

The RG35XX-H final review was like 2 months after it was available to buy.

[tall gazelle]

Yeah, that’s pretty much my only issue with a lot of handheld reviewers in general, like I was mentioning above with the RG556 example.

[muted rampart]

yeah so maybe he needs to do a lil restructuring and do previews leading up to a launch and reviews after being with a console for a lot more time.

again i will say personally and anecdotally i have noticed a lot of attention is paid to titles like "6-12 months later" type reviews

[mortal silo]

think this is highlighting the need to look at a wide variety of reviewers to get an accurate picture. i know i have certain folks i trust more when it comes to certain types of devices. also, does anybody else look at reviews for devices they own, its kind of interesting seeing how accurate reviewers are when you have the product in hand

[muted rampart]

those kind of videos get a lot of views

[tall gazelle]

But beyond that, Russ and the members of Retro Handhelds are still pretty great overall, so it’s really just that one thing that I’d prefer to get worked on.

[river moat]

To be honest Claw was their First handheld which its understandable even using Intel was a mistake but Ayaneo especially Ayaneo their software are bugs and their device doesn't improve why you think pocket air failed in the first place

Even they are great design

Like rg505

Or rg405m

[true cipher]

The Pocket S was the first product with that SoC too, and the observation was also about the drivers, not about bugs in the software.

And that wasn't the only observation that was outdated or could have used a revisit by the time the device actually launched.

If not even later than that, like other devices.

[river moat]

Which I can't even get it instead igg

[tall gazelle]

Problem with that is even “failed” devices like the Pocket Air have improved over time since AYANEO’s surprisingly managed to actually keep updating it recently, to the point that people like Superbottle who only recently got a Pocket Air were having a much more pleasant experience with it.

[river moat]

I'm sure Pocket air Is great device even I liked it

[true cipher]

How many updates did the RG405M even get? Were any of its issues fixed by OFW?

[tall gazelle]

Nope.

[muted rampart]

exactly my issue with those type of reviews. they create a narrative that makes ppl call devices "failed" bc they aren't perceived to be as popular or as good as others.

[river moat]

True gamma os saved those devices

[mortal silo]

does anybody actually expect anbernic to release updates or do we always just rely on cfw lol

[true cipher]

And apparently that never mattered, but it's somehow a talking point against a company that actually tries.

[muted rampart]

we don't have the true sales numbers so who are we to even say a device is "failed"

i think we can only say that if the device literally fails and you can no longer purchase it.

which is not true of the pocket air

pocket air is still a good value

if you want the features it offers

[mortal silo]

i think the only device i would consdier truly have failed is the retroid flip. signifcant design issues to the point it got pulled from their store

[tall gazelle]

Should we not expect it from Anbernic? Should they get a pass for it while nitpicking AYANEO for “not updating/supporting” a device they’re still supporting and updating even to this day?

[tall gazelle]

Because my only problem that both Anbernic and AYANEO shared has always been the Customer Support for hardware issues.

[river moat]

Yes

Customer service always sucks between them

That's why I still can't buy their devices even I like it

[mortal silo]

think this is complicated to answer. i think in an ideal world the stock os is updated and improved upon. however, for retro gaming, if something works...it just kind of keeps on working generally.

i think at the price point, people aren't really expecting anbernic to support their products indefinitely.

ayaneo feels different because they charge more so expectations might ber higher. and at baseline it seems like their products have more issues that need addressing.

this goes out the window for android to some extent since ideally improvements on android is supported for some period of time to maintain paly store functionality

[true cipher]

What I don't get is that they have been supporting their devices, so I'm not sure why the narrative gets parroted around.

[tall gazelle]

Sure, but in regard to the Pocket Micro, that price difference won’t even be all that big in comparison to the RG405M when that was released, so the comparison should at least matter in that regard if we’re gonna also be comparing the RG556 and RP4 Pro.

[river moat]

Ayaneo desgin doesn't match the experience of using it at least for me when it comes to their pc handheld everyone Is different

All I want is ayaneo keep improving that's all

[true cipher]

If anything I'd say they support their devices too much in that they're trying to be even more than is necessary.

With a custom launcher, a custom front end, very niche features, etc.

[mortal silo]

yea that's fair. i honestly never used an android anbernic device so i'm probably not sure how poorly they do in that space. i think at this point, it has been become a bit of meme that ayaneo devices are overpriced and random nitpicks are brought up to perpetuate this perceived lack of value. not at an individual device level since the micro and 405m exist, but more at a company level

[tall gazelle]

Eh, I’d argue the customized firmware features at least explains how they’re getting away with the battery life since it means they’re pulling a Gamma and making a custom Battery Saving mode separate from Standard.

[mortal silo]

oh boi. i was talking to some design folks about this and the dmg. the cost of implementing that touchpad and custom software to support dual functionality probably contributed heavily to how high the price is. if it was just a 2nd stick....

[vale crescent]

Mostly just people who don't own the devices.

I see people saying the Pocket Air was abandoned before launch because of the Odin 2 all the time.

It's not true. Its had loads of updates.

But people say it anyhow.

[true cipher]

I've said it before but Ayaneo is expensive, they're not good bang for the buck when you focus solely on performance (in the x86 market they're priced very fairly for things that are not a Steam Deck, which nobody can really compete with), but they're not overpriced. They just have things not everyone values, like metal, glass faces, "bezel-less", design/profile/sillhouette, flagship SoC on a vertical...etc.

[true cipher]

Yeah that I would understand, and stuff like the being able to control all cores individually for custom performance profiles. But they still support the their launcher/frontend when I'd wager that a lot of people just switch to Daijisho/ES-DE/whatever

[river moat]

The problem is that prices are same as odin 2 and when they Are same price who you think they would pick same thing with pocket s

At least ayaneo pocket evo look better device which I'm happy

[vale crescent]

Fun fact, Ayaneo actually sell the cheapest x86 you can buy, the Next Lite, which is cheaper than a Steam Deck.

[tall gazelle]

Yeah, although Odin also does that with their Odin Launcher, so it might just be something higher end developers feel they need to do so that you aren’t just getting Quick-Step.

[river moat]

But you go 10 or 20 more you got asus rog ally

Og version

[vale crescent]

Show me where I can buy a new Ally for $310 my dude.

[river moat]

Oh okay

Actually 30 or 40

More

[true cipher]

https://tenor.com/view/steal-stealing-funny-lol-gif-20004074

[mortal silo]

that's another handhelds worth of difference man

[river moat]

Just ebay

[true cipher]

Hm. How is that new?

[river moat]

Don't have to new because if we can talk steam deck lcd it's cheaper

The problem is the price of performance doesn't match when it comes to them become ayaneo next lite even they are good device I can get used ayaneo bit more with better chip

[vale crescent]

This is such a silly rabbit hole.

All I said was the Next Lite is the cheapest x86 you can buy new.

You can probably get other x86's used cheaper. But you can also probably get a Next Lite used cheaper.

And that's not what I was talking about anyway. I was making a point that Ayaneo sell affordable stuff. eBay is nothing to do with it 🤷‍♂️

[river moat]

I swear it was ayaneo air plus mendocino 7320u

[vale crescent]

That recently went on sale for cheaper than the Next Lite.

But that's just a sale, so I wasn't counting it.

But yes, that's also a good deal.

[river moat]

The point is ayaneo have good devices even used ones I'm not saying they are good

The problem is you got better options the only thing that I'm happy is Ayaneo is trying to have cheap devices like ayaneo pocket micro ayaneo pocket air next lite compared like last 2 years ago

But again they shouldn't be sensitive and try to blacklisted russ like that

Especially russ

[true cipher]

I've also said this before but: Not getting a review unit isn't being blacklisted, it's not being on a list at all.

[river moat]

Well

[gray pewter]

thats a bidding

but I do see allys for about sub 320-350 though

[true cipher]

And what we have been saying all along is that the "better options" bit is for the most part a valuation based on one specific metric, price to performance, which isn't Ayaneo's unique selling proposition.

[river moat]

I will say no matter what Ayaneo make sense that their device are premium and damn they will make good one

Even the price doesn't make sense they do try their best

[true cipher]

The price makes sense for what the devices are, holistically speaking. It's just not worth it for a lot of people because they don't value some aspects of them.

[tall gazelle]

Yeah, it’s pretty much the same situation as what happened with the Pimax Portal in prioritizing VR.

[river moat]

True true

[tall gazelle]

They ended up making those Retro versions that don’t have any of the VR stuff beyond the high res screen, and they were able to drop the price significantly by cutting that stuff.

[muted rampart]

yep, goes back to my earlier point. ppl perceive a "failed" device bc it is not as 'powerful' as they want it to be for the price. but the value comes from a different set of features. not just pure power.

otherwise we would all just get rog ally or onexplayer and put linux on them.

biggest number performance for the money ≠ best device

[mortal silo]

think a hilarious part about this is the number of folks who makes this argument for retro handhelds but also own an iphone

[muted rampart]

i have an iphone. and android. never a windows phone tho.

[river moat]

I think it's comes to user experience really do you want best windows devices do you want premium device that you can look at and say wow you beauty I think in the end of the day we all accept that we got options that everyone can enjoy

[true cipher]

Yeah.

Case in point: the XG mobile series of external GPUs. Definitely a commercial failure that already had its support in new and upcoming products dropped. Most people criticized it for being too expensive and for being less powerful than a desktop eGPU on a dock while costing around the same. They were right about the latter, however the XG Mobile is the size of a paperback and doesn't need a power supply, it is incredibly portable, and for someone like me who travels often but still wants as much performance as possible it was by far the best choice. The big dock the size of an ITX computer wasn't an option. There weren't enough of me to sustain that ecosystem but devices have different appeals rather than boiling it down to a single metric.

[muted rampart]

not just about looks either.

[mortal silo]

Yea. Lots of intangibles when it comes to product preferences

[muted rampart]

like i established before, the example i use is the pocket air. not as powerful as a pocket s or odin 2, but it has LTE, Wifi 6, OLED screen, and good enough performance for any native android game, plus a lot of emulation up to some switch, which could be further optimized if nintendo hadn't thrown a temper tantrum.

[river moat]

Yes the features as well

[muted rampart]

that is a particular set of features that appeals to someone who is taking their device away from home and wifi more often than not, and wants decent streaming capability when they do have wifi.

which makes it a much better value than the odin in that case

but the prevailing narrative around communities like these bc of the way the content creators have structured their videos is that the pocket air has no value and the odin 2 is the obvious choice at that price

[true cipher]

I wish more handhelds supported LTE/5G/Cellular

[muted rampart]

oh and the pocket air has more storage for the same price

[true cipher]

I really liked my WM2 having support for it

[muted rampart]

odin achieved lower prices by lowering the RAM/storage

[river moat]

Wait pocket air got more storage

[muted rampart]

when you go up the tiers it goes higher than odin

for the same price as 256 on pocket air you still only get 128 from the odin

[tall gazelle]

Yeah, it’s unfortunate that Snapdragon apparently adds a metric shit ton of extra cost to chips that support LTE, I think it’s genuinely the only reason even AYANEO wasn’t able to support it, much less Ayn.

[river moat]

But I remember that they sold out as well

Not 12gb tho

That one with 512gb version is still in stock

[tall gazelle]

There were enough cancellations after Russ’s first review that I was able to sneak in and upgrade to the Super Early Bird 256 option when I only had the Early Bird 128 option initially.

[vale crescent]

If Strato ever comes out, that was supposed to be targeting good switch performance on mediatek chips.

[river moat]

Oh yh I forgot igg I didn't even have money at that time because my course

[tall gazelle]

Which also is pretty much the first time I got to witness firsthand how effectively damaging Russ’s reviews can potentially be.

[muted rampart]

and the initial review had the bug that they fixed

so makes logical sense that they wouldn't send more early preview/review units.

great idea to have a company "not see my review before i publish it" but in practice stuff like that which they could have fixed or helped him solve will fall through the cracks

[tall gazelle]

Yup. So people were canceling over performance tests that weren’t actually the proper max capabilities, all because of a single bug that Russ couldn’t have predicted.

[muted rampart]

yeah i remember watching release unit videos of ppl playing a lot of switch games

and being confused at the time bc i had only seen russ initial review which seemed to indicate that switch wasn't possible at all on pocket air

like diablo 3 switch edition runs full speed.

[tall gazelle]

Yeah, he ended up having to do another video about it, especially after someone else did more extensive testing that showed the proper max performance.

[muted rampart]

which is a game where a lot of stuff happens

[mortal silo]

wait did that actually happen? like pre-orders being cancelled? how is it a surprise that rgc might not be getting review units after that

[tall gazelle]

Yeah, I literally just explained that’s how I was able to upgrade to the 256GB storage option for only like $10-$20 more (can’t remember the exact number). People canceled their Super Early Bird Orders and I was able to cancel my Early Bird 128 purchase for one of those 256’s instead.

[vale crescent]

Loads of pre-orders were cancelled.

But that one wasn't really Russ's fault. I was a bit surprised he didn't reach out to Ayaneo when performance was much worse than expected, but I also don't expect the guy to be bug testing.

[cerulean patrol]

When the company and CEO specifically talks about not sending review units and completely ignores your messages, it is not the same as not being on a list either.

[tall gazelle]

When did they talk about that? Russ literally already got an email from them about reviewing the Micro a good bit after the Pocket S review.

They would’ve had to make that decision literally after already contacting reviewers.

[vale crescent]

I think he/she means this.

[mortal silo]

spicy

don't blame the guy, hopefully he has weighed the pros vs annoying the consumer base who expects their favorite youtuber being treated like royalty

[muted rampart]

are you allergic to the ambiguous singular 'they'?

🤭 just teasing

very useful pronoun to use on the internet tho

[cerulean patrol]

Yeah I was getting the RGC message links and Arthur's response, but that is what I was talking about.

[tall gazelle]

Pretty much what I default to unless the profile specifies otherwise.

[mortal silo]

oh, didn't even realize that was an option now

[muted rampart]

yep. super easy to just use what has been a common part of the english parlance since at least shakespeare times

[tall gazelle]

But yeah, that’s definitely a surprisingly new statement, it’s at least good to know that there’s already another reason for it in regards to there being a limited number of samples available before full production, instead of just being “they don’t like them”.

[cerulean patrol]

Doesn't really explain them ghosting him though. And Russ isn't a small channel by any means.

[mortal silo]

well...the implication is laid out pretty clearly in the second reason arthur gave

[muted rampart]

tru

[mortal silo]

not objective/impartial or incorrect guidance

[muted rampart]

also tru

[tall gazelle]

Yeah, although at the same time it doesn’t make sense to me that they would send an email about reviewing the device if they were already planning on not sending Russ one after the Pocket S review.

[vale crescent]

We should bring back "one".

As in, "one expressed one's opinions quite clearly".

And imagine King Charles saying it

[tall gazelle]

That’s the thing that makes it feel weird to even be that second reason.

[muted rampart]

i mean just the small group we have here have already gone over why ayaneo may determine that russ is not reviewing them with the same thought as other brands. leading them to conclude he is no longer unbiased as a reviewer and therefore a liability to send review units to.

[mortal silo]

i mean, they can change their mind lol. initially want to send it out to russ, then after thinking about it for a moment think this is a terrible idea

[muted rampart]

im sure ayaneo marketing team came to a similar conclusion

[mortal silo]

bring back the royal we

although it would be kind of funny if russ falls under the first scenario where there wasn't enough units to be sent out and he just randomly gets something in the mail a few weeks in the future

that would be kind of awkward with all the speculation being thrown around

[tall gazelle]

Yeah, I guess it makes sense, although it still feels weird since I can’t imagine those initial emails were just a “spur of the moment” decision. They had to have spent a while deciding who would be good reviewers to send these devices to, and the Pocket S reviews definitely had to have been brought up during them.

[cerulean patrol]

Could be and that's their perogative. However I think Russ tends to be a fairly positive reviewer and say who that product is for even when he doesn't personal like/recommend.

[cerulean patrol]

Easily fixed with a 30sec response if AyaNeo wanted.

[tall gazelle]

Ok yeah, it would be ironic if the literal day he was planning to put a public message about it, that’s when he ends up getting the review unit.

[mortal silo]

eh, occam's razor and all that. there may be some convoluted reason, but the equally likely scenario is that a mistake was made. like i can imagine a master list of youtube contacts being maintained and russ getting something sent to him. but his response back is met with the awkward, we don't really want to actually send one to him. like russ is a big name for us, but ayaneo's main market is china, they probably keep a much closer eye on chinese reviewers, or even more big name general tech reviewers

[true cipher]

If he's off the reviewers list then they've determined he's more of a liability than a boon, which says a lot given the size of his channel. It's not like he can't review the device, he just won't get special treatment and needs to go through the same channels the rest of us do. It might not get coverage from him if he doesn't think it's worth it to do it that way, but evidently Ayaneo doesn't mind that.

[mortal silo]

the horror of paying retail ayaneo prices. shudder

[muted rampart]

not so bad for the micro. but yeah for the rest the sales will be what a lot of ppl who don't preorder will wait for i imagine.

[river moat]

I think it's shame honestly

[shell elbow]

The way I see it, reviews should be there for us to make purchasing decisions. Reviewers should of course be on friendly and professional terms with the companies, but at the end of the day the reviewer's job is not to market a product; it's to provide a valuable service to potential buyers. AyaNeo are showing here that they see reviewers as an extension of their marketting, and it's not a good look.

[true cipher]

@still ermine intends to review Ayaneo stuff they paid for themselves, it's not (that) insane.

[mortal silo]

everything is marketing

[true cipher]

Why do you think any manufacturer sends anything to reviewers at all, if not marketing?

[shell elbow]

You see this happen in video game reviews every now and then. Bethesda famously blacklisted Kotaku from receiving review copies after they reported on some leaks. The Guardian didn't get a review copy of Black Myth Wukong recently cause they reported on the studio.

[still ermine]

I have to tread carefully here. It is difficult as a reviewer because too positive and you are marked as a shill, too critical and the fan base will be upset with you. Of course any reviewer’s opinion is bound to be involved in the review, otherwise it would just be an exposition piece. Consumers who can’t physically test these devices rely on people who post reviews to help them make a decision.

[true cipher]

Again, Russ can review the device, he's just not getting special treatment. He can buy it and make a review, and his audience can wait until he does that to purchase/make a purchase decision.

[muted rampart]

i disagree

but everyone's perception of the situation will be different based on where you are coming from.

im sure from the average consumer point of view it may seem that way. but again, we still don't know that it is an official blacklist thing or not. and judging by how ayaneo operates we likely won't know for a while.

[true cipher]

That's also true

[mortal silo]

i honestly see this as a plus for russ if he continues to review ayaneo. i sort of intrinsically distrust reviewers who receive anything for free from companies. no matter how much people claim to not be influenced, there's just to much benefit to not be a little biased.

[shell elbow]

I think ETA Prime and Retro Dodo should be angry about it. Cause right now AyaNeo are making them look untrustworthy.

[muted rampart]

there is a balance between unfairly critically reviewing a brand too much bc of perceived intent to make products with less than standard QA, and just being critical of a device with final firmware vs wtvr else you could buy (and would fit the same demographics)

[vale crescent]

I think most handheld reviewers get them free.

Other than the ones just starting out.

[muted rampart]

i have seen zero evidence that opinions on them have changed since this happened

lol

ppl already don't fully trust them as reviewers

that's not new

[mortal silo]

yea, i have some base level of distrust with all of them lol

[shell elbow]

I have seen that sentiment yeah...

[vale crescent]

Good life lessons.

Trust no-one.

[mortal silo]

the only real youtube reviewer i see as completely above board when it comes to reviewing things is project farm

[muted rampart]

the average consumer doesn't consider the demographics for a device when reviewing it however. and if ayaneo only wants to associate reviews with ppl who fit their demographic that is their prerogative.

[tall gazelle]

Not even ourselves?

[true cipher]

Also true. I mean there's an incentive to getting a review unit, it's not just not having to pay for it but also being able to produce content earlier. If there wasn't a benefit to getting a review unit we wouldn't even be having this conversation but obviously reviewers, not just Russ, care. That said, reviewers are not entitled to them, they can still do reviews without that.

[muted rampart]

sooooo many brands already do this but it slides under the radar bc those brands are much more well known already

[vale crescent]

Especially not ourselves.

[muted rampart]

Sony is a great example

[tall gazelle]

Good you passed the test. Never trust yourself.

[muted rampart]

sub par products for the price, and pretty bad customer service. but they only send cameras/phones to the creators who will look upon them favourably.

[mortal silo]

those are some fighthing words lol. used to be a huge sony digital camera fan

[true cipher]

Why would anyone do otherwise? If you were Apple would you send your stuff to a DIY computer builder channel?

[muted rampart]

exactly

[muted rampart]

ive used literally every brand and i do mma for fun let's get in a ring. c:

jk

btw

being silly bc it's just tools at the end of the day lol

im not gonna fight anyone bc they like dewalt over some blue tools or wtvr

idk power tools brands lol

john deere?

[mortal silo]

technically a power t ool

[muted rampart]

sure let's go w that

🤭

[mortal silo]

if we consider combines power tools

[muted rampart]

inb4 "AI COMBINE NOT CLICKBAIT" mrwhosetheboss video

[mortal silo]

lol

[muted rampart]

im straying from the topic at hand but it was weird how he did that prison review like it was some sort of cool tech product.

get that paycheck i guess?

[true cipher]

At this point if Ayaneo wants to make sleek devices and you don't care. If they spend money on materials and you don't put value on that. If ergo isn't their priority but you don't like flat devices. If their device is only as powerful as something that's cheaper and you've proven to mainly value price to performance, etc. They'd just be dumb to ask you to give your opinion.

[mortal silo]

i wish more general tech reviewers were into these handhelds. i think a lot of the issues we're running into are these folks are too specialized and have too many personal quirks that they emphasize. having somebody more general being able to talk about just overall feel would be so helpful

[muted rampart]

i think a lot of them would be if they weren't so distracted by the big names. or other big yters who are unfairly harsh again bc of the whole price to performance singular lens of looking at it thing. (looks at LTT)

[true cipher]

I like dewalt because I like black and yellow, feels more power tool-ly

[mortal silo]

yea that's fair. i'm just thinking from my perspective. i originally got into this new wave of ready to play retro handhelds because a random EDC knife guy i follow on youtube mentioned the miyoo mini+ as part of his daily carry

like he didn't care about what chip the thing ran, how the buttons feel, what the screen looked like. he was just like, holy shit it plays gbc games from my childhood and is amazing

[muted rampart]

it's a good colour combo c:

i combine black/yellow w/ pink/green a lot. it's a nice palette

[mortal silo]

milwaukee red all the way

[muted rampart]

mhm. like i know arun from mrwhosetheboss likes gameboy advance(and the miyoo mini) bc he talks about it in a recent video about the playdate(& other tech), and i feel like he would love the aya micro bc it potentially could be the best version of gba that would actually be viable to EDC. but i know he doesn't know much about the market bc he kept calling his miyoo mini a "miyoo mini plus". throughout the video. with no corrections in the annotations or description.

but if you are a large yter like that who only pays attention to what other large yters are doing (like LTT) you won't see anything but critique of ayaneo.

unless it's Emily(i think that's her name). bc she had the most nuance and understood there were more demographics than simply 'person who wants the highest performance possible for the lowest dollar amount'.

that's why i unsubbed a couple years ago during her hiatus and only started paying attention to anything that team did again when she came back. and on top of that she knows a lot of specifics about how the tech works. even more than linus iirc

[tall gazelle]

Pretty much why I still think Wulff Den is at least somewhat helpful (although I’d personally prefer someone like Bringus, given he knows exactly when to do the jokes and when to be serious, but he’s not interested in reviewing these types of handhelds so it’s understandable that he isn’t too interested).

[muted rampart]

wulff den is good too. altho i haven't watched a ton of his recent content. been pretty busy.

[tall gazelle]

Literally other viewpoint than someone who’s as deep into the weeds as Russ/Stubbs/etc, even someone as casual as Wulff, is still pretty good in regard to having a different viewpoint, even if it isn’t as informative as what most of us would like.

[true cipher]

I think she quit the team 😕

[mortal silo]

Yea was just announced I think

[shell elbow]

Yeah like two days ago, it sucks, she was the best part of LTT

[muted rampart]

agreed. from what i saw like, one of the smartest ppl there. i always felt like i learned something new when watching videos she was featured in. c:

[true cipher]

Linus and that other guy aren't really that good at tech beyond the prosumer level. I work in the IT industry (DevOps engineer) and the networking videos, especially for his house, are full of facepalms and wtfs.

[mortal silo]

Wulff den is great. Does he do ayaneo reviews at all?

[vale crescent]

Some. He did the flip.

[mortal silo]

Does anybody really watch Linus except to see him drop stuff

[true cipher]

They used to have cool showcases of tech sometimes, and projects that were still...sensible. But they have long since lost the plot, IMO.

[vale crescent]

I like the wan show. I rarely watch the scripted stuff.

[muted rampart]

i used to. but once emily showed up and was just more informative and more holistic in her approach, i saw the contrast of how much of the picture i was missing by watching linus/LTT team review stuff.

[tall gazelle]

What do you mean? I thought he was totally legit, why else would he be totally careful and professional in how he handled that one watercooling heatsink situation?
/s, massive /s, screw Linus for that nonsense.

[mortal silo]

Huh interesting. I haven't really been super into tech for a while now. I just remember trying to find laptop reviews and ltt was not helpful

[true cipher]

Actually now that I think about it most of these were Emily too.

[tall gazelle]

So Emily’s nickname should’ve been Atlas if she was carrying them that hard.

Oh hey Russ.

[true cipher]

Like yeah, I could see myself multiboxing several OSes at once or setting up a virtualized gaming server or something. Spending 100 thousand dollars on some BS, I don't really got any use for.

[muted rampart]

i think to bring it all home we could all stand to be a bit more like emily. and try to view all the angles of a situation or product launch. c:

[mortal silo]

I do remember a video of them setting up a machine shop section being passed around my work. That was kind of amusing and horrifying to watch

[amber breach]

Hi, just to add some context since I see a lot of my name popping up here, my main motivating factor for reviewing AYANEO devices before release is because their products are the most compelling during the pre-order period, so I have always dropped everything and scrambled to make as comprehensive video as possible during that period, to help potential backers. There are speedbumps that come from that approach, but I have always found the net benefit to viewers is of value even with pre-final units. More context here: #🐈│retro-game-corps message

[tall gazelle]

Oh Jesus I didn’t even know they did a video on that. How bad was it?

[muted rampart]

that would help with reviewer to viewer relations. reviewer to brand relations. and could be a good way to make sure a company really earns a bad rep.

i will say to be fair to russ, i agree w someone earlier idr who, but ayaneo could have a better response than simply ghosting him during these last couple weeks.

it's just a bit messy situation all round. but i don't think it is indicative that any products currently in development are going to be cause for concern. at least not anymore than the normal amount.

[mortal silo]

just chalk full of safety issues. think it can be summed up by linus walking through the space in socks and flip flops

[tall gazelle]

…Dear god, yeah that’s bad.

[amber breach]

I’d say it’s the opposite; I was more excited for these upcoming releases than I’ve been for a while about their product lines, other than the original Air and the Flip DS. But the sad reality is that I can’t afford to buy all of those products for review; I operate under a pretty tight budget (a natural consequence of not having any sponsorship on my channel or website), and I have to spread that across all review products on my channel. I’ll likely pick up a Micro and then auction it off for charity if it doesn’t fit into my “permanent collection” 😂

[river moat]

Nah ETA prime he doesn't care most of the times that's why he get the first product most of the times

[true cipher]

I think they're just expecting it to get a bad review because it's not the: 1) RP4R 2) RPMini 3) Odin 2. Based on precedent.

The Micro especifically.

It's not "good value" and its strengths and desirability is somewhat intangible.

[muted rampart]

yeah the rp mini seems to be popping up anywhere the aya micro is discussed for some reason. despite them being very different devices just by their outward design.

let alone wtvr the specs end up being

[river moat]

Ah Emily I hope she is okay tho

[true cipher]

Unless I knew the reviewer to highlight design, specifically appreciate devices that are made of metal/glass, or really be into the GBA without compromises, I'd consider it a gamble or likely that it's just going to get unfavorably compared to yet another plastic, bigger, more powerful and/or cheaper device.

[muted rampart]

best gba with good enough android performance is what i want out of it. and it seems like aya sees enough of a demographic for this too.

i wanna play pokémon rom hacks and terraria on this thing

and maybe a tiny bit of animal crossing. gc/nds were my two favs probably.

gc ac literally had a bunch of NES games in it which was so fun. and nds had the night cafe in the museum and omg i fell asleep playing my ds in there a lot.

such good music in those games.

[river moat]

Good times

[mortal silo]

would you be willing to share a sneak peak of some of things you were potentially excited about with the micro that you mentioned in your other post?

it would be interesting to hear what you consider would be worthwhile that offsets the high sticker price

[river moat]

For me I love the form factor like I thought they did the good job of the device overall

[shell elbow]

For as negative as I'm feeling about AyaNeo after all of this, I still have my early bird preorders of the Micro and Evo. The Micro as a high end GBA with that perfect screen, the Evo as that beautiful premium device that I'm hoping to dive deep into Winlator on (I backed the 16GB RAM one!). The DMG is a ridiculous product though.

[amber breach]

I mean it’s like a perfect GBA. I wasn’t even interested in high end emulation, just really want to try out some scaling options on such a sleek device with a nice screen. I’m concerned about the sticks but I like having sticks more than not in most cases. I think I would have preferred a single stick though.

[tall gazelle]

Oof, and given the fact Gamma is one of the confirmed buyers for his usual reasons, selling it afterwards would make a potential “GammaOS Revisit” video pretty difficult, so it probably makes sense to not really go into doing it to begin with if it’s just gonna be a one and done video.

[river moat]

DMG the chip and only have single stick doesn't match at all

[true cipher]

I like the DMG, I'm in for a Retro one.

[shell elbow]

Totally. An OLED screen in that form factor would make a great GB/GBC, but the processor they chose just means it's way too expensive.

[tall gazelle]

I actually remember Arthur pulling off the sticks in one of his demos of the device, so it might be that they designed them with “stickless” use in mind as an option.

[river moat]

Honestly if they had G99 on it I would be like yes this makes more sense for mee

[true cipher]

It's also great for 4:3 emulation with no caveats, which would be compromised for me if if had a weaker SoC

[mortal silo]

i got the dmg. i don't think the chip is harming the device except increasing the price

[true cipher]

The appeal to me is the best vertical, no compromises, which I understand isn't universally appealing or worth the money for many.

[river moat]

Yes but the only problem is the power of the chip like we don't need that more power and touchpad I don't know how it works when it comes to gc and ps2 but again I could be wrong

[tall gazelle]

I can’t imagine how they managed to get that working and ensuring the sticks feel good to use, but it’s still gonna be potentially interesting to see if that is something that did get implemented in release models or if it got phased out during development.

[shell elbow]

Yeah, but then the 4:3 systems that the chip will be able to push are PS2 and Gamecube, both which will need a second stick. For stuff like PS1, N64, and Dreamcast, the G99 would likely be enough right?

[mortal silo]

ah thanks for that. i will be looking forward to your review of the retail unit. i think your balanced takes are generally pretty unbiased towards the company. however i can see a chinese company taking some offense just because of their cultural background

[true cipher]

I don't want "enough" though, I want upscaled PS2/GC and Beetle Saturn. I haven't used the touchpad so I don't know, but the vast majority of games don't use the second analog for anything but cameral control, which I'm expecting the touchpad to do just fine.

[mortal silo]

honkai star rail at max settings 😄

[shell elbow]

Hmm that's true, camera control might actually feel quite nice on a touch pad, depending on if the emulator allows it to be mapped to the right stick of course.

[mortal silo]

part of the dmg firmware is swapping between touchpad and virtual joystick modes

[shell elbow]

Nice!

[river moat]

Oh Really

[true cipher]

I'm also looking forward to playing ScummVM and maybe older games with the touchpad as a mouse.

But yeah like I totally get that if you want to play GB/GBC/etc then the price is super high because of the SoC, but it does have its uses.

[mortal silo]

part of t heir marketing materials

not really sure how well it'll work, and honestly probably woudl've preferred a second stick lol, but we'll see

[river moat]

I can't lie imagine playing nba street vol 2 on it

[muted rampart]

someone will design 3D printable nubs to cover the missing sticks if you really wanna pocket this thing with no case.

[mortal silo]

sliders 😄

[tall gazelle]

See that’s the thing I’m curious on, because if they can be pulled off by default they might already have plugs ready.

[muted rampart]

tru

[tall gazelle]

That would definitely also be interesting to see if someone can figure out how to get that working.

[mortal silo]

it's a front glass face so should be straightforward as long as the sticks are removable

i had some mocked up for the odin 2, just imagine joy stick attached to a flat top

[river moat]

I will see you guys get the dmg device

Because honestly only thing I wish for is they added second sticks but if they can make it work with the software then fair play to them

[cerulean patrol]

Russ' and bassderek's points about helping potential backers is very on the nose. In theory this product starts shipping in a couple weeks. So if other reviewers are not receiving about now there will not be good content for potential consumers to base decisions on. Personally as excited as I was for a small android handheld with a quality 3:2 display, without quality reviews I will be canceling my IGG order. Likely my Evo as well, if this is how they intend to operate going forward.

[somber wave]

It’s really not that complicated. People have YouTubers they follow because their preferences generally line up with them. They want russ to review the micro so they can decide whether or not to buy the micro.

[steep surge]

Nah just an excuse for a snack and a drink

[mortal silo]

not sure what i said was complicated

[true cipher]

Yeah I feel like if you don't feel you have enough information to buy a device, or if you want to stand on principle to not buy something because a YouTuber isn't getting an early review unit, then you really shouldn't buy it.

[hearty compass]

I think not getting review units makes things clearer in that regard; if a particular reviewer's tendencies match your own, and they're not willing to spend their own money on it, there's a good chance you won't want to either

and I think that's fair enough, but it's maybe a bit disingenuous to suggest knee-jerkedly that a person isn't buying it simply because they stan YouTubers

[cyan nymph]

[somber wave]

There’s also the element of “they aren’t sending it to YouTuber Y because they already know he’s going to hate it”

So if your preferences line up with that YouTuber you’ll probably hate it too

“Oh they’re only sending it to people who don’t care about dpad quality because they know their dpad is shit”

“Oh they aren’t sending it to YouTuber X because they’re still using stupid switch sticks in 2024 and that YouTuber just ranted about that in another review”

[amber breach]

I sat down and looked through all the campaigns, right now the only one that I can budget for is the Micro. I love the idea of the EVO, I think I would probably like it the most among the three for everyday use. The DMG is also fascinating so I'll try to budget for that one next.

[true cipher]

Yeah if you need the review to make a purchasing decision then don't buy it. You should only be buying things you feel comfortable with buying yourself, I feel that's a given.

It's also fair to not buy it because you disagree with their marketing practices/strategy.

You don't need a reason to not buy something, it's the other way around.

Ayaneo either made the calculated decision that a negative review was more likely to happen and that it would cost them more sales than simply having no coverage at all...or they're just being petty.

[lean vapor]

Evo is perfect g cloud upgrade 😬 well till Logitech make a G2 😅

I’d let you borrow mine for a review when arrives but live in UK. Hopefully someone more local on here may be willing to do same.

[cyan nymph]

Dang I hope Aya Neo gives out review units to Russ and other YouTubers!

[odd raft]

You still need reviews to verify the device doesn't have major issues

like even if you already made up your mind that a device is for you

you wanna know if the dpad is faulty, or the fan doesn't work or whatever

you don't have a way to know that without honest reviews

[true cipher]

Like I said, if you personally don't have enough information to make the purchase decision then you shouldn't buy it. Obviously reviews have value, even if they're not pre-release, but evidently they're not a universal need for everyone.

[cerulean patrol]

I also wonder how many pre-launch issues are discovered and subsequently fix before launch because of reviews.

[tall gazelle]

More than zero, but still less than you’d think. Really, a lot of the time those bugs were already discovered by QA and the devs were planning on working on it before the review, and it’s just that a lot of the time, the higher ups don’t put it on higher priority (telling them to focus on other things) unless reviewers point it out and people focus on it.

[true cipher]

It's really hard to determine what was the result of feedback from a review and what was something present in a review unit but already slated to be fixed by the release, which is why reviews sometimes highlight they're engineering samples and such. It's easy to attribute that to reviews if that's what you get to see.

Either way that's not really the purpose of a review. It's not on reviews to do QA for the manufacturer.

[tall gazelle]

Yup, exactly my point on this stuff often not actually being due to the review.

The review can definitely have an impact on it if the word gets spread far enough, but at most I do usually expect that it would just encourage them to put more focus on fixing bugs they knew about, mainly since I do genuinely think that almost all the bugs people talk can about in reviews have likely already been discovered by QA, and that the devs either didn’t have enough time yet to address it, or they got told to ignore it by higher ups because they need to be working on other things related to the device.

[true cipher]

And many times commonplace issues aren't even caught by most reviews.

[foggy jetty]

There's a lot of things that info on a spreadsheet just won't tell you. If it wasn't for Russ's review I'd never have even considered an RGB30 and that ended up becoming one of my favorite handhelds.

[true cipher]

Yep #1238123357510172803 message

[muted rampart]

this is what i tell ppl when dealing with most things. too many ppl like to compare numbers first and the actual device/tool second.

that's fine if you are just looking for like, the thing that will compile video/code the fastest. but for any other use case. pretty useless.

[shell elbow]

https://pc.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/news/1621492.html

https://x.com/pc_watch/status/1831559970262860280?t=MFcjldcHgqReMhEZYNY9kg&s=19

PC Watch (@pc_watch) on X

こういうのが好きなんでしょ？3.5型のAndroidゲーム機「AYANEO POCKET MICRO」 https://t.co/YBPtvrxBK6

Twitter · Sep 5, 2024, 5:08 AM

[lunar nova]

I havent really been following this device much as it doesn't interest me a ton. But i picked up a G99 powered tablet anyway, as I dont have any g99 powered devices, just to see what it's capable of and do some benchmarks. No doubt ayaneo will have some special magic to get a little more out of the chip but it pretty much matches the 720g in the logitech g cloud. Not bad i guess.

[muted rampart]

it's great for ppl looking for mostly gba, and nds/psp/android are just a nice extra. G99 will play a lot of 3D android titles and has two sticks so it should be comfortable to play them.

im gonna play a lot of terraria on mine personally

[lunar nova]

Right on. Yeah it will actually play genshin impact too.

[muted rampart]

i know ppl will play that on it. and i feel sorry for them.

https://tenor.com/view/longday-bored-gif-21353627

[waxen grove]

I'm looking forward to 4 x Castlevania

[sleek oracle]

I'm still excited for this

[glass bough]

ayaneo loves making android handhelds that will just slip and slide out of your hands don't they

[olive shell]

Me too 🫂

[glass bough]

price ain't bad though, 190 for a g99 mini handheld

but with those sticks I mean it still isn't that pocketable no matter how thin the device itself is

[tall gazelle]

Not just that, it’s $190 for a G99 Handheld in a metal shell.

If this thing was in a plastic shell, that unironically would put it maybe around $150-$160, if not the same ballpark as the A1 Unicorn at $135-$140.

[glass bough]

yeah rp5 mini coming out so gotta have a good reason for it to compete with that

[tall gazelle]

At the very least it’s already competing with the RG405M in terms of release prices (so when you ignore that they’re selling the 405M at a permanent discount due to it being very old).

[muted rampart]

maybe your hands are too slippery ever think of that huh??

c: for legal purposes im being silly. but i also don't really have an issue with the fit & finish of ayaneo consoles.

nearly perfect for my needs.

[odd raft]

completely random, but how comes the pocket micro weights 233gr with a 2600mah battery, whereas the RP mini weights 215gr but has a 4000mah

this sounds to me like there's something seriously wrong with the cooling system in either of the two devices; either the fan on the pocket micro is excessively beefy, or the one on the RP mini is going to be deficient

[autumn wagon]

Metal?

[somber wave]

Metal is heavy

The pocket micro traded 1400mAh of battery for a metal case

[empty scaffold]

basically

rg nano is 75% the weight of the miyoo mini while being half the size, for example

[odd raft]

ah gotcha, I didn't know it was metal

[muted rampart]

for someone who criticizes ayaneo devices so much you seem to miss basic details about their design a lot. 🤭

[tall gazelle]

…It’s the whole reason why it’s the price it currently is. A Plastic Micro would pretty much be the same price as the A1 Unicorn when you subtract the “CNC-ed Aluminum Shell” tax.

[hearty compass]

that sounds good to me

[muted rampart]

wouldn't be a micro if it was plastic though

since gba micro was metal

if they didn't make it metal you'd have a bunch of ppl wishing they did bc "gba micro" and "rg405m"

the fact that it is still so cheap despite being ayaneo & inspired by the gba micro is fine w me.

[finite summit]

Time to film

[waxen grove]

is that the 8gb version?

[tall gazelle]

It’s the Limited Edition NES Micro, and that only has an 8GB option.

[waxen grove]

Yah that's the one I ordered

[finite summit]

It is

Ok finished filming, editing and then releasing tomorrow

This thing has crazy awesome build quality (with uh, some jank in the software). It's a pre-production unit.

[odd raft]

Ayaneo and software jank, name a more inseparable duo

well I'm glad someone other than Retro Dodo and ETA is reviewing it

looking forward to that video

[olive shell]

Same, I’m glad Stubbs got a unit!

https://tenor.com/view/about-damn-time-lizzo-yas-gif-26864067

[still ermine]

[mortal silo]

oh man, gonna be so tempted to get this if the review is good

[tall gazelle]

As long as it’s not a repeat of the 2S it’s honestly fine.

[muted rampart]

im already decided to get one

[mortal silo]

yea, i think the product itself would be an easy buy for me. i just can't get over uncertainty about the company. figure it would be safer to see if my dmg experience is good, then come back and buy this retail later

[finite summit]

Its very sexy, but yeah some concerns on that software, lets see what retail units are like 😄

This plus GammaOS would be like 11/10, hardware is just chef's kiss

Editing has started, we're on track for release tomorrow

[mortal silo]

nice looking forward to it

[tall gazelle]

Well, as long as it isn’t the hardware that’s having issues, it really should be fine. AYANEO unironically is pretty decent with software updates.

…It’s the hardware that can potentially go horribly wrong with no simple solution in sight.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2opqHtnn4Nk

[tall gazelle]

I know I link this video a lot, but it unironically is exactly what made me start to recognize what should and shouldn’t be “okay-ed” or even excused with these devices, and I honestly respect Bringus a lot for consistently being the kind of person to say “don’t do as I do, or even as I say, I’m an idiot that shouldn’t be doing something like this in the first place”.

[finite summit]

Yeahhhh, strangely doesn't get hot at all, even in 80 degree heat outside (this will be my first handheld video in nature I think)

Hardware seems solid, even though they said its a "functional prototype"

Rarely did I even run the fan, I was expecting more heat

If they can fix the software side, they've got a nice retro stew cookin here!

[tall gazelle]

Ok, that sounds really good then.

Maybe they went with the Aluminum Shell for more than just style. I remember the Metal 2S got comments on not getting as hot simply because it was a metal device that could redistribute and spread the heat way more efficiently, so it wasn’t all the heat from any of the chips localizing to certain points on the plastic shell.

[finite summit]

I didn't spend a long time on game testing, but did test from GBA on low end, Switch on high end. Cuphead got a solid 30 fps after pushing the CPU to max setting in the quick menu.

BassDerek on our team will be giving you all the deep dive review soon, and I hope to do another vid as well after I have more time to play with it

Dpad is up there with 40XXV as far as Hadoukens go and Celeste

All the buttons are quiet and I think its a nice bedtime handheld with how dim it gets, and screen is bright enough to play in sunlight too

[tall gazelle]

Nice, if one of you guys could open up the device to showcase if they’re using the shell as a heatsink like with the Metal-2S, that would also be great.

[finite summit]

I believe that's what is happening here

[true cipher]

TBF the KTR1 doesn't even have a fan so it might just be that cool

[tall gazelle]

Definitely makes sense then. With something like the Pocket S, while its shell is also aluminum, the device was definitely too thin to be able to pull something like that off, and even then the chipset is definitely too much for that kind of passive cooling to work, even with additional active cooling. The Micro definitely works much better with that set-up.

[tall gazelle]

That could also be the case given the Unicorn also doesn’t really heat up as much.

[true cipher]

How pocketable does it feel with the size and sticks and stuff?

[olive shell]

The G99 doesn’t really get hot. It’s pretty stable thermals wise.

[finite summit]

I'm used to my Unicorn getting a bit warmer

Well that's good then

I wasn't even getting heat when I pushed cpu to max on switch

[finite summit]

The sticks are the one thing, I wish they were more recessed

[tall gazelle]

Same here, the thing that surprises me is that it’s usually only around what I would expect from the RGB30 or maybe a bit more, despite being a significantly stronger chipset.

[finite summit]

but it pockets fine and doesn't protrude much

The shell is slim, those inline shoulders help a lot

Feels like a phone with a case in my pocket

[true cipher]

I'm frankly debating between the Micro and the KTR1 refresh with the metal shell...

[finite summit]

I need to ask Nil about my KTR1 replacement

So I can do that re-review

Its been too long since i've used one

[tall gazelle]

KT-R1 refresh will probably be the only device I personally would actively recommend waiting for reviews, but that’s mostly because it’s the only device I’ve ever had to return for genuine safety reasons (I got one of the earlier batches back when I was barely getting into emulation handhelds, and I immediately returned it the second I opened it up and saw a screw directly poking into the battery, and due to already being an active member of the Gameboy Modding scene before that, I knew that punctured batteries are really freaking bad news).

[finite summit]

Maybe i'll just ask him to send that one instead then 😄

already waited this long

[true cipher]

Yeah, I've seen those pictures with the screws not being countersunk enough.

I'm interested in it for the screen and the massive battery and the nice size and the 4G connectivity, but it feels like so much overlap with the Micro

[tall gazelle]

Honestly, any safe design shouldn’t have screws, or anything remotely sharp, that close to the battery to begin with.

[true cipher]

Yeah

[waxen stone]

Just gimme this but rounded goddammit

I'll take a y2k aero monstrosity lmao

[muted rampart]

odin 2 mini 👀

[waxen stone]

no

it needs to be 3:2

[tall gazelle]

So…AGB?

[waxen stone]

That's my hope

a modern AGB shaped looking thing

[glass bough]

how does it feel in the hands? is it as slippery as it looks

[finite summit]

Not slippery thankfully, just feels satisfying and comfortable as far as texture. The front glass will get smudgy I am certain, but they have a coating to where its hard to notice it. The back is a matte soft material, trim is metal, but like a soft metal? The video will show you tomorrow better

soft coating on sticks and they're concave for comfort and grippy

matte soft plastic coating on dpad and face buttons, I like that

L1/R1 not the most ergonomic to reach though, L2/R2 are fine

A trade-off with going inline vs stacked design for slimmer body

The fingerprint reader was a nice surprise

Not sure about Start/Select being in bottom left, basically underside of the device almost

I had a tough time with some hotkeys / menu access with how they placed some of the buttons

[glass bough]

playing gamecube at 3.5" is rough I imagine lol
there's just so much more going on as far as ui and small little things in the 6th gen than all the previous gens

seems like a super premium device for all the more simple devices though

[tall gazelle]

I did actually talk with someone in the discord for Pokemon Colosseum and XD hacks, and they were able to help me out in figuring out how the widescreen codes for XD and Colosseum work to potentially modify them.

[finite summit]

4" would be preferred 😆

[tall gazelle]

I already got XD working decently with a modified code for 1:1 (without the issues that Dolphin’s Widescreen Hack setting causes that game), and while Colosseum didn’t work as well since it only cut off the sides, didn’t actually scale anything, I did also preemptively make a version that should work with 3:2.

[tall gazelle]

Actually, @finite summit if you’d like to try it out, the code should be this one right here.

It’s specifically for Pokemon Colosseum and Colosseum hacks (like Grand Colosseum as an example).

3:2 aspect ratio code for Colosseum should be this, assuming I’m right on the money about it being an issue of Ralf’s code only adjusting width and not height:

04005300 C3A2B084
04005304 EFBD00B2
04005308 4809E62C
040A3930 4BF619D0
0447E724 3F900000

[finite summit]

Ah I already packaged up and its on the way to @still ermine for the deep dive video

Maybe something he can look at? Sounds awesome!

Along with maybe a teardown?

[tall gazelle]

Yup, it’s specifically Colosseum and XD that are among the oddball games Ralf and the other widescreen cheat development people had to make more unusual cheats for.

But Takia has a great guide for modifying the more standardized widescreen cheats to use different aspect ratios, which should help with making 3:2 cheats for other games that can’t really use the main Widescreen hack setting without rendering issues or bugs.
https://forums.dolphin-emu.org/Thread-gc-ar-codes-for-16-9-21-9-60hz?pid=401326#pid401326

[finite summit]

Hell yes!

Thanks

[finite summit]

Also I showed off the Micro on the podcast a little today, mostly at the beginning of the show

[odd raft]

Takia? Is that Taki's wife?

[tall gazelle]

Nah, it’s one of the people who helped make some of the Dolphin widescreen cheats

[true cipher]

Would that make Russia...?

[hearty compass]

this is even funnier knowing he's fluent in Russian

[tall gazelle]

Actually, while I don’t like relying on that thing, if anyone has the KT-R1, could you test this code just to make sure it does work as a “widescreen” code for 3:2 aspect ratio? Assuming Bassderek hasn’t already gotten it.

[still ermine]

Besides the above mentioned hacks, does anybody else have something specific you want me to check out for the full review? @ me here so I can find it later!

[fair spear]

Man this looks like the hand held console version of the xperia xz1 compact I wanted but also don't need

[tall gazelle]

Should note those aren’t really hacks but just cheats for getting full screen 3:2 for Colosseum on the Micro, as well as the instructions for adjusting the widescreen cheats for 3:2 on some GameCube games.

[finite summit]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLoR8z-aR1U

[finite summit]

This was a fun video to make! What do you think of taking handhelds outside for filming? I might try more like this 😄

[sour fox]

If the Nits are good I am all for it

[muted rampart]

https://tenor.com/view/star-gif-16789607377123159596

[finite summit]

Deez Nits

[sleek oracle]

Same energy

Also, I want my red micro

[crude hornet]

yeah I want mine as well, how the hell did he get it so quick

https://tenor.com/view/please-hmm-pout-sad-pikachu-gif-16024615

[finite summit]

When people say rude things, kill em with kindness

[finite summit]

It's just an early prototype version

I think I might back a retail version now though 😅

With GammaOS potential, uh, yeah it is the sezy, just won't win any performance awards

[crude hornet]

ahhh

[finite summit]

*sexy

[mortal silo]

how does the build quality feel compared to metal anbernic devices like 353m or 405m?

[finite summit]

More premium feeling than those, I like that its a partial metal body and not the entire thing

405M is very solid though, but this is probably the most premium android handheld i've felt in hands

Even compared to the Pocket S (that I finally got my hands on yesterday)

Curious how the EVO and DMG will feel now, confirmed with Aya we'll be reviewing those prototype units as well.

I just wish they would have put a more powerful chip inside the Micro, maybe they will make a revision

[mortal silo]

what do you feel like a g99 is missing in the micro form factor?

[finite summit]

Odin 2 Mini edges this out though if we're not talking strictly metal body handhelds

[finite summit]

Fair point there, you won't need more power for GBA or PSP here

[mortal silo]

this is interesting. never really heard any reviewers saying odin 2 mini having great build quality

[finite summit]

But if you wanted to get more into Switch / Vita, etc, it would be nice to have the option of more headroom

[finite summit]

It feels fantastic

[muted rampart]

or android ☝️🤓

[vale crescent]

For $339 I would hope it feels premium

[mortal silo]

eh, i have the og odin 2, it was ~300, i wouldn't call that super premium feeling.

[cursive orbit]

My interest in this died down quite a bit when MagicX said they'll be making a G99 micro for $100. Lol. Yesterday they bumped up the specs and added two more screen sizes. So we'll see how that plays out. But still way cheaper than this and idk if an aluminum body is worth the $80-$100 difference.

At the very least the MagicX said there's a bunch of G99 chips out there and other manufacturers are looking into using it. #1266817458417832110 message So this might not be the only option for this chip at this size, but most certainly at this price point lol.

[muted rampart]

for me i think the form factor & aya attention to detail design is worth the difference.

[cursive orbit]

The form factor is an absolutely huge turn off for me. I don't mind the size but the small inline shoulder buttons and 90 degree corners are not appealing from an ergonomics perspective. I think it *looks * really good and I'm sure the build quality is good though. Unless by form factor you mean purely the size and pocketablity, then yeah that's where my interest came from.

[muted rampart]

the switch/my phone has pretty similar design and i don't mind it

pretty comfy for me

[cursive orbit]

There is no switch with these kind of shoulders and angles, I'm unsure what you mean

[muted rampart]

maybe my hands are weird lol

[mortal silo]

the magicx devices on paper seem like a good deal. i'm still waiting for them to release a single product without major issues though. locked firmware, counterfeit soc, etc.

[cursive orbit]

Yeah I'm hyped and optimistic but I don't blame anyone being cautious about their releases. But if they can pull their quality together they have quite a few compelling handhelds coming that could shake up what we have coming out.

But that's why I also included the reps message about G99's being widely available. Even if you're sworn off MagicX but think the Pocket Micro isn't quite right for you (or $$ lol), other companies should be using it's decent chip soon.

[tall gazelle]

To be fair, the chip was probably already half the price.

[odd raft]

MagicX I feel spends too much time talking about plans and too little time actually delivering products

they have potential but they need to actually ship something

[true cipher]

Maybe I've abused my hands into a pair of misshapen husks but I somehow manage to hold slabs and other un-ergonomic shapes without succumbing to crippling pain

[tall gazelle]

I’ve played on the Gameboy Micro without actual issue, anyone who thinks this will be actually painful to use is weak.

[muted rampart]

idk if i would go that far but i def think ppl are over-exaggerating how uncomfortable holding a horizontal square is.

[tall gazelle]

Oh I’m not saying uncomfortable, I’m directly saying if someone says literally just holding it and/or using it is genuinely painful.

[muted rampart]

lol fair

[vale crescent]

I've mentioned before that I think a lot of people here have undiagnosed RSI, or something similar.

I don't think there has ever been a Nintendo handheld with anything other than a flat back. As millions of users can attest, it's fine.

[true cipher]

I some how made it through the DS, DS Lite, OG 3DS and New 3DS XL despite them all being some form of rectangular brick.

I actually dislike ergonomic handhelds under a certain size.

They look fugly

[mortal silo]

kind of a tangent, but i also hate how a lot of vertical handhelds have their shoulder buttons. the ski slope style or whatever anbernic calls it is so disgusting lol. add on the random texturing or ribbing and it's such a contrast between the front side which generally looks alright, but so horrendous on the back

[empty scaffold]

there's no good way to do it

verticals were never meant to have shoulders

[mortal silo]

iono, analogue pocket looks alright, it looks integrated with the game slot. miyoo mini and plus are also not as accentuated. the dmg also doesn't look terrible, hopefully it functional though.

[empty scaffold]

my favorite shoulders are on the miyoo mini and the rg nano

which are also the farthest from being usable shoulders

so basically, either flat, good looking and unusable or accentuated, ergonomic and ugly

[mortal silo]

i want companies to try paddles or discrete buttons

[empty scaffold]

the retrostone had discrete buttons

...that didn't work out

bleghh

[tall gazelle]

Well, the Piboy DMG does discrete shoulder buttons for just L and R, and not gonna lie, while they’re neat in terms of having a slick look with the device, they’re also probably among the least comfortable shoulder buttons I’ve used.

[mortal silo]

okay, i think discrete buttons looked a lot better in my head lol

[empty scaffold]

i think they could modify something like the 405v style to have bigger stacked shoulders and triggers

since it's basically a regular controller grip

but they'd be even more chunky, not less

[tall gazelle]

Actually, sorry I meant the GPI Case, that’s the one I’ve got.

[mortal silo]

those don't look too bad, what was the issue with them?

[tall gazelle]

Well, you’re not exactly looking at the back while playing a game, and your hands don’t rest naturally in a position where your fingers will just be there, and those bumps to indicate where they’re located aren’t as noticeable as you’d hope…

You can probably see where I’m going with this, but long story short, it was hard to use them because they were difficult to find when you actually needed them.

[muted rampart]

analogue pocket / gameboy sp my fav way to do it.

[mortal silo]

sp is cheating a little lol

[cursive orbit]

It works pretty good. Idk why. You'd think it'd be awful so small but with their high profile and wrapping around the corner of the device, they are great as far as inline ones go.

[mortal silo]

if you're talkinga bout the SP, yea i agree. i say it's kind of cheating because it's a vertical handheld, but it has a good reason for shoulder buttons in the middle. and for a square brick, it is surprisingly ergonomic

[true cipher]

The DMG looks clean, I just wish they were analog

[still ermine]

Review soon!

[sleek oracle]

https://tenor.com/view/jizz-in-my-pants-gif-8177902

[gray shore]

All the fingerprints on that thing

[mint hull]

I called it weeks ago that AYA intentionally chose to not send Russ a review unit bc he's too honest for them. What a shame.

[mortal silo]

?

[fresh vigil]

I’m really glad russ is still reviewing ayaneo products

[mint hull]

Ahh okay, and the fact they cleared it up before he published shows it wasn't just damage control. My bad, I just thought it was suspicious how long it was taking for him to get a review copy then his video supported that idea.

Edit: still, Russ should probably be top 3 in priority for receiving review units. Still odd tbh

[mortal silo]

no western reviewer is going to be ayaneo's top 3 priority lol

[tall gazelle]

You know, it was funny that me and rookBishop both recognized that it could very easily have just been AYANEO being busy and not even seeing Russ’s questions until recently.

Mainly in that it would be very funny if they ended up contacting him right before he actually ended up posting any official statement publicly. This is even funnier, since it was outright before he could even see the reply back.

[still ermine]

I tried SO HARD to keep dust off this dang thing. Apologies in advance for review footage that isn't perfectly clean

[hearty compass]

that actually sounds like incredibly useful info from a review standpoint

[still ermine]

Tiny Genshin anyone?

[mortal silo]

like more so then you would expect from a similar device like a phone? i wonder if they applied an oleophobic coating or not

[waxen grove]

Derek does it feel similar to the pocket s as far as build quality

[odd raft]

and more importantly what does it taste like?

[still ermine]

Uhh it’s a bit less dense. Still premium but maybe the pocket s is still more premium feeling?

[odd raft]

it might just be the weight

sometimes being heavier creates the illusion of being more premium

[muted rampart]

could also just be that it is a bit more premium feeling. that's going to be subjective, but i find ayaneo to have a more premium feel compared to most of the other brands.

i think the only one that surprised me by not feeling like a plastic toy in the sub 200 market so far that ive tried was the miyoo mini plus. surprisingly feels like a real game console in the hand. especially compared to wtvr anbernic uses.

i havent felt anbernic metal consoles though so those might be better.

[tall gazelle]

Has the 3:2 Pokémon Colosseum cheat been working well so far?

[still ermine]

Haven’t gotten that far.

[mortal silo]

those are some chunky pixels

[small robin]

that's hot

[vale crescent]

Integer flex 💪

[primal cloud]

This looks beautiful

[muted rampart]

ayaneo has amazing screens

[shell elbow]

https://youtu.be/EXNTB8zvuH4?si=rAFV4YbJWSh30Cv9 TechDweeb time baybeee

[primal cloud]

Ok after watching this video I m actually wanting one

I just need money haha

[mortal silo]

i might have just ordered one again >.>

that was surprisingly good gc fzero performance

[primal cloud]

Yeah right… and apparently 1x makes GC and ps2 completely playable

Which wasn’t the case in other reviews I’ve seen

Contrary to what most reviewers have said, I actually like to play ps2 and GameCube games on a tinier screen

I’ll just wear my glasses

[mortal silo]

lol, iono if i would go that far from me. i usually play gc/ps2 on a tv. but it's definitely nice having the option

[true cipher]

I'm going to use this for GBA, PSP and NDS

I'll toss DC and below because why not, but GC and PS2 would only be specific games I think

[vale crescent]

Techdweeb's favourite console of all time is GBA.

So if he didn't like this thing, it would have been in trouble

[spare echo]

what's the battery life like on this guy?

[spare echo]

ah just watched @ripe surge's vid 😅 8hours for easy going games and about 3 and a half for the demanding ones at 50% light, that's way better than I expected with that battery size

I wonder what the drain is like in sleep mode over night?

[tall gazelle]

Wait, has anyone talked about the fact that he’s getting around 3-4 hours on more demanding stuff with a device that has a 260mAh battery?!

[tall gazelle]

Like, I knew it would likely be able to do more than what most people automatically assumed, but that’s actually surprising even for me.

[spare echo]

yeah it doesn't really make much sense to me either haha but I'm guessing the helio chip is more effective than most of the cheap ones being used by anbernic and miyoo or some other kind of black magic

[tall gazelle]

Not even, the A1 Unicorn has some pretty poor battery life regardless of what you play (since the performance settings are pretty poorly designed), so this is more likely than not from software optimizations.

[spare echo]

guess the ayaneo sidebar option thing really can tell android to cool out while gaming

[ripe surge]

I was happy with that but in hindsight I should have chosen an even more demanding game. I did that test before I actually played the game, and I realized once I started playing that I could have pushed it up to 2x res and gotten full performance, so it wasn't as demanding as it could have been. Also I think the screen plays a factor because the screen gets very dim at 50% brightness (it feels more like 25% brightness on other devices).

At 25% on this device the screen is so dim you can't see it during the day. And at the lowest setting it's so dim you literally can't see it even in the dark. Very bright at the high end though.

[spare echo]

I see, thanks for the transparency! regardless I'm tempted to go for one as I would probably end up playing a bunch of older gen consoles anyway hehe

the only thing making me relent is the lack of 3.5 out...

[tall gazelle]

Honestly even at 1x and less than full performance, it’s still impressive given it’s only got a 2600mAh battery. Although it at least explains that this isn’t when going full throttle so the 3-4 hours makes more sense.

I’m honestly curious on if the screen is legitimately efficient enough to not waste much power by actually having the ability to dim it to that degree (like if battery life would be significantly lower at the max brightness, but like you said if it’s too bright at max, if setting it to a standard brightness would lower the battery life to around what AYANEO advertised), or if it might be something else in the firmware that’s optimizing battery life.

[gray pewter]

Tbh this seems like a really good nighttime gba only device lol

With very low dimness and 8+ hours

That’s solid

[muted rampart]

ive been playing so much gba on my air plus. if i can sync up saves between this and that, would be an ideal scenario.

[gray pewter]

Yep you could prob just use a google drive tbh lol

[still ermine]

Micro Review is Done, tune in tomorrow!

[waxen grove]

the g99 has been overlooked quite a bit

[muted rampart]

"it's just too much money for not being able to play gamecube/ps2"

"maybe if they didn't go for all metal and dropped the price, or if the rp mini wasn't announced"

[mortal silo]

the rp mini is kind of tempting over the micro with the screen and soc. but it honestly kind of looks like a kids toy to me

[muted rampart]

looks too bulbous and the screen aspect ratio is wrong for gba

so it is subjectively, a worse screen

[mortal silo]

trueee

also i didn't realize until recently. they advertise the mini as being bevel less which is technically true since the screen itself doesn't have bevels. but there's so much free space surrounding the screen :/

[muted rampart]

but there are so many ppl who will dismiss that and just say "but it can do ps2/gamecube better and the screen aspect ratio is better for that"

to which i say, well then obviously the aya micro is not for you.

like, it's so easy to realize why a console design when you start to break down what these systems can do vs what you personally prioritize.

[muted rampart]

true. just a side effect of the size they wanted to hit. i think they wanted the full twin stick+buttons room to breathe

so that it doesn't feel as cramped as the original gameboy advance mini while still following those design cues

the original was fine for ppl like me but i understand wanting to go a bit bigger especially if you are going to provide twin sticks in addition to the original controls.

and all metal is just the best possible build of that

plus probably bc aya devices have had a reputation of frame cracking in the past im sure this being their cheapest console they had that in mind while designing it

making it metal not only gets closer to og gameboy mini aesthetics but also heads those worries off at the pass.

bc metal is much less likely to crack than wtvr plastic they were using before.

[mortal silo]

yea. i also won't discount the fact it just feels better in the hands

[muted rampart]

this console makes a lot of sense when you think about it for more than two seconds or a ten minute youtube review

[mortal silo]

it definitely seems like there's this huge desire to have the most powerful device after a certain price point. like past $150 or so, it seems like all devices are measured based off what the latest generation of games it can play without any real consideration of specializing in something really well

iono, might just be me though. i use these handhelds when i have some downtime, so games that were designed to be played for short periods is what i gravitate towards and that's almost always games from og handhelds. i also can't imagine playing ps2 rpgs on any screen <5" because of how small the text is gonna be

[native forge]

it is much harder to overlook flaws the higher the price tag

[muted rampart]

thing is i don't agree with a lot of the perceived "flaws" is my point though.

just bc this thing is worse at ps2/gc than something else isn't a flaw to me

generally i agree tho

charge premium price for a premium thing. but at a higher price you better do the thing you advertise

and do it well

this thing advertised gba/android gaming

and it seems very good for those

[native forge]

that assumes the thing you advertise is even sensible in the first place

[muted rampart]

i disagree. it doesn't have to be sensible. it has to be a thing that somebody wants.

[native forge]

depends on how many sales you want I guess

[muted rampart]

ppl obviously want a premium device that plays gba, that is comfy and has decent build quality

[muted rampart]

that's for the company to justify though. not us.

if we want it and they are making it, we win no matter how many they sell

[native forge]

I do have to wonder how ayaneo can put out so many devises without going under

[muted rampart]

ppl don't design supercars bc they are going to sell a ton of them

[muted rampart]

bc ppl want them

lol

[native forge]

I mean

[muted rampart]

and bc this audience isn't nearly their only market

they are in big box stores in asian markets

[native forge]

there is clear fatigue in how many expensive devises ayaneo puts outs

[muted rampart]

ppl think this audience is who they need to listen to when in reality we are lucky if they even consider our feedback

we are a niche here

ayaneo has been very clear they don't care about having mass appeal.

[native forge]

ayaneo is a niche

they are no asus

[muted rampart]

they care about designing premium devices

[native forge]

asus is the biggest hardware vendor

[muted rampart]

depends who you ask it would seem

some ppl think of valve as the biggest

others argue it is nintendo

i think it depends on what market you look at

[native forge]

no just from a sales number asus is the biggest vendor in the world for computers and computer components

they are bigger then dell or hp

[muted rampart]

they are taiwanese right?

[native forge]

I think so

[muted rampart]

that is awesome

glad taiwan is showing the usa how it's done

[native forge]

asus is half of a older computer company that split into 2 companies

[muted rampart]

i love the design of the zenfone 10

[native forge]

it used to be pegasus

[mortal silo]

they make enough sales to not lol

[muted rampart]

kinda self explanatory that

[tall gazelle]

“And that’s why Ayn hasn’t sold that many Odin 2’s since it has ghosting issues with the screen.”

Or at least, that’s what it would be if we were talking about actual flaws, not just niche design decisions that some people might simply not be interested in, but they’re claiming is a flaw. Like, for a totally hypothetical example, having a Metal Shell?

[mortal silo]

i think there are like legitimate flaws (imo) to this thing. battery, non-recessed sticks, lack of headphone jack

although battery i can kind of forgive because the teardown shows how little space they're workign with

it's kind of funny but i've been browsing bilibili reviews since so many creators there got media units. a lot of the same talking points are brought up, but there's a lot less negativity. kind of weird how non-chinese audiences view ayaneo

[tall gazelle]

Oh absolutely, but none of those are the reason for the price being what it is, and yet people seem to focus more on the price itself being the problem, hence my argument.

[tall gazelle]

Makes sense to me, we already knew these handhelds are usually more popular overall in China than they are elsewhere.

[mortal silo]

ahh that makes sense

[waxen grove]

Mine shipped

[true cipher]

People tend to overestimate their own importance. "If it doesn't appeal to me it's ridiculous/not sensible, they're stupid for trying to make it". Rather than the much more simple solution of just not buying it. It is impossible to count the number of products that don't cater to my needs that I just skip without feeling compelled to throw FUD around.

[sleek oracle]

Nice. What color?

[true cipher]

I think the western handheld audience is just very budget oriented. They want every device to be a race to the bottom in everything but price to performance.

[vale crescent]

https://youtu.be/67hj5YkrOMw?si=bCzPnyasLQMkeEAN

[lunar nova]

If i hadn't already invested in the EVO, man that sells me on the Micro. Maybe get one second hand at some point.

[mortal silo]

never ordered something from ayaneo or from indiegogo before. can somebody explain the shipping spreadsheet that was posted? are the listed contribution IDs the units that shipped?

[tall gazelle]

Those are the units that are getting shipped, yes.

It doesn’t mean they already were shipped though.

[mortal silo]

ahh gotcha

lol my refunded cid would've been in that range, should've just committed

[small robin]

I like the video @still ermine I think this is your best review yet. You sold me on being ok with canceling my preorder, and maybe I will pick one up one day

[muted rampart]

msrp is not that bad on these

[small robin]

sucks about the audio out. sometimes I really just wonder what aya be thinking

[muted rampart]

minimal footprint means no cables hanging out of your device that may rip it out of your hands

if i had to guess

like, idk, this device design just makes sense to me

along with the air plus on x86 side

[still ermine]

Thanks!

The headphone thing is my only real con here.

Everything else is more of a user preference thing.

I don't think anything else about it is objectively 'bad'

[primal cloud]

you know im surprised

psp looks amazingly good, i thought it was gonna be too small

but it actually looks legit

[true cipher]

It's just a bit smaller than the PSP Go

[primal cloud]

amazing yeah

[muted rampart]

the blackblackblackred omg it looks so goooooooooooooooood

[sleek oracle]

gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme

[sleek oracle]

I want it I want it I want it I want it I want it I want it I want it I want it I want it I want it I want it I want it I want it I want it I want it I want it I want it I want it I want it I want it I want it I want it I want it I want it I want it I want it I want it I want it I want it I want it I want it I want it I want it I want it I want it I want it I want it I want it I want it I want it I want it I want it I want it I want it I want it I want it I want it I want it I want it I want it I want it I want it I want it I want it I want it I want it I want it I want it I want it I want it I want it I want it I want it I want it I want it I want it

[sleek oracle]

I'm getting a dev unit for this btw. I've asked the question why they made this design choice, the g99 is certainly fine to handle both controller inputs and usb-c at the same time

I'm also waiting for my own personal red unit I paid for ❤️

[muted rampart]

would usb c 3.5mm adapters work for this console?

[tall gazelle]

Yeah, and to me it’s not even the lack of the headphone jack itself that’s the issue, but also the fact that it has the same issues that the Pocket Air does on top of that, which means you can’t even just use a dongle.

[tall gazelle]

Honestly it kind of sucks because arguably this couldn’t even be an issue with the chip itself, because the A1 Unicorn works with File Transfer just fine without getting rid of gamepad controls.

[still ermine]

Yeah I have no problem using a dongle.

[tall gazelle]

So it has to be a software issue with how AYANEO is implementing it (since it is also weird that they can just toggle it on and off if it was a hardware limitation).

[wary mirage]

@still ermine really great review! almost made me want to go buy one lol im also used to seeing zu or stubbs reviews on the channel so it was a welcome change, hoping we can expect more reviews, you did a awesome job at covering this fairly

[still ermine]

Thanks! I probably won't post as often of them but will be contributing where I can!

[still ermine]

Maybe if my video gets around to them they'll change it? Would be cool but who knows.