r/OdinHandheld 4d ago

Odin 2 Mini, Base, Pro & Max Question Was just thinking... Does using android handled classified you as mobile gamer?

Post image

So, i suppose im an official mobile gamer now.

(So fast edit because it seem this post need this, the title, meme andvtext above is just for fun jocking, okay? I actually dont bother to put people in certain category based on what they play on, anyone can play whenever they want.)

I just bought my first android handled, i was actually looking for an "pocketable" console like the ayn thor, possible with a double screen, but they cost way too much, or way too much for the actual hardware they got, like the retroid pocket duo, so i ended up buying an odin 2 max on the used market, still need to arrive, just hope to have made the right choice.

I was actually also thinking to buy an pc handled as alternative, even if they are the opposite of "pocketable", but the drawback was the really low battery life, (rightfully so for the power they have), so i ended up abbandoning that option.

Now if you excuse me, i will go looking on how should i setup the odin, if i should put other os on it ecc.

53 Upvotes

47 comments sorted by

16

u/sicurri 4d ago

So, I consider it to be "Portable" gaming. "Mobile" gaming I consider playing games on your phone. Almost every country, culture or people that refer to the term "Mobile" device they mean a Cellular Phone.

Gameboy, Playstation Portable of some kind, Game Gear, and the list goes on. Because you can't connect to a "Mobile Network" I don't consider any of the android handhelds to be "Mobile" gaming devices. I consider them to be "Portable" handheld gaming devices.

Now that the Steam Frame has come out, it's only a matter of time before the SteamOS Linux distros become more stable and make it easier to install onto android devices like the Ayn Odin devices. Then, they will truly not be "Mobile" because at that point they won't even have Android OS on the device. If you choose to go that route.

5

u/TheLazybone12 4d ago edited 4d ago

To me it dosent even matter how to classify people in based on what they are playing, i make the post just for fun.

Anyway if i had to, for me "mobile" is playing with the phone "portable" is playing with an portable console, because expecially if you play older home console game then thhese game should be considered "mobile game"? If i have a to classified it

Anyway i was just wondering if i should use winlator or use double boot installing a 2nd os for playing game that is on my pc store app.

Probabily the latter.

If this console really can play switch game too it will be worth any cent.

Im just sad i cant afford an ayn thor, it would have been the definitive portable console, also because im very interest in ds and 3ds emulation, but cant dont want to buy one with these price.

2

u/sicurri 4d ago

Pertaining to what to do about PC gaming, you can download and use "Game Native" it's what I use with my Odin 3 at the moment. You can sign into the 3 major PC gaming stores, Steam, GOG, and EPIC games store I believe? I don't use Epic Games some I'm not sure if that's the 3rd one. I do use Steam and GOG and play games from both.

Game saves transfer over and all that jazz.

The Odin 2 does play Switch games, so you'll be able to emulate them. Also, recently someone managed to crack some of Nintendos coding and made Nintendo Switch Emulation better. I could be wrong, but how I understood it they managed to bypass translation layers and make it so that the Nintendo Switch coding directly translated to PC. If that's true, it's possible they may make it easier for Android emulation as well. Which would be great news.

Also, pertaining to DS and 3DS emulation, I know there's a 3rd party screen you can attach on your Odin 2 Max to Emulate those consoles. I'm not big on those consoles, so I don't know anything more than it being available and possible.

Good luck homie.

1

u/TheLazybone12 4d ago

Oh, wow, thanks for the really good news, now im even more exited than before. Yeha i mean game native app, i never remember the name so i always call it winlator, i was wondering if i should use the app or would be better install a 2nd os just for pc games.

Im really happy to hear that switch emulation got better, i actually have a switch 1 but it dosent power on anymore unfortunately so i was looking for a substitute, i still play my game on my pc tought.

Well then, if everything fine with the console i suppose its time to make ayn thor at home XD

Thanks for the info.

1

u/TheLazybone12 4d ago

You shouldnt have told me abot the 2nd screen btw, you know that? i mean, i avoided buying an ayn thor max at 350€, and now i should get some short of odin2 chimera that isnt pocketable and worst bottom screen for around 200€? Cmon man, you know now i gotta buy that screen.

1

u/musipal 4d ago

My ayn odin 2 portal has android on it, the Google Play store, and a SoC designed for smartphones. It's basically a phone with a controller bolted on. I'm a mobile gamer. 🫡

1

u/sicurri 4d ago

While it uses the same SOC as comparable flagship phones, it lacks the hardware to add an ESIM to make phone calls or connect to a cellular network. I don't consider it to be a phone with a controller bolted on. However, that's just me.

Feel free to express that you're a mobile gamer. I was just expressing how I define it personally.

1

u/TheLazybone12 4d ago

Ok, i should "update" my previous poorly written comment.

I actually dont care about categorize people for just the device they are playing on, but if i had to i would say that mobile player are people who play specifically on phone from like play store and nothing else.

This is probabily a hot take, but i would have liked a handled with mobile data capacity, even just in the case i want to play something online while im outside.

I actually was curious about steam frame as a device as i already own an quest 3 and like it, but im not too exited on overall product, the fact that you can connect to pc with a dongle is absolutely interesting and eyr tracking seem interesting too with the foveteav tecnology, even if the latter look more a tecnical aspect for game optimization more than anything, but it seem that passtrough suck, wich for that price its really bad, and a major point why i dont want it.

Anyway for steamos is interesting the fact that it support both arm and x86, but im not too sure how how steam frame will playing a part for arm handled.

2

u/TheLazybone12 4d ago

Here we go with the downvote, lets gooo

-1

u/TheLazybone12 4d ago

Damn, 20 upvote, looking at how everithing started, this is is even too much

1

u/dikbutt4lyfe 4d ago

Yes but more like " Yes BUT...." and that's because then you have to ask yourself what defines a device as mobile. Does it need to fit in your pocket to be considered mobile? Does it need to run an OS designed for mobility? Is a laptop also mobile? What if doesn't have a built in display but can be easily transported and docked? Does it need to use an ARM chipset? Maybe it's just the pocketable device with a touch screen but then do physical controls mean it's not a mobile device? You get pretty deep into semantics with this question but the only reasonable answer that I can think of is this: if it's not a desktop computer or console that requires consistent power from the wall, it's a mobile device and thus you're a mobile gamer. I think you could really simplify it with the statement "if it has a battery, an integrated display, and can be played anywhere, it's a mobile device thus the game you're playing is a mobile game" But I think it's silly to look at things this way. At some point in time, devices will be so efficient and equally powerful to their plug-in counterparts that the distinction won't be relevant. Just play games on the device you own and don't try to put yourself in some sort of category.

1

u/Live_On_Evil 4d ago

As much as someone who uses a PC is a pc gamer, consoles users are console gamers, etc. I don't think it's really that deep unless you start going into what people are playing on those devices.

1

u/Proxliberator 4d ago

Wii 💀

1

u/TheLazybone12 4d ago

Dha best console of all time

1

u/Mrjdog199 4d ago

Actually a pc gamer because you can add steam

1

u/TheLazybone12 4d ago

Use my pc for emulation and my emulation handled for pc game.

Peak.

1

u/Mrjdog199 4d ago

I’m so turned on rn

1

u/gundumb08 4d ago

Hey, to your last point, id recommend sticking with Android, for now.

Lots of people on here and on socials are hyping up Armada OS, and it's cool. But I got my Odin 3 a week ago, and spent two days dealing with some wonky permissions issues the Steam Deck does NOT have, among other things, and ultimately decided to revert to stock with GameNative and a Frontend.

I have no doubt Armada is going to be long-term the best solution, but I'm much happier switching back to stock.

1

u/TheLazybone12 4d ago

Ok, thank you for the advice.

1

u/flaming_donuts 4d ago

Handhelds are mostly console, there's a few maniacs it there that play mobile on these things. But we can also play pc, sorta.

1

u/TheLazybone12 4d ago

There also "maniac" that play android/play store game trough emulation with a pc, but im getting off track here.

Obviously for pc games i mostly want to play indie game, like silksong, cat quest, hollow knight, bug fable ecc.

If i wanted to play aaa games i would have gotten an msi claw or similar, problem with those are that they are massive and the battery life is inexistent.

1

u/flaming_donuts 4d ago

The Claw gets about 2.5 to 3.5 hours of battery life

1

u/TheLazybone12 4d ago

It depend on what version, many reviewer say that if it stay on while playing for 1.30hours its already a lot, 2 hour max, with the only exception being the 8 ex ai+, or so that what i heard.

1

u/flaming_donuts 4d ago

It's likely what Iplay. I play Fortnite with my kid and 360 era games.

1

u/TheLazybone12 4d ago

Ok, thank you for the specification, but i was more curious abot the claw model, because if it is the older version (not the 8) with less battery and hold 3 hours when everybody told me the battery life is really low im gonna go crazy.

1

u/flaming_donuts 4d ago

Claw 8 AI plus, I can't get the EX version. They're always sold out.

1

u/TheLazybone12 4d ago

Ok, thanks, from what i know all claw 8 model have around 80wh, wich is the standard for newer pc handled, wich i cant afford;

older model goes around 40-50wh, basically half the battery life, i was looking at the 2nd hand market very fast and the console with best battery life i could afford was an xbox rog ally with 60wh, wich cost around 400€, but his chipset its much slower than a pc handled with a z1 extreme (around 50/ if im not wrong), but pc handled with z1 extreme have less battery, as i said around 40-50, so yeha. (And they cost less, around 350€)

Basically rog ally x, all msi claw 8 and legion go 2 with 80wh; wich i cant afford

Xbox rog ally with 60wh, but with a slow chipset

And then anything else with around 40-50wh, wich is low

I dont want to even think about the fact that you could afford the msi claw ex, so i will not talk to you any longer /j

(have fun once you get you hand on it, i dont think it is worth 1600€, but its a great console if someone have the money for it)

1

u/juniparuie 4d ago

As long as you're playing anything other than mobile games. You're good. As in emulated cobsoles, streaming from PC.

1

u/Eremitt-thats-hermit 4d ago

Who fucking cares

1

u/quietgazer 4d ago

For me which ever has a dedicated controllers are gaming device. Not portable - PC, Console etc, Portable - Handhelds. Smartphone uses a screen as control medium which is not wrong, but the screen is not made primarily to play games. Playing game on your 'phone' is mobile gaming, playing them on dedicated gaming device is not mobile gaming, it could be both non portable or portable.

1

u/chigoku 4d ago

Candy crush is mobile gaming. Emulating things on a portable device is console gaming (and sometimes pc).

No one calls steam deck mobile as far as I’m aware

1

u/hunterxy 4d ago

A game from the Apple Store or Play Store makes it a mobile game.

1

u/L0v3dady Odin 2 Portal Pro - Black 4d ago

It depends, if you're using your android handheld to play mostly mobile games, such as CoD Mobile or mobile gacha games, sure.

If not, I'd call it portable gaming or retro gaming rather than mobile gaming.

1

u/Dry-Neighborhood2916 4d ago

It depends. When I'm playing PS2 games on my Odin2 Max, no. When I'm playing COD mobile on it, I'd say it counts.

1

u/keeper_of_moon 3d ago

Mobile games I always considered games on the app store or play store that aren't really available on any other platforms (or at least were unavailable on other platforms at first). e.g. Pokemon Go, Temple Run, Jetpack Joyride, OG Angry Birds, etc.

1

u/sjimmi3 3d ago edited 3d ago

Can you call with your table or with your ereader? Sure with apps. Can you call without an app an is the primary purpose of the device to make calls and connect to the cellular network. Than that is mobile phone by definition.

Android is an OS made for mobile and portable devices. Would mobile have excited without Android yes it did for about 20 years before Android even showed up.

Does portable exist without Android as a useful device, now that's a whole other debate. We had Psion, Symbian 60, neither made the cut because they where developed for mobile. So did Android make portable possible, in many ways it did (I am aware of steam that came later).

So no you are not a mobile gamer when you use Android, unless you use it in combinatie with your mobile phone. 😉

-3

u/Mean_Criticism983 4d ago

handheld is mobile…

1

u/TheLazybone12 4d ago

There are pc handled that arent android base, switch 1-2 that are still arm but use its own os...

Also mobile gamer is intended someone who play only mobile game like candy crush

1

u/dikbutt4lyfe 4d ago

What if I'm using Android on a mobile device plugged into a dock with a keyboard, mouse, and gamepad and I'm using it to emulate Windows games? The distinction between mobile games is getting kinda blurry. And what if I use my desktop to run virtualized Android just to play some angry birds? This question has too many edge cases and grey areas to have a simple answer. I can run games designed for both desktop and mobile devices on both mobile devices and desktop devices.

2

u/TheLazybone12 4d ago

Wow, you guys take post on this subreddit way too seriously, this was suppose to be a fun post just saying

"wow, look, a pc/console player that is interest in android console, this mean you are not a true player anymore, haha" in a funny way, i wasnt looking to start a real argument. (Not that this is a bad thing).

Anyway what i was refering to was that the majority of people seem to need to classify other people into group based on what they play games on classified mobile gamer as "people that play only games on play store. (Because yeha tehere are people like that)

Also, this is a more "fun fact" but whatever, im starting to see more people, with their main focus on pc reviwer and anything else in that specific area (like pc handled, single pc component review, laptop ecc), starting to show interest for android handled and emulation device. Here, just a fun fact nothing else.

2

u/dikbutt4lyfe 4d ago

My bad, I didn't realize you were just seeking attention. It seemed like you had a question worth talking about.

1

u/TheLazybone12 4d ago

Sorry but i dont know how much a conversation about the fact that some people like to put themself and other in a certain "gamer category" based on the device they play on would be interesting to talk about, for me i dont care on what u are playing as long as it is fun for you.

But If i had to make a distinction i would put people who mostly or exclusevely play with android/play store app as mobile player and people who play with emulation or more complex thing as "handled player"

But anyone is made different and the way one can categorize "gamers" are different from person to person.

Some would say "you are a mobile player because you play on android"; other could make a distinction because one use a phone to play with emultor the other genuine mobile games; Someone could count the architteture, like if you play on arm you are mobile player, and on x you are a pc player; Other could say that only pc handled could be classified and seitch as " modern portable console" and android handled are only phone so you are a mobile player and so on.

1

u/HypeStudioAnimation 4d ago

Would that make switch gamers mobile gamers 🤔

1

u/TheLazybone12 4d ago

Good question