@@PINTO2O2Ofor me it feels fine. I've only streamed NFS Heat and City Skylines through xbox gamepass, but I've had great experiences with both on my rp3+ so far.
Being able to pick up a Logitech G Cloud at my local Best Buy made it an impulse buy for me when it went on sale. I love the screen and how comfortable it is to play.
How does the build quality feel? I was planning on picking one up but one of my main gripes is the cheap plastics often used in handhelds, creaking ect. Hopefully it has some strong hard plastics or even metals
@@duckiesae Hi There! I've got one as well, and my d-pad squeaks maybe one time in a hundred when I hit Left. Otherwise, it is rock solid. There is no flex at all in the joints, and I can't even figure out how I would open it. (I was tempted to try to see if I can tweak that d-pad). I do love it though. For what I wanted to emulate/ play, it is great.
I was gonna spout some nonsense saying it's for 'e-sports titles, emulation was an afterthought', which is probably true. But if that's the case, why do you need physical controls for games that don't natively support them. If you're buying it for mobile eSports, why not get an ROG phone? Doubles as your gaming machine and a phone. This device becomes an enigma every passing day. Who 'is' this for?
@@Pix3l_Pr1ncess Waiting for the G Cloud to drop is the best in my situation. I just want it to stream at home. The 20:9 on my phone drives me crazy lol Might get a small tablet.
Being an Odin Pro owner, I was pretty surprised to see how it scored pretty balanced compared to the others, and I noticed how it can be pretty quiet compared to my phone or switch but all the same the device still holds up in my opinion. I can’t make a clear assessment on the Pimax, but I wasn’t impressed with the buttons and battery life. As for the RE, the aspect ratio is a bit of a deal breaker for me on anything that isn’t android games. The LC was almost something I thought about getting before I got the Odin, but it never goes below that $300 range and it’s main selling point is streaming, something I can do on my Odin or even my old phone w/backbone controller. I normally play at home with my steam deck, though I would opt to use my Odin if I wanted something more travel friendly, and it’s also pretty good for watching movies using a phone stand if I really didn’t wanna use my iPhone. Overall, great guide for anyone looking for the best android devices for them
Razer Edge aspect ratio is really its biggest fault. 16:9 would have been ideal. It is too wide for my needs. Logitech cloud with Razer specs would have been ideal.
A Logitech g cloud display with Razer edge internals would’ve been like an insta-GOAT. I still love my Edge but I love my g cloud to and combining their strengths would be insanely good.
This is absolutely lovely. This is something I've been looking for. The way you approach the handhelds is very relatable and gives a great perspective. Android did come a long way when it comes to gaming, especially the physical controls aspects of it. I was intro Android gaming handhelds way back when Android 4.4.4 was a thing and physical controls and getting these right really was something that a lot of the companies found very hard to get right. A game that always makes me get back to the old handhelds I own (Android 5.x and previous) is Expendable - an amazing twin stick shooter that can be found on other platforms (Playstation, Dreamcast, PC) but none of the non Android releases have the twin stick control scheme that makes it severely playable. The other releases have variations of the tank-control-scheme. The game sadly doesn't work on newer Android versions as it seems to use OpenGL buffers (actually changing the brightness of the screen at the beginning of the game) in a way that isn't compatible with the newer OSes. Then there's the emulation / emulators that have very much improved and matured compared to say 8-9 years ago. Also the refresh rates of the screens and the frametimes and imput lag have seriously improved over the years. Very interesting times these are. So many options.
@@bland9876 I think he has an in-depth on it somewhere. From his performance assessment section in this video it seems like the RP3+ is pretty similar in capability to the Logitech.
@@brucegreen8463 it's the good size for me, I just can't get behind the ergonomics at the moment. I guess what I really want is just a smaller odin. The pocket 3+ almost did it... almost.
Very in-depth comparisons and reviews. This man knows his retro handhelds. I used to do all emulation on my mid range PC with a 3070 but thank you for introducing me to this portable world which has been fantastic. Have owned RP2+, Miyoo Mini and RP3+ and next would likely be the Steam Deck 512GB. Thanks, Russ!
If I remember correctly the Odin went through a few screen versions, so if you originally got yours a year ago, it could be on the 1st or 2nd version, while I believe it's currently on a 3rd. I don't know if it would change it's rating much, but it might be something to look into.
the most recent gen screen is gorgeous. I don't regret picking up my Pro used from someone who bought it to play the God of War ps2 games, then sold it locally for less than msrp.
I always felt that the more "to the point" and "focused" devices are, the better they become. Having one device doing everything is awesome but unfortunately results in a lot of compromises as a result. I mean, although I love the Steam Deck, it quickly became apparent that it was too bulky to bring on the average commute, hikes or shorter travels. The Miyoo Mini on the other hand is PERFECT and really designed for those occasions. By ditching the analogue sticks it has narrows down the complexity in order to create a really convenient and compact device. Sure you can't play every system out there, But honestly, it's really the d-pad focus that makes the device so good, and with Onion OS It actually feels like a modern, high quality, Nintendo 2D handheld, rather than an emulation device.
Great vid Russ, and very informative for anyone debating purchasing one of these devices. Were I'm not really surprised you opted for the Cloud in home use situation, as battery life was a major plus for you. For me personally, I mostly game at home, and I never get time past 90 mins most of the time, so even a device like the Deck is more than enough battery for me. And then In a travel situation, I'll have extra power with me, as I never travel without extra banks for emergencies. I got my Odin Pro close to a year ago, and while I might look at something different today if I was buying new, it's still a very solid device, that I really see no need to upgrade, as most of the pluses for the other devices, aren't really big selling points for me. The only feature I wouldn't mind from any of the others would be the bigger better quality screen of the G Cloud, but I would probably never even look at that device unless it's under $150 or even less, as it meets almost none of my needs.
One of the first things I'm doing with my pimax is 3d printing an adapter so I can play with the controllers attached in portrait mode to play 3ds and ds proper but upscaled
@@bland9876 ah I think it’s fair to exclude it, it won’t hold up to these higher priced devices at all. It’s just how close it gets for the price that amazes me.
The elephant in the room here is that for 2/3 the price of the cheapest devices on this list, you can get an Odin Lite which will do 95% of what those devices can do anyway. And then for the same price as the most expensive device on this list, you can get a Steam Deck that can do way more. From a value proposition perspective, the $200-$400 space is a weird no-man's-land where everything has to kind of fight to justify its existence.
if you forget the steam deck exists (cuz its way to cheap for what it is) then the $3-400 price range makes sense. You have the $100 devices like the myoo mini and rg355xx and then the middle price of these things in this video (don't forget about nintendo) and then on the high end you have the X86 devises like GPD and aya. the steam deck is way to powerful for what you get valve is spoiling us just like how games on steam go on sail so i feel ripped off buying an indi game for more than like $3. i saw the gal gun metroidvania for $22 and went hell no that's only worth $10 max and i still feel ripped off. dumb steam sales
GPD XP+ would be a great alternative to these four Android-only devices IMO. It's too bad there're so few Linux-based handhelds in this size/price/performance-range. (... there's Anbernic but I prefer clicky D-pads like on Odin, Pocket 3 and XP - preferably above the joystick like RP3).
Since I dont care about a massively compromised pc gaming experience just so it can be like a mobile console vs a nice laptop, I would pay perhaps as much as the cheapest Steam Deck in the android space. I dont think the area's between $200 and $400 are some no mans land - if you really care about android emulation for the nice battery life and great compatibility, then yes, you can easily justify something over $200. Some of you people create weird rules and setups in your head. there is no fight, outside of your own mind.
If I didn't have the Odin Base and the RP3+, I'd pick the Odin Pro or the Razer Edge... but mostly the Odin Pro and upgrade it to the MAX memory since I've seen and felt how powerful and great this unit is. Will definitely wait for a year or two to purchase my NEXT Handheld.
I use the Odin Pro for emulation and android games, and the Logitech for cloud gaming and streaming from PS5 & Series X. I really love the battery life on the G Cloud and I'm playing games I never do because I prefer handheld to playing on TV for certain games.
@@3dthekingright now the G Cloud because I’ve had the Odin a while now and the G Cloud is new. I’ve been having a lot of fun playing through the huge Xbox and PlayStation library. I actually thought GCloud was ridiculous when it was first announced lol. Some other perks besides the battery life is the screen is amazing and larger which is better on my aging eyes :)
I want something like this..the design and screen ratio of the Logitech Cloud with an processor like a Snapadragon 860 or 870 and with hdmi out.And price at max of 299€.
I would say the easy to 'Switch' capabilities of the Pimax Portal put it over the top for me - wish it had even More power (getting a little spoiled with the GPD XP Plus), so hoping for a new iteration in the future - same size/capabilities (detachable controllers that charge through the tablet, etc), but more battery and power
I really like the Razer Edge. Had it for 4 days now and I am having a good time with it. I have some complaints about it but theres more positives then negatives on the device itself. I really wish that Razer handled the marketing for this device alot better because they really pulled some shady stuff with this product that left a bad taste. I dont love all their products and I just want them to work on their customer care service more then anything else. Thank you for this amazing comparison video Russ.
Coming back to this video to let you know that it helped make my decision to buy the Steam Deck on sale, Russ. I love my RP3+ for android gaming, and after confirming the power and performance of the Pimax and Razer for GC/Wii U/Ps2, the choice was easy, especially with my huge Steam library. Thanks for what you do!
Thank you so much for the breakdown of each unit. I do have both odins, the logitech and the razer and I must say, I use the Razer and Logitech daily. The odins were great but, for me, they were replaced the minute the logitech came out. I use the razer mostly in tablet mode as the logitech is so much more comfortable for most of the gaming i do. I decided to keep my Pimax kickstarter (ends in a day or two) since I am still hoping for good, 'more open VR', than the Quest 2. Fingers crossed. Thank you again!
Nice content... Personally, I couldn't be more happy with my Gcloud, it's perfect, confortable, runs everything great and battery life is AWESOME even on standby which is what I always do. Play NES, SNES, Genesis, GB, GBA, GBC, DS, PSP and stream my PS5 FLAWLESSLY!
Hi Russ 🙂 Great video and I hope it is a good day for you. For me, that warranty, availability, and form factor outweighed the lower performance on the G Cloud, and so far I'm loving it. That being said, if Logitech came out with one that had SD865 performance and supported video out and exFAT, I'd think about replacing mine. Got my fingers crossed that this isn't a one-time product for them.
Valid points picking the Logitech Cloud for at home gaming, especially with wifi, performance becomes a non-issue too. For travel, choosing the Razor Edge has valid reasons too - but those reasons are pretty much the same as just using your own phone, and just buying a separate controller.
Hey, have you considered using the Nreal Air with any of these Handheld Emulators/PC? I really do think we're going to be moving away from conventional screens (within the next 2 decades) and I'm curious as to your take on them.
Thanks Russ. For the battery life, I think you should always do an apples-to-apples comparison. They can all run some PS2 games at 1x. So what's the battery life when you run all of them with the PS2 core at 1x? I think you'll find the relative battery life is a lot flatter when you don't punish the premium devices by measuring them with a taller stick. Most SOCs are designed such that at 70% performance they get good battery life, and head into pathological battery consumption above that point. That's a big advantage for the higher tier devices, if you don't push them. If you do push them... it's not their fault. Similarly, a Toyota Corolla gets better mileage than an F1 car. On city streets. But if you take them to the race track, the Toyota will be the one out of gas first if it tries to keep up with the F1 car. Context matters. But if you compare mileage of the Toyota on city streets to the F1 car climbing Pike's Peak, and declare a winner... that sadly will say more about the reporter than the cars...
I understand where you are coming from, and I appreciate the feedback. As I mentioned in the voiceover, the average battery life for each of these devices is 12 hours for the Cloud, 6-8 hours for the Odin and Edge, and 3-4 hours on the Portal. I should have taken more time to elaborate that this was with a general use case in mind, so a mixture of streaming, retro games, and some higher-end emulation. I come up with these assessments over time based on my average battery life while using the devices in everyday scenarios. My comments about the poor battery life for the Portal (and others) when pushed to the max were simply meant to make the point that while the Portal can outperform the others, it comes at a more drastic cost -- not as an overall judgement of the battery life (which I made later in the video, by giving the figures I just shared). I like your idea of testing the same game for all devices, although it would also extend my testing and filming process by many hours (likely an entire day) to get an accurate report, and I'm not sure that juice is worth the squeeze in regards to my workflow. Additionally, I think it's worth considering that if someone buys a powerful device at a high price, one of the reasons they bought it was because they were looking to use the power they paid for; so doing a battery test at a performance level well below what many users will actually play (like PS2 at a 1x resolution on the Edge and Portal) may not give potential buyers a good idea of what kind of battery life to expect when they play their device. I realize my battery assessments are technically flawed since they are general observations made over time, but that's also part of my style, to show what it's like to use a device without getting too mired in technical details. Thanks for giving me some perspective to chew on, I appreciate the comment!
@@RetroGameCorps On Steamdeck you've demonstrated a willingness to compromise performance to get better battery life ;-) Maybe I'm being cheeky, maybe I'm being a smartass, but I bet you'll find yourself wanting to explore and elaborate on it more. With phones it impacts battery health. Handhelds aren't so different.
@@ca9inec0mic58 I was so uncertain on that device (Pimax Portal) it's not even funny. But near the end of the campaign, I decided to take the gamble as there was many efforts to show the legitimacy of that device.
I went ahead and got the g cloud when it went on sale for 250 and have been really happy with it. The best selling points were the screen size and ergonomics. My only complaint is that it isn't powerful enough to emulate most GameCube and PS2 games.
Was having a bit of buyers remorse in getting the Razer Edge Wifi. However, I believe that after seeing this video and based on the score results I think I probably made a good decision that with updates (like button mapping) it will prove its worth a lot going forward. Take care and keep up the great work.
Not sure why people are dumbfounded about the logitech. It can run up to PS2 and can play all android titles at medium settings. Not to mention the new update finally gives you key mapping. The price is now $200-250.
Assuming they really want to keep the teardrop shape, could you try suggesting to them to at least change the z-height shape of the buttons? Right now they seem to be just flat buttons, but I believe it can be made more bearable if they keep the outer half of the button flat while the inner half slopes downward with the inside point sitting flush with or beneath the controller shell. That way you at least won't be getting your thumbs constantly stabbed while gaming. They also need to bevel/round the edges. Essentially just do what Dualshock 4 dpad does.
I agree, I have sooo many handheld game consoles. All the way back to the GP32. I still find myself picking up the G Cloud. The screen is amazing and the ergonomics just feel soooo perfect.
Hey Russ ! A big thank you for all the work you do on these videos. I personally use my phone with a telescopic controller as my primary handheld and I've come to love android for retro / indie gaming. One thing I want to mention is that the app Second Screen can be used to control aspect ratio and pixel density on android devices. Making the Razor Edge a very powerful home console.
Your videos have been extra awesome recently. They're always great but the content here really lines up. Great job. With that said, it's tough to justify any of these devices and your video made that clear to me at least. You mentioned the rp3+ at the beginning and the Steam Deck at the end, and those 2 devices make these others not worth it on each side. Agree though that the Logitech device would be a good pickup at $200. Off the topic but if only I could get Dijishio on the steam deck. That UI is what I'm missing!
Seeing how the Edge is now $250 new on Amazon, or less than $190 used, I think this needs a re-assessment. I think its a real deal this year and I'm seriously considering getting one instead of any other dedicated Android handheld.
Yes, these are powerful Android handhelds, but the upcoming KT R1 is virtually the only handheld in the market with a 3:2 aspect ratio screen and that to me is a big selling point. Minimal black bars is great all around!!!
@@obvious_giraffe8386 It is is still a little too phone like with the aspect ratio and detachable controllers, but with a somewhat lower price it would be a fantastic device
Great breakdown, man. Well done and thank you. One thing to note with the Logitech cloud (I’ve had it since launch), is that the battery diminishes slowly overtime, similar to the Razor edge. The drainage rate, is probably not as bad as the edge though.
The Edge is undeniably a solid performance value, but I simply can't get around the fact that its just a tablet/smartphone with a controller bundled with it. If I wanted to use a SD888 phone with a controller, Id just buy a kishi for the phone I already own. The screen aspect ratio and bezels are annoying to me personally. That said, I can't fault the performance of it and I wouldn't fault anyone for choosing to buy one. It just doesnt feel like a dedicated gaming handheld in the way we are typically used to. Also agree with you on the Cloud. I sold my Cloud to fund my SD since I also have an Odin Pro, but I cannot say enough good things about the Cloud as a playing experience. Truly the price is its only downfall to me. Its an incredible handheld being sold at an awful price. Odin remains the best jack of all trades master of none in the high end android space for me. The Pimax simply has too many caveats. Odin isn't the incredible value it was last year, but I think it is still plenty capable of everything I would want to play on Android. At this point, anything that requires more power than the Odin can provide, Im just going to use an X86 handheld for anyway.
This is the video I was waiting for, I've been avoiding cheaper ones because I only want to buy one handheld not a bunch. (and the steamdeck is too big)
@@tetros5265 yeah but then I basically don't have a phone. I need the phone more than I need to game on it. Ignoring everything else I have going on just to game isn't a solution.
@@pghj100 that's what I hate about using your phone for gaming: I can't just stop using it as a phone / communication device and I can't afford to burn through the battery. The whole thing makes it so unpleasant as a solution.
I have a feeling that the final retail version of the Pimax (if they fix the buttons, and have a better performance/battery profile) would have scored the highest here. I kinda think the screens for the Logitech and Odin scored too high, since their colors didn't look nearly as good. I would say they're all 7s across the board for different reasons.
I found that people jockey hard for brand names. Everyone loves screeching "GET AN ODIN!! GET A WINGPD MAX!!!" like... come on, man, let's be realistic here.
Thanks Russ for your wonderful videos about these consoles, I will definitely buy the G cloud, because despite the storm of critics that only say that it is a useless console, and that it does not work, the truth is that it is the most balanced, and it is like that it has something that makes you want the g cloud, we must recognize that in the price range that it is, in comparison with the others, it is fine, we must also recognize that if you want more power, there are many more but $$$$$ .
As someone who owned the Razer Phone 2, it just makes me miss having that phone. I loved the boxy clean form factor. I really wish Razer kept their mobile division. Too bad they don't have the resources to keep non or barely profitable divisions like Sony can (you can't tell me the Sony Phone is profitable)
The Pimax doesn't interest me much for various reasons. Same with the Deck. The Odin Pro is cool, but, my emulation phone also has an SD845 + an AMOLED screen. While it's got a bit less performance than the Odin due to the fan and Ayn's clock bumps, it's not $300 less. If I had to replace it I could get a decent used one for $50-75 on eBay or for a few dollars more get an SD855 device. I really like both the G Cloud and Edge. The Cloud because of the big screen, good enough performance, the sleek looks, and the fact I've had great luck with Logitech stuff down through the years. The Edge because I do enough Android gaming to make the aspect ratio a huge plus and the screen is bigger than what I'm using now for 4:3 and 16:9 emulation. The Kishi being detachable is a bonus because I know I actually would use it a lot as a mini tablet due to the fact I use my emulation phone the same way now. Finally, as Jafar from 'Aladdin' would say, the Razer has "Unlimited Power!" Decisions, decisions. Thanks for this video and your prior reviews. They are helpful to me even if I am suffering a bit from paralysis by analysis because I have four great choices - the Edge, the G Cloud, a really nice used flagship to pair with the X2 Pro I already own, or keep using my current setup which works fine.
I haven't watched the video yet but I feel the KT-R1 is a better handheld than all of these, bar the Odin Pro and honestly, I'd rather have the Odin Lite over the Pro, since I don't think the added costs ($60 to $80 extra depending on the spec) are worth it. Edit: Forgot about the RP3+, even though the description of the video, I think it a better value proposition than all three bar the Odin Pro.
I bought a Retroid Pocket 3+ because of your review and comments... and I can't thank you enough. It's an amazing device. Love the videos, please keep up the good work :)
Hey, great video! What I would like to see is a comparison of an android smartphone device of similar price to these handhelds and checking how such construct would stack up against devices dedicated for gaming. I mean ergonomics and performance mostly, as those I believe besides price are the most deciding factors.
Very helpful. I’ve got a birthday coming up and am thinking about getting myself one of these. The only problem is that Ayaneo announced the Pocket Air which is also supposed to be an Android device. Don’t want to make a decision until I’ve got an idea of what it will be like also.
I'm use to controllers where you go diagonal all the time when you're just trying to go straight i call this "diagonal issues" but the Steam Deck does not even register diagonals at all. I didn't know that was a thing that could happen.
I would bump the extra features score for the Odin Pro up to a 9 with the Windows dual boot and the USB-C video out compatible with the Nreal Air AR glasses.
@@efad3215 Russ didn't test with the glasses. The Pimax might support the glasses, the Razer also without the controller attached and the Logitech doesn't.
Thanks Russ, this was a great comparison. I have been curious about the comparison between the G Cloud and the Odin. I already had a G cloud, but my Odin will be here this week.
Unfortunately, this video makes my purchase decision much harder, I didn't know about some of these choices... But man, I sure do love your videos, thanks!
I'd say best scenario for us is that the chip in the edge is being sold to other companies we don't know about yet and they surprise us and end up in devices that fix these problems, imagine retroid putting it in the retroid pocket 4 or odin in the odin 2 but at 16:9 and just improve
Hey russ. Can you please, please, please try out a fold 3 with emulation? I think you will like the Form factor of almost 4:3 unfolded combined with a gamesir controller.
To anyone that owns an Ayn Odin, is it possible to use it for reading kindle books and comics from the dc and marvel unlimited apps? as I understand some applications on the play store don’t work for on the device cause the developer can’t make them run on everything. Looking for an alternative to a cellphone for a young child interested in retro gaming and reading
There are a few apps that will fix video out to 1080p on second screen on android and it works on the edge, one of then is actually called second screen.
Russ, great review as always, but you left out the GPD XP Plus!! It plays, performs, and feels better than at least two of the devices you compared here! You really should take another look at it now that you seem to have gotten over your earlier sticker shock regarding high end devices.
Unfortunately I still think the $450 asking price for the XP+ is still too high to be a serious contender; I kept this comparison video limited to $300-400. The XP+ just never really resonated with me, I pick it up every once in a while but I still think it's not tall enough. But I do like the analog sticks!
Surprised to hear a shout-out to the GameCube controller, it's so underrated I reckon. (Coming from a former GameCube owner as well) the controller outlasted the console in my case, which is funny because the console itself survived a decade in my hands as a kid, and the controller managed 13 years of service before being lost in a house fire (I used it with my Wii after my GameCube broke.) All many years ago but the point still stands that Nintendo hardware is top notch, and particularly the GameCube and it's controller.
Given the screen's aspect ratio, I'm very surprised the Edge was your choice for travel. For literally all types of gaming it just simply doesn't make sense, even Android gaming may support it but isn't at all improved by it. Seems if that's your choice then it'd be superseded by default by just your phone with a Kishi controller, you'd save $300 and have pretty much the same experience [since everyone needs a phone anyway]. Sure, having a separate device means you aren't draining your phone's battery, but is that really worth it when you can just get a battery pack and call it a day? Especially since you can't even leave the Kishi on the Edge if you don't want to fully shut it down every time you're done playing.
