Its still the machine you love, but this updated tank now houses a Ferrari engine.
That’s where the Ayn Odin 2 bursts in like an even more overzealous Kool-Aid Man.
Much like the original Odin handheld, AYN’s whole M.O.
for this unit is to outright beat everything else on offer in terms of raw power.
The original Odin revolutionized by offering up mostly uncompromising PS2 support.
Then you’re going to want to say ‘hi’ to the Odin 2.
It’s not a perfect handheld, and there are some glaring annoyances.
For Android gaming, this is a powerful chipset.
For emulation, it’s a juggernaut.
The chipset is the driving force here, not the RAM.
This is what made my decision to grab the Pro model over the Base easier.
Not bad, eh?
Size-wise both devices look roughly the same, and both come equipped with a six-inch 1080p touchscreen.
For cooling, the Odin 2 has an active cooling system.
The back ventcanget quite cold, but never to the point of annoyance.
When it comes to buttons, there are buttons everywhere!
So good, so far.
So where’s the ‘but’?
It’s those face buttons.
Had they been flatter, the size may be less of an issue.
But right now, they’re a tolerable annoyance.
The Android side of things is your standard affair.
If you’ve ever used an Android phone, it’s that, only horizontal.
It’s the game launcher where things really pick up.
Here you have all your emulators in one easy-to-navigate panel.
you might add and remove new apps, or more system apps to this tab if you so choose.
It’s allsoeasy to use.
you’re free to even switch between a Nintendo and Xbox controller layout at will.
It’s simplicity at its best.
Performance
Can an Android equipment match the Steam Deck’s brutish power?
Up until now, I’d have said no.
With the Odin 2, I found myself working upwards instead.
I started by installing Turnip drivers for use in the Yuzu emulator.
Neither of those things happened, and the framerate was smooth.
OK, let’s try Legends: Arceus, a game that normally crashes on PC.
That also booted without problems, go figure.
Fine, alright, I’ll bust outthatmore intensive open-world RPG.
Given how many horses are in this engine, it’s no surprise everything else runs without problems.
PS2 at 1080p with widescreen hacks looks beautiful, as does GameCube, 3DS and everything below.
The Odin 2 really is an unstoppable beast like that.
Should you buy the Ayn Odin 2?
One quick tip: Don’t use theGooglePlay Store version of Yuzu.
Get the Android version from GitHub as that’s more up-to-date and offers much better performance.
I also played with different configurations to test out the fan levels and the battery.
Looking for a cutting edge rig?
Check out thebest gaming laptopsandbest gaming PCsfor systems that’ll execute the latest Steam games.
Alternatively, Swing by thebest Steam Deck dockif you want to turn Valve’s handheld into a handheld hybrid.
