My New Gaming Handheld Obsession: AYN Thor
My new favorite console
I just got the AYN Thor, a gaming handheld with the form factor of a Nintendo DS and internal power strong enough to run Nintendo Switch games. If there’s anything that’s true about me, it’s that whenever I discover a new way to boot up my favorite N64 games, I’m going to want to try it out (shout out to my Analogue 3D).
I've never owned a clamshell handheld. So upon receiving my AYN Thor in the mail after about a 3-month wait, picking it up and holding it alone came with an excitement that must’ve been comparable to picking up a Nintendo DS for the first time. I felt like a kid in 2004 as I messed around with the two(!) screens, folded it open and close, and delighted in a brand new toy to play around with.
Unlike a DS though, booting up my Thor wasn’t met with a snazzy, Nintendo-designed homepage. No, AYN Thor freshly boots into a bare Android homepage with no sense of video game theatrics to be found. But despite the strong lack of "video game"-energy emanating from the homescreen, this marked the beginning of arguably the most fun part of the gaming handheld journey: the set-up.
Before I get to the set-up, I do want to sprinkle throughout this article some “unrelated” thoughts about games I’ve been playing or thinking about recently. Not at all having to do with my acquisition of my AYN Thor. Let’s start with a Nintendo DS game.
Unrelated: Pokemon Heart Gold is really fun
Pokémon HeartGold Version and Pokémon SoulSilver Version are paired Generation IV remakes of the Generation II games Pokémon Gold and Silver. Much like how Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen revisited the Generation I story of Kanto, HeartGold and SoulSilver retell the story of Johto, with the player's starting town being New Bark Town. While the games feature several expansions in key areas, the overall plot follows the same direction as the original Gold and Silver. Some aspects exclusive to Crystal are also included. Like how FireRed and LeafGreen could link up with Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald to complete the Pokédex by trading regionally exclusive Pokémon, HeartGold and SoulSilver can link up with Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum to obtain Pokémon unavailable in Johto and Kanto (such as the Sinnoh starters) and vice versa. Kris, despite being the female counterpart of Crystal's player character, is not included as the female player character, with a new character instead taking her place. Whether she is chosen to be the player character or not, this new character will still appear in the game. The unselected protagonist will take a pseudo-rival role similar to the unselected characters of Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum. The games were released on September 12, 2009 in Japan, February 4, 2010 in Korea, March 14, 2010 in North America, March 25, 2010 in Australia and March 26, 2010 in Europe (this excludes the Netherlands, Luxembourg and parts of Belgium due to an in-game save error, with the patched copies later released on April 2, 2010).
I’ve been playing a lot of Pokemon Heart Gold this last week. I grew up the first few generations on my Gameboy Color and Advanced, but revisiting Gold with this artstyle and Dual Screen features really drives home why I often hear this version touted as one of the best Pokemon games ever made. I do hate how often people call you on the phone in this game though... Also screw Whitney and her Miltank.
Random thought: It’d be neat to be able to have a fast forward button in this game. Maybe at the press of a button? Mapped to an R2 trigger? Just a thought.
Back To The Topic: The Setup
Setting up the AYN Thor gave me a similar joy as solving a jigsaw puzzle or building a grand Lego set. You know what you’re driving towards; the ultimate gaming device that can hold your retro library along with your Steam library. It took me a few days to set up, setting aside about an hour each day. Setup included downloading the appropriate emulators and frontend applications as well configuring them. Setting up the emulators took up the bulk of my time while setting up the frontend (I use Cocoon) pulled everything together in a simple, clean package with UI designs created by a talented community of creators that have united to make the emulator handheld scene as customizable as possible. My AYN Thor now boots right into a Netflix-like menu filled with my library of games. The multiple hours to get to this point were worth the journey to get here, big shout out to Retro Game Corps for the guide.
Unrelated: Burnout 3: Takedown would be really fun on this thing
Take anarchic driving destruction on a world tour and experience the pure arcade adrenaline-rush of Burnout 3: Takedown. Combine aggressive high-speed racing with the ultimate in slamming crash action to boost your way to the top. Takedown the competition across the USA, Europe and the Far East in over 60 Race events, or crush all comers with Burnout 3: Takedown's junction-jamming Crash event pileups. Push it to the next level with five competitive multiplayer models, then move the mayhem online to compete against up to seven players. Reap the rewards of dangerous driving, earning Crash $ and Burnout Points to unlock over 60 hot vehicles, coveted skill trophies, front-page headlines and much more. (Source PS2 Game Manual)
I miss my PlayStation 2. The library was filled with a lot of great pick-up and play games like Burnout 3, NBA Street Vol. 2, NFL Street 2, Def Jam: Fight For NY, etc. Those are the types of games that would be great to just have on a device like this. Especially because the AYN Thor has the capability to run games like these very well. The OLED screen pops as well and the buttons have a quality feel that would make playing games like these a feel like a dream.
Back To The Topic: My Steam Library
Game Native is an app that allows you to access and run your Steam Library on android devices like the AYN Thor. I’ve found that booting up and running many of my games works surprisingly well, albeit within reason. I’ve admittedly not tried a game like STAR WARS Zero Company for example, because its demanding 3D graphics and technical complexities would likely make the download a waste of time. However here are some recs for Steam games I’ve been kicking around on my Thor:
Blood Dungeon
Messhof
From the creators of Nidhogg, murder hordes of monsters in this 2D platforming autoshooter with a killer soundtrack. Collect Blood, gold, and bones to increase your powers. Can you survive the Blood Dungeon?
It’s a auto-attack roguelike similar to Vampire Survivors except it’s a 2D action-platformer made by the people who created Niddhogg. Perfectly fun-sized for a device like the AYN Thor.
Mina The Hollower
Yacht Club Games
Take control of Mina, a renowned Hollower hurtled into a desperate mission to rescue a cursed island. Whip foes, burrow through the ground, and explore a pixel-perfect world in Mina the Hollower, a brand new game from the developers who brought you Shovel Knight!
I started a playthrough when it launched and it was really fun to boot this up and discover that it runs perfectly. It’s a modern Zelda with Soulslike influence from the Shovel Knight folks.
UFO 50
Mossmouth
UFO 50 is a collection of 50 single and multiplayer games from the creators of Spelunky, Downwell, Time Barons, Skorpulac, and Madhouse. Jump in and explore a variety of genres, from platformers and shoot 'em ups to puzzle games and RPGs. Our goal is to combine a familiar 8-bit aesthetic with new ideas and modern game design sensibilities.
For a piece of hardware that is already "allegedly" running a bunch of emulated classic games, what if you added a bunch of fake classic games that are oftentimes as good as if not even BETTER than those classic games. UFO 50 is an everlasting gobstopper of fun NES-inspired titles.
Mewgenics
Edmund McMillen, Tyler Glaiel
Build the ultimate cat army through tactical breeding and send them into deep, challenging turn-based adventures. Draft abilities, collect items, and manipulate genetics across generations in this roguelike tactics game from the creators of The Binding of Isaac and The End is Nigh.
A tactical roguelike about breeding cats that I admittedly am scared to play too much of because I only just beat my addiction to it earlier this year.
Balatro
Playstack
The poker roguelike. Balatro is a hypnotically satisfying deckbuilder where you play illegal poker hands, discover game-changing jokers, and trigger adrenaline-pumping, outrageous combos.
You know Balatro. Here’s another thing that can run it.
Esoteric Ebb
Raw Fury
Esoteric Ebb is a single-player CRPG inspired by the freedom of tabletop adventures. Unravel a political conspiracy with your goblin sidekick. Roll dice in tense encounters. Become a cleric of legends or completely ruin the campaign.
This is more of a backlog inclusion. I want to play Esoterric Ebb, so booting it up and seeing that it runs is increasing my likelihood of getting to it soon by tenfold.
Those are my suggestions! And even though these games are not relatively GPU-intensive, the power present in the Thor IS impressive. To address the elephant in the room in a non-”unrelated” way, AYN Thor is a device created for emulation. It has the power to run Switch games (although I’ve been avoiding those because I prefer to just buy and play those on my Switch). That said, my library of retro games has found such a nice home here on the Thor. Beyond just the games, there are a number of things that have made my Thor experience special within my first week of having it:
- Two screens means I can multitask, such as putting a guide on the bottom screen
- Running on Android means I can run Spotify in the background
- It fits in my pocket, unlike my Steam Deck or Switch
- The community is very strong, sharing tips and tricks along with developing tools to make the experience better.
Unrelated: Mario 64 would be really gorgeous in widescreen
Mario is super in a whole new way! Combining the finest 3-D graphics ever developed for a video game and an explosive soundtrack, Super Mario 64 becomes a new standard for video games. It's packed with bruising battles, daunting obstacle courses, and underwater adventures. Retrieve the Power Stars from their hidden locations and confront your arch-nemesis— Bowser, King of the Koopas! • Run freely in a grassy meadow, tip-toe through a gloomy dungeon, climb to the top of a mountain, or take a swim in the moat! • Leap headfirst into a watery painting and soon you'll be searching for the surface in an underwater realm! • On-the-fly, 3-D rendered gameplay delivers the action of ruthless enemy attacks from every angle! • Find the Caps that give Mario super powers and ponder the mysteries of the pyramid; you can even race Koopas for fabulous prizes! • With the Nintendo 64 Controller and its analog Control Stick, Mario can crawl, kick down obstacles, swim, do reverse flips, and even stick the landing on his backwards somersault! • Saved game information is stored for up to four players in memory.
It’s just a thought.
Back to the topic: AYN Thor Rocks
I really love my AYN Thor, not just for the emulation aspect, but because having a new toy is fun. However, this new toy adds a lot of function with its second screen, power, and what feels like a world within my pocket.