Odin 2 vs. Steam Deck vs. Retroid Pocket 4 PRO vs. Nintendo Switch: Comparison and Reviews 2024

AYN Odin 2 Reviews

The Ayn Odin 2 comes in three different configurations. Almost nothing separates the three variants of the Odin 2 aside from the apparent difference in onboard storage and memory. The base variant comes with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of onboard storage, while the Pro has 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. The Ayn Odin 2 Pro Max has 16GB of RAM and 512GB of onboard storage.

Besides these, the Odin 2 ships with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC that can be found on some of the most powerful Android flagship smartphones, including the Samsung Galaxy S 23 Ultra and gaming phones like the ROG Phone 7 and the RedMagic 8 S Pro. The presence of this chipset itself is enough to allow enough raw horsepower for the Ayn Odin 2 to run any game available on the Android ecosystem.

The console has a 6-inch touch-friendly IPS LCD panel boasting full HD resolution. The Odin 2 draws power from an 8000 mAh battery supporting 65W Quick Charge 5.0 platform for fast charging. It is equipped with USB 3.1, a Micro HDMI port, and a 3.5mm headphone jack for connectivity. Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.3 for wireless connectivity is also available. And the Odin 2 runs on Android 13.

The Odin 2 from Ayn also has an active cooling mechanism to keep thermals in check, and a couple of extra buttons at the back could come in handy depending on the game you play.

Building on the great work of its predecessor, the Ayn Odin 2 arrives as the premier handheld games console for anyone looking for an Android-based gaming device. With the full Android app store at your disposal, the Odin 2 lets you tap into pretty much every conceivable aspect of gaming: whether you’re looking to stream from Xbox Game Pass, or fire up an old-school classic with emulators, it’s only limited by your patience to learn the intricacies of, and configure, varying gaming applications. Specs:

Odin Pro vs. Odin 2 Base vs. 2 Pro vs. 2 Max: Comparison and Reviews 2024

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Steam Deck Reviews 

Steam Deck partnered with AMD to create Steam Deck's custom APU, optimized for handheld gaming. It is a Zen 2 + RDNA 2 powerhouse, delivering more than enough performance to run the latest AAA games in a very efficient power envelope.

Once you've logged into Steam Deck, your entire Steam Library shows up, just like any other PC. You'll also see the compatibility rating of each game, indicating the kind of experience you can expect when playing. You can dynamically filter any view in your library by compatibility rating if you're looking for specific sorts of experiences. The Steam Deck was built for extended play sessions—whether you're using thumbsticks or trackpads—with full-size controls positioned perfectly within your reach. The rear of the device is sculpted to comfortably fit a wide range of hand sizes.

A significant portion of the Steam Deck’s frame consists of the control surfaces and grips, which are considerably wider than the Nintendo Switch’s Joy-Cons (and not removable). The standard dual analog sticks are present, along with four menu buttons, a direction pad, and four face buttons. Square touchpads sit below the analog sticks and above the Steam and Options buttons. In a nice touch, the grips' widths ensure that your thumbs and the meat of your palms won’t accidentally touch the trackpads or block the speakers, located under the Steam and Options buttons.

It has a reasonable $349 starting price, but we recommend spending the extra $130 for the mid-tier model that features four times the amount of onboard storage (note that all three Steam Deck models house the same CPU, GPU, and RAM power; only the display and storage type/capacity differ). Valve's handheld is a terrific device for taking your Steam library on the go, but the firmware has some quirks that need to be addressed, especially if you want to go all-in on emulation and game mods. Valve has released the Steam Deck OLED starting at $549, a handheld with many cool upgrades.

Steam Deck feels reasonably more settled when it comes to being a handheld device, with community led gamepad profiles, unique front-facing touchpads, and the ability to resume games on the fly after putting the device to sleep. Specs:

Retroid Pocket 4 PRO Reviews 

The $199 Retroid Pocket 4 Pro is a great value for those who primarily want a gaming handheld to emulate older consoles. It’s an Android-based device with far less power than the Steam Deck or ROG Ally, so it can only run PC, PS5 and Xbox games via streaming.

The Pocket 4 Pro runs on a MediaTek Dimensity 1100 chip and 8GB of RAM, and it has a built-in fan with three different modes you can activate to gain a little extra performance. This provides enough power to play most games from the PlayStation 2 and Nintendo GameCube, two popular retro consoles that are often tough for mobile handhelds to emulate. Not every game worked — particularly demanding titles like Star Wars Rogue Squadron II and ESPN NFL 2K5 were too choppy — and getting many others to run optimally required tinkering with resolution, rendering and active cooling settings. With some setup, though, it can play a significant chunk of PS2 and GameCube games at full speed and double their native resolution. The fact it can stably play more intensive titles like Gran Turismo 4 at all, even at lower settings, is fantastic for the money.

The Pocket 4 Pro is built like a shorter Nintendo Switch Lite. It’s a flat slab that lacks ergonomic grips but is still comfortable to hold thanks to its low weight and small profile. It doesn’t feel cheap or creaky despite its plastic frame, and its textured coating is pleasing to the touch. 

Specs:

Retroid also sells a non-Pro version of the Pocket 4 with a slower Dimensity 900 chip and 4GB of RAM for $149. If you like this design and don’t care as much about emulating games from the PS2, GameCube and up, it may be a better value. It'll still be able to play many games from those two systems, and everything below that should be rock solid. But the Pocket 4 Pro casts a wider safety net performance-wise, so it should be worth the extra $50 for those who want to emulate higher-power consoles more reliably.

Nintendo Switch Reviews 

The Nintendo Switch is one-part handheld and one-part home console, and hopes to be the only device you'll ever need for gaming, wherever you are. The hybrid console is an undeniable success, offering up an exceptional level of handheld graphical quality, while seamlessly transitioning into a home console – though this very adaptability has required compromises on power and functionality compared to the dedicated consoles and handhelds that came before it.

The Nintendo Switch is the first step toward bridging the gap between home and handheld consoles, so it’s an incredibly significant addition to Nintendo’s family of consoles in terms of its unique offerings. It boasts a tonne of shiny new features to build upon the foundations set by previous consoles and packs some impressive capabilities in its hybrid form, especially when you take its flexibility into account.  

The Nintendo Switch brings with it a central idea that can benefit literally every game, not just the select few that can use motion control or a second screen. Who hasn't at one time wanted to pack up their console and take it with them? Essentially, the Switch delivers on this hybrid idea. You'll find it a solid, premium handheld that can flip into docked mode and work as you'd expect a home console.

Six years on, following a 2019 revision of the console and the release of the Nintendo Switch OLED and Nintendo Switch Lite models, the Nintendo Switch is more popular than it's ever been, and it's apparent Nintendo has struck a winning formula with its handheld hybrid.

Specs:

Those who aren't sold on its hybridity and want that classic Nintendo handheld experience will no doubt be interesting in the compact, lighter alternative: the Nintendo Switch Lite, which offers a solely handheld Switch gaming experience. For those after something more premium, there's also the Nintendo Switch OLED, which mainly improves the portable aspect of play.

Where to Buy Handheld Gaming Consoles?

You can buy handheld gaming consoles at brands' official website (like Ayntec.com, Steampowered.com, Nintendo.com, and Goretroid.com). You can also go Best Buy, GameStop, Walmart.com, or Amazon.com to purchase handheld gaming consoles. 

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Odin 2 vs. Steam Deck vs. Retroid Pocket 4 PRO vs. Nintendo Switch

Below we will look at these four handheld gaming consoles from top to bottom. This includes their specs, price & avaliablity, designs, dispaly, software, controls, features, battery life, and more!

1. Specs

2. Price & Availability

Odin 2

The Odin 2 is available in three different versions that scale up in price and performance. Almost nothing separates the three variants of the Odin 2 aside from the apparent difference in onboard storage and memory. The base variant comes with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of onboard storage, while the Pro has 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. The Ayn Odin 2 Pro Max has 16GB of RAM and 512GB of onboard storage.

The Odin 2 is available on Ayntec.com, Amazon.com, & Aliexpress.com (Up to 12% Super Cash Back).

Steam Deck

It has a reasonable $349 starting price. Valve has released the Steam Deck OLED starting at $549, a handheld with many cool upgrades.

The Steam Deck is available on Gamestop.com, Amazon.com, and Steampowered.com.

Retroid Pocket 4 PRO

The Retroid Pocket 4 PRO with MediaTek Dimensity 1100 CPU has great performance that costs less than half the price of it rival Android retro gaming handheld.

The Retroid Pocket 4 PRO is available on Goretroid.com & Aliexpress.com (Up to 12% Super Cash Back).

Nintendo Switch

The Nintendo Switch has brought a resurgence to handheld gaming, even influencing new mobile gaming techniques. There are several differences between the three Nintendo Switch models when deciding on which one to purchase. The OLED, the original and the Lite can all support the same Switch games at a handheld level, but the differences between each version can dictate gameplay and the overall gaming experience. Click here to find the difference & comparison between the OLED, the Original and the Lite. 

The Nintendo Switch is available on Bestbuy.com, Amazon.com,  Gamestop.com, Walmart.com, and Nintendo.com. There are also some refurbished versions available here.

3. Color Options

Odin 2 & Retroid Pocket 4 PRO offer the most color options. Steam Deck is only available in black. Nintendo Switch is available in Neon Blue and Neon Red Joy‑Con, and some special edition.

4. Display

Odin 2

• IPS LCD 6“ Touch Screen

• 1920x1080p

Steam Deck

• Display: 7.4” diagonal, 16:10, 60Hz, 400-nits / 600-nits

• Resolution: 1280 x 800 x RGB
  

Retroid Pocket 4 PRO

• 4.7-inch IPS, 500 nits brightness, 60Hz

• Resolution: 750 x 1,334

Nintendo Switch

• Display: 6.2-inch

• Resolution: 1280 × 720 IPS (237 ppi)

Obviously, The Retroid Pocket 4 Pro is a very easy-to-carry gaming console. Since it's portable, it also has the smallest screen. And it's still comfortable to hold thanks to its low weight and small profile. The $199 Retroid Pocket 4 Pro is a great value for those who primarily want a gaming handheld to emulate older consoles. It’s an Android-based device with far less power than the Steam Deck or ROG Ally, so it can only run PC, PS5 and Xbox games via streaming. With some setup, though, it can play a significant chunk of PS2 and GameCube games at full speed and double their native resolution. The fact it can stably play more intensive titles like Gran Turismo 4 at all, even at lower settings, is fantastic for the money.

5. Designs

Odin 2

With measurements of 225mm x 98mm x 17mm and a weight of 420g, The Ayn Odin 2 is not a pocketable handheld, and a touch chunkier than the original Odin. But its weight distribution and ergonomic grips mean it’s comfortable to play with for hours without much strain. It’s way more portable than a Steam Deck, at any rate. The Ayn Odin 2 is an impressively comfortable and well-constructed build. There’s no sense of flex to the chassis, smooth travel to all buttons, and no worries about the device overheating becuase of its active cooling fan, even under the most intense load.

The Ayn Odin 2 uses Hall Sensor analog sticks in an asymmetrical (Xbox-style) arrangement.  Hall Sensors use electrical resistance rather than physical contact between parts to interpret movement, and are excellently smooth in operation, protected from the dreaded stick-drift that’s plagued Nintendo’s Switch over the years. Adjustable LED lights, which can be set to any RGB color with adjustable brightness, sit both under the joysticks and around the edges of the device. They add some flair to an otherwise reserved design but can be switched off entirely if you find them distracting.

An excellent D-Pad, perfect for a swift Street Fighter shoryuken, sits under the left stick, while well-sized A, B, X, and Y buttons, arranged in the Nintendo style, sit above the right stick. Start and Select buttons sit at the top of the front face, and are easily reachable. Stereo speakers sit along the lower edge and are surprisingly loud and clear given the size of the device.

Steam Deck

At 11.73 x 4.60 x 1.93 inches, the Steam Deck is one of the largest handhelds ever released. The Steam Deck’s build quality makes it look like a premium product, with its thick flat center and contoured hand grips. There are two analog sticks and two trackpads on either side, along with a D-pad on the left and X/Y/A/B buttons on the right. The View and Menu buttons serve as Select and Pause in-game, respectively, while the Steam and Quick Access buttons let you access SteamOS. 

Volume buttons, a 3.5 mm headphone jack, a USB-C port and a power button are located between the shoulder buttons. There are also four programmable back buttons and an SD card reader on the Steam Deck’s underside. Two speakers reside underneath the Steam and Quick Access buttons, respectively. You’ll also find air vents along the top.

The Steam Deck’s design isn’t wildly different from other handhelds, but it looks great regardless. Button spacing and weight distribution make the unit comfortable to use for extended periods. It’s clear that Valve put a lot of thought into the user experience, even going so far as to place the USB-C port on the top so you can easily play while plugged in.

Retroid Pocket 4 PRO

The Retroid Pocket 4 PRO measures 7.2 x 3.1 x 0.9 inches (18.5 x 8 x 2.5 cm ) and weighs 269g. It is available in six colours 16 bit, 16bit US, Black shown here, Crystal, Ice Blue and Watermelon. 

The display is an IPS touchscreen measuring 4.7 inches with a 750×1334 resolution. After upgrading to the latest firmware it fixes an issue with a green tint on the screen and gives a more natural white colour in particular.

You have all the usual controls including D-Pad, Analogues and gaming buttons. On the bottom left area are Home and Back buttons for Android usage.

The top has shoulder and trigger buttons on either side, followed by a micro HDMI port for output to a monitor or TV. There is the volume rocker and the power button.

On the bottom is a covered micro SD card slot, 3.5 mm headphone port and USB Type-C port for charging and data.

Nintendo Switch

With the Joy-Cons attached, the Switch measures 4 x 9.4 x 0.55 inches (10.1 x 23.8 x 1.3 centimeters) and weighs 0.88 pounds (around 400 grams), making it the smallest and lightest main console of this generation. The built-in display is a 720p LCD screen and is also a touch screen, with the processing handled by an Nvidia custom Tegra CPU.

Like most modern consoles, the Nintendo Switch has a fairly unremarkable design: rectangles mixed with a few softer curves, all rendered in matte plastics. You can choose the Neon color option, whose blue and red Joy-Con controllers give it a bit more personality, or the plainer all-gray version which gives a more cohesive look to the console. Either way, the centerpiece of the Switch is a gray rectangle with the display on it.

The dock, a rather dull rectangle of black plastic by default, is more interesting than its appearance would indicate. There's a space for the Switch to slide into, which contains a hidden USB Type-C connector, plus a port for the AC adapter to attach. The side and back of the dock contain a total of three USB ports for plugging in accessories and an HDMI output to connect to your monitor or TV, covered by a molded flap that aims to keep your cables tidy. 

Mechanically, however, the Switch is very smart. With the Joy-Cons attached to its side rails, the console behaves like a large handheld. Alternatively, you can slide the Joy-Cons off and use them separately in tabletop mode. When you play this way, you can lay the Switch flat, or prop it up on its built-in stand. Finally, there's TV mode, where the console plugs into the included dock to play your games on a separate display. This is the only way you're able to play your games at their maximum 1080p resolution (in handheld mode, they default to 720p).

The console uses game cards for its physical media, which you insert into a covered port on the top of the system. You'll also find the power button, a 3.5-millimeter jack for attaching headphones or speakers and a volume button on the Switch's top edge.

On the bottom you'll find the USB Type-C charging port, which draws power into the console's 4,310 mAh internal battery, either directly from the included power adapter, or via the docking station, filling up in around 3 hours. If you lift up the kickstand on the back of the console, you'll also find the microSD card slot, which allows you to expand your downloadable game storage.

6. Software & Performance

The performance of Odin 2, Retroid Pocket 4 PRO, and Nintendo Switch cannot match the performance of Steam Deck.

• Steam Deck partnered with AMD to create Steam Deck's custom APU, optimized for handheld gaming. It is a Zen 2 + RDNA 2 powerhouse, delivering more than enough performance to run the latest AAA games in a very efficient power envelope. Older, less intensive, games like Alien Isolation run perfectly—even on the highest settings. The same goes for less intensive games. You can play Hades, Shredder’s Revenge and Nex Machina with maximum settings without problems.
  

7. Battery Life

Odin 2

• 8,000mAh
  

With a capacity of 8,000mAh, it’ll last as long as 24 hours between charges. It’ll vary depending on the intensity of the application you’re using. A retro gaming session will take baby sips at the juice, while high-end Android games or 3D emulation will see it drain far quicker - perhaps as quickly as six or seven hours. But even at the low end of the scale that’s a respectable performance. You’ll get a full recharge in around two hours with 65W quick charge. Regardless, the Ayn Odin is going to be an excellent travel companion. 

Steam Deck

• 40Whr / 50Whr

• The original LCD Steam Deck gets anywhere between 2 to 8 hours, drawing from a 40Whr battery. The Steam Deck OLED lasts between 3 to 12 hours, not just because of a larger 50Whr battery, but because of improved power efficiency.

Retroid Pocket 4 PRO

• 5,000mAh 

The Retroid Pocket 4 Pro lasted an average of 5-7 hours without enabling the battery saver option. Additionally, this device can last days longer in standby mode than the Switch Lite can. And the device itself also doesn’t take long to charge at all. I used the USB-C cord that it came with and an old Roku USB power cube to charge it with.It was fully charged within 3 hours, while not using it. About 4 total hours to charge fully while you are playing it. 

Nintendo Switch

• 4310 mAh

The launch Nintendo Switch (model number HAC-001) is rated to last between 2.5 and 6.5 hours, according to Nintendo's own estimates, while the updated version (model number HAC-001(-01)) — which you can tell from the original via its full-red packaging — manages a much more convenient 4.5 to 9 hours. 

8. Pros & Cons

Odin 2

Steam Deck

Retroid Pocket 4 PRO

Nintendo Switch

Verdict: Which Handheld Gaming Console Should You Buy?

Odin 2

The Odin 2 manages to make good on Ayn's premise of high-end, low-cost and is the blueprint for how all upgrades should be done. If you want power that blasts its peers out of the water, the Odin 2 is a must for emulation enthusiasts and Android gamers alike.

With a great chipset, excellent screen and controls, plus the flexibility of the Android operating system at its heart, the Ayn Odin 2 is a one-stop gaming solution. It’s not as intuitive as something like a Nintendo Switch and has a bit of a learning curve, but put the time in and the Ayn Odin 2 puts thousands of games in the palm of your hands.

Steam Deck

If you only want to play Steam games on a handheld, the Steam Deck is fantastic. If you’re willing to put in a little work to get your favorite emulators running on a handheld, the Steam Deck is also worth checking out. The ever-evolving Valve Steam Deck is a Linux-based handheld that lets you take your Steam library on the go, run an impressive number of Windows games, and easily connect the device to an external display.

Still, the Steam Deck is a great piece of hardware, and one that's finding its stride more than a year after its launch. The handheld is powerful for its size and price, and despite being a Linux-based device, it runs many excellent Windows games extremely well. It isn’t a graphical powerhouse like the PlayStation 5 or the Xbox Series X, but those systems have the size and power benefits of being home consoles. The Steam Deck is a handheld, and a formidable one at that. In short, this is a must-have device for PC gamers who want to free their Steam libraries from the desktop.

Retroid Pocket 4 PRO

The Retroid Pocket 4 PRO with MediaTek Dimensity 1100 CPU has great performance that costs less than half the price of it rival Android retro gaming handheld. The Retroid Pocket 4 PRO represents great value for money versus performance in this price range. If the Odin 2 is out of your price range, then the Retroid Pocket 4 PRO is easily the mobile gaming handheld to go for.

Nintendo Switch

The Nintendo Switch works as both a home game console and a handheld, offering access to a remarkably strong library of excellent games on your TV at home or in your hands on the go.But the Switch isn't a perfect game console. It only reaches 1080p when the PS4 Pro and Xbox One X can both reach 4K (and the PS5 and Xbox Series X are capable of even better graphics and more impressive performance), and Nintendo saddles it with some strange and frustrating limitations. However, the home and portable experiences are incredibly fun, and there are so many games available on the system that are really worth your time, even if you've played some of them before. For these reasons, the Nintendo Switch is an Editors' Choice pick for video game consoles.

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