Driving the news: The company behind the popular Odin Android handheld has released the first image of the follow-up console, the aptly-named AYN Odin 2.
- Very little is known about the AYN Odin 2.
- The IndieGoGo campaign appears to be launching soon.
- The image shows a console that looks very similar to the first-generation Odin handheld.
Why it matters: The original AYN Odin was a dark horse that became an overnight hit. Its low price point and, at the time, solid power meant it was able to emulate consoles up to PlayStation 2.
Since the original release, AYN moved into the world of PC handheld gaming with the AYN Loki, but it looks like the company is moving back to its roots with the AYN Odin 2.
The new image of the AYN Odin 2, taken from the handheld’s IndieGoGo page, bears a striking resemblance to the original Odin albeit with some small changes.
- Stick and face button placement remain the same.
- Start and select are both now on the lower section of the console.
- Speaker grills are now visible on the front.
- The dark color scheme for certain buttons has been ditched in favor of a cleaner white.
- The black bar surrounding the screen is now white.
Potential specs: The original AYN Odin, which had two different versions – lite and pro – used powerful tech at the time. The Mediatek D900 combined with the Mali-G68 and either 4GB or 8GB of RAM meant it was capable of a lot.
So much so, it comfortably beat out both the Razer Edge and Logitech G Cloud in terms of power and price.
Below are the specs of the original AYN Odin for reference. It goes without saying, AYN will need to top these specs if it wants to get the original owners to upgrade.
- CPU: Mediatek Dimensity D900 | Dual-core A78 @2.4GHz, six-core A55 @2.0GHz
- GPU: Mali-G68 MC4
- RAM: 4GB LPDDR4
- Storage: 64GB
- Screen: 5.98-inch IPS LCD dragonglass touchscreen
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Resolution: Up to 1080p at 1080×1920
- Video Output: HDMI
- Connectivity: Wi-fi 6 (a/b/g/n/ac/ax), Bluetooth 5.2
- Operating System: Android 11.0
- Size: 224 by 95 by 15
Analysis: AYN’s biggest problem right now is that it’s too popular. It’s still got original Odin’s to ship, and that’s before we get into how many Loki consoles it’s still to get to owenrs.
Shipping the product is AYN’s kryptonite. Yes, they are getting shipped, but the speed needs to be worked on.
The AYN Odin 2 is set to enter a world with a lot of choice. The original came out when the handheld boom was just beginning, but now the Odin 2 needs to go head to head with not only other Android devices like the Razer Edge and G Cloud, but it’s also got the Steam Deck and ASUS ROG Ally to contend with.
The latter PC-focused handhelds are also much, much more powerful than the original Odin.
In short, the landscape has changed, and it’s up to AYN to make the case for the Odin 2 when the IndieGoGo launches.
