Jun 16, 2024 3 min read

#54: This is my new favourite handheld

The AYN Odin2 Mini is quickly turning into my favourite device to play video games on.

#54: This is my new favourite handheld

The AYN Odin2 Mini is quickly turning into my favourite device to play video games on.

Hi, hello and welcome to a new edition of the overkill digest newsletter. Since we gained new subscribers these past few days, here is the explanation in case you forgot what this newsletter is about:

overkill digest is a free weekly Gaming newsletter featuring original content, links to great gaming reads from across the internet, commentary by yours truly, and more.

And with that, let's get to it.

My new number one

On Wednesday, I released the video and written review for the AYN Odin2 Mini.

Odin2 Mini Review: Looks like a PS Vita, performs like a champ
The AYN Odin2 Mini is a PS Vita lookalike with a beautiful design, and powerful hardware, but it comes with a few caveats.

It is a small Android-based handheld with a Snapdragon 8Gen2, a MiniLED screen, up to 12 gigabytes of memory, and 256 gigabytes of storage. It is also an obvious copy of one of my favourite handhelds, the PS Vita.

I don't want to spoil my review too much, but I am entirely convinced that the Odin2 Mini might be one of my favourite handhelds for a long time. While I hated setting it up and still believe Android to be a pain — after spending about a day configuring it, it is now one of the best gaming experiences of all the devices I own.

Most of this is due to EmulationStation-DE (which you can now set as the default launcher on Android) and how I configured my different emulators. It's a proper grab-and-play experience that reminds me of the ease of use of the Steam Deck or the Nintendo Switch (though since it runs Android, it can play fewer games than a Steam Deck). Despite its size, the Mini is also plenty powerful to emulate some of the more heavy hitters from platforms like PlayStation 2 or Nintendo Switch.

It is definitely a device I enjoy, so if you're interested in the form factor, I recommend reading (or watching) my review.


In other news


Ok, that's it. Also, we'll be at gamescom in August, so if you're on the show floor and want us to check out your game, hardware or product, hit me up.

With that, see you next week!

Kevin

Great! You’ve successfully signed up.
Welcome back! You've successfully signed in.
You've successfully subscribed to overkill.
Your link has expired.
Success! Check your email for magic link to sign-in.
Success! Your billing info has been updated.
Your billing was not updated.