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| AYN Thor has become NinjaGuyX’s main handheld for dual-screen emulation and retro gaming. |
By NinjaGuyX
If you’re really into retro handhelds, you’ve probably already heard a lot about the AYN Thor. It topped a bunch of YouTubers’ “best of the year” lists, and after a few months with it, I wanted to talk about how it actually feels to use day to day.
Discovering The AYN Thor
So today’s review is going to be a little different. There are already tons of deep-dive specs and setup guides out there. Instead, I want to talk about what I’ve personally been enjoying after a few months of using the Thor. What actually makes me pick it up and play. If you were on the fence, maybe this will push you over the edge.
When the Thor was first announced, I honestly thought, “Okay, another Android handheld.” But then I watched Retro Game Corps playing 3DS Pokémon on it, and the image looked insanely crisp. I had never seen 3DS games look that clean on a handheld before. That was the moment my brain went, “Yep… I need this.”
I also realized it could replace a few devices I already owned, so selling those basically covered the cost.
Unboxing, Accessories, And Grips
When it arrived, the unboxing was great. There’s a quality seal showing the unit was tested before shipping, and mine was already on the latest firmware. Even though that update had only released about a week earlier. That was a really nice touch.
I bought the full accessory bundle, and I actually don’t recommend doing that.
You can’t use everything at once. For example, if you attach the official grip, you can’t use the keychain attachment. I’d suggest only buying the accessories you know you’ll use. The official case is good though. It fits the system even with the grip attached.
I did end up buying a third-party grip later, and it’s honestly better than the official one. It’s more comfortable, and it lets you carry both the included stylus and a Switch stylus, which is perfect for DS and 3DS games.
Dual-Screen Emulation And Retro Play
Let’s talk about the main reason people buy the Thor: dual-screen emulation.
Everything I’ve tried runs really well. You still need a bit of tinkering knowledge. This isn’t a plug-and-play device, but once you dial things in, it’s fantastic. For example, Fantasy Life didn’t work properly in one emulator, so I moved it to another and it was fine.
For me, this has basically become an “everything” handheld. It handles Nintendo up to Nintendo Switch, PlayStation up to PS2, and a huge range of retro systems. No Xbox, unfortunately. Retro Game Corps has excellent setup guides by the way.
Nintendo Switch performance is surprisingly smooth. You’ll hit occasional glitches, but most of them are fixable with settings tweaks.
PC Gaming And Wii Support
One thing that really blew my mind is PC game support. Using apps like GameHub and GameNative, you can log into your Steam and GOG accounts and download games directly. It won’t run everything. Think roughly PS3-level visuals as the upper limit, but lighter modern games run fine, and performance will only improve over time.
I also wanted a proper Wii experience without motion-control hacks. So I picked up the Odin 2 Super Dock and a DolphinBar to connect real Wiimotes. After some setup, it worked perfectly. My wife and I were playing Wii games on the TV like it was 2008 again.
If you want a tutorial on this setup, let me know in the comments because I haven’t seen many guides for this exact configuration.
Living With The AYN Thor
So yeah, this isn’t a spec review, it’s just my real experience.
I’ve been using this thing constantly. It covers almost all of my portable gaming needs, and I don’t feel the need to buy another handheld anytime soon. I’ve got about 2.5 TB of storage in it and it’s nearly full, which should keep me busy for the rest of my life.
The AYN Thor absolutely gets my stamp of approval. If you’re looking for a powerful, flexible handheld and you don’t mind a little tinkering, it’s 100% worth a look.
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