Hey everyone!

This is a project I've been working on for the past two weeks. Meet Reverie!

Basically, it's SteamOS from the Steam Frame build running on ROCKNIX ABL.

It’s not a standalone "from scratch" project - more like a combination of different projects and drivers squeezed into a working SteamOS image.

Some key features:

Boot from a Micro SD or install to internal storage from Desktop Mode.

Runs games surprisingly well!  (tested FF7 Remake, life is strange and metro last light)

USB-C video output is supported.

OTA updates are working out of box in Gaming mode

My main daily driver is the Ayaneo Pocket S. As for other handhelds, I dragged support for them from Armada. Everything should work just fine, but if you face any issues, there is an automated logging system implemented. Feel free to submit your logs on the GitHub issues page and I'll be more than happy to look into them!

I'm daily driving this myself and already have a lot of plans, so expect updates!

More info: https://github.com/gryoza/reverie

First off, huge thank you to all the people siding with me. The mod that banned me ended up commenting on my post and I lashed out on them. They stated I showed my order confirmation, but the screenshot was cropped to show the 2 day delivery… not my order confirmation lol just so people knew it was real. Apparently I was whining and they updated rules

Nonetheless, they are NOT Onexplayer associates and I hope Onexplayer addresses them for this since that post now has over 100k+ views (probably won’t)

They’re able to let people show off their grips and deem that informative but when I show people you can get one off amazon in two days it’s a problem… baffling lol.

Review:

Set up - man it is a lot. But it’s worth it to get maximum performance. Shoutout to 128kb they helped a lot.

Nonetheless, this thing is a P O W E R H O U S E. the display is beautiful. A tiny bit of wobble on the left controller, but that’s it. The ergonomics on this thing is amazing. It does NOT feel like the legion go 2 (in a good way). Still testing out different TDP’s on different games so another post probably by the end of the month will let you guys know how I feel about it ! 1280p on this thing is chefs kiss.

It's been a while since I owned a Retroid Pocket Nova. I wanted to showcase how I use it.

Picture 1 - Hotel Dusk DS using Dual Screen add on.

Picture 2 - Left 4 Dead 2 using Gamenative. Dual Stick shooters work well with the official grip. Quite a few PC games support 4:3

Picture 3 - Pokemon Black DS using it in a vertical orientation. Right stick is set up as D Pad controls. Can easily play with one hand woth access to touch ibputs. This allows pocketability for DS games (in my opinion Nova is more pocktable than both Duo and Thor without the attachment due to how thin it is as well as weighing around 100g less).

Picture 4 - Skate 3 Android Port. Many official and unofficial Android ports are getting released. Many of these support 4:3 including Call of Duty, Fez, Dead Cells, Twilight Princess, Simpsons Hit and Run, Dave the Diver, Subnautica, Geometry Wars 3, Dredge, Bully, Ball X Pitt and etc.

Picture 5 - ESDE Front End. I have set it up where vidoes play instantly with a box art. Its like browsing a museum. Nova is simply the best for older retro emulatuon due to 4:3, and the native landscape 12phz OLED panel has the lowest input lag.

Picture 6 - Sonic All Stars Racing on Gamenative. I found some games that support 4:3 dont work with 960p resolution. If that is the case you have to change the resolution to 720p which resolved it for this game.

Picture 7 - Castlevania Dawn of Sorrow DS. For DS games that use the 2nd screen as a map I find using MelonDS with 2nd screen at 2x with transparency is perfect. Nova screen is perfect for full screen DS games because its perfect integar scaling for scrap 2D pixels.

Picture 8 - Chrono Trigger DS using Dual Screen add on and grip. For long play sessions at home I find the grip and Dual Screen add on more comfortable than actual clamshells. The reason is clamshells tend to have a boxy design with sharp corners.

Picture 9 - 007 Everthing or Nothing Gamecube. Nany dont know that GameCube originally was design with stereo 3D in mind. Dolphin supports Stereo 3D natively. Because if this around 50 percent of games work with stereo 3D perfectly with no visual bugs. Even the menus pop out in 3D. I use my Rokid Max XR Glasses to get a perfect full Side By Side 3D effect. By default Android only supports half resolution side by side for Dolphin. I managed to resolve this by installing Shizuku and Second Screen and display in full resolution side by side for glorious high resolution Stereo 3D graphics. Of course for Azahar by default it support full resolution side by side 3D.

Started a new run on fire red on my thor , didn't own a gba when I was a kid so never got to play these.

Let’s gooo!

The oled was all i needed why I didn’t like the regular X version.

The gold oooh the gold is nice the grips are just exquisite

Its an absolute beauty 😍

So excited to open this and get to gaming. Had the Xbox Ally X at first seen this was dropping soon so I returned it and pre ordered this beast

Like many on this sub, I received my Asus X20 today and in the midst of the long set up time and customizing my emulators and the like, there was a few things that I was a bit surprised by that I hadn't thought were as important until I got my hands on the device.

Thumbsticks - Sure the tmr thumbsticks were a big factor in preordering the device but after a couple of sessions of BO6 and battlefield 6 I'd like to say they are actually better than I anticipated and wished for.

Micro SD express - another upgrade I expected to make the difference but I had only considered it's performance when emulating certain systems and games for performance. After anticipating couple of hours for set up, I was happy for the speed upgrade when transferring gig after gig of roms and how much time it saved on the initial set up

Dpad - to be specific Im really talking about the rotating mechanism and how so many early hands on guys talked about it like you had to try so hard to get your finger nails in to turn and pivot and that couldn't be further from the truth. Super easy even with my fat fingers and seems like much ado about nothing, works great.

Weight/ergonomics- I've only used the device for about 3 hours but I thought that maybe the added weight would be noticable but I barely feel any difference between it and the XAX. Balance and ergonomics still feel like best in class

Rubberized grip - for some reason, something I was excited about is probably only thing I don't like about the x20 as, for some reason, it really rubs my ring and pinky fingers the wrong way.

Sound - while I was expecting the same great sound from the XAX to carryover, there seems to have been an emphasis on chassis resonance to help with the feel of bass frequencies that helps take the sound up just a notch or two in my opinion.

Display - Freaking worth it. Though there was a bit of overly aggressive brightness and dimming with a few games that I need to sort out.

So far the Asus X20 is just about everything I was hoping it would be. Will see how well the controls handle retro games and get a better feel for the tdp and efficiency changes that Asus made to give the x20 better performance efficiency at 10 and 17w tdps

Can't wait to read more opinions and tips and tricks that people post!

So I've had the OG Steam Deck. I sold that to get the Rog Ally X (2024). I eventually sold that to get a Lenovo Legion Go 2 (Z2 and 32GB model from Costco). I feel like I'm satisfied with my handheld now but if I were to upgrade it would have to meet these requirements.

1.Good enough to play most games,even modern ones, at 1080p High graphics at 60+ FPS natively.

2.Price no higher than $1000 ( So after the rampocalypse FOR SURE)

3.Better battery efficiency/ bigger battery (Although it's solid now)

4.Quiet but compact. Maybe a tad smaller than the Ally X.

What is everyone's else PC handheld journey and what will it take for you to upgrade?

P.S. I could be full of shit because I do enjoy technology 😂

So I currently have the Asus ROG Xbox Ally X and love the performance I get and have had it for almost a year now. before this i had the Legion Go 1 and that is what got me into handhelds to begin with but the performance just wasn't there for me. I loved the bigger display but the ergonomics on it were crap. however, over this past year I have had to RMA my XAX twice due to an issue with the embedded gamepad buttons.

Anyways, i have come into a little bit of money recently and am really considering updating my handheld with either the Legion Go 2 with the Z2E or the OneXplayer 3 with the intel G3 Extreme. I am wondering from those who have tried either both or one or the other what their thoughts are mainly on the ergonomics as I already know the displays are great. also, the performance, is the upgrade of the G3E good enough to outweigh the shotty support of the OneXplayer 3? Any insights would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

I currently have a Steam Deck Oled and want to upgrade. I’d like to play single player games like Last of Us, Dead Space Remake, and God of War. What is a handheld that will satisfy an upgrade?

Hello everyone!

I recently moved to another country and had to leave my gaming pc behind. Since I will be traveling a bit, I was wondering if it was better to get a gaming laptop or something like the xax 20.
I wouldn't necessarily only play very demanding games but I value the comfort of a stable 60 fps.

Would the difference in power justify the jump to a gaming laptop?
My budget is between $1300 to $2000.

Hey all - hoping to try casual handheld pc gaming - I have a Nintendo switch 2 - honestly really only wanting to play WOW Forever and maybe a casual new game such as Star Wars galactic racer - but I’m not a serious gamer for AAA otherwise.

I have a chance to get a brand new asus rog z1extreme at a Walmart for $599 CAD or a Asus rog Xbox ally (white non extreme) for $799 CAD at Costco, or a MSI Claw 7ai+ a2vm from a different Walmart for 750$ CAD.

Any thoughts ? I’m hoping to keep it as cheap as possible for my budget and use case - so the Asus z1e is feeling best. But hoping to hear other thoughts! I know there’s better if I spend more - but hoping to stay within that price range ! Cheers.

Im looking into handhelds currently since I’ll be traveling more soon. I just don’t want to spend 1000+ one but I know there’s some under that too. What are my options?

I've been looking for a good handheld to play mostly old games and maybe watch movies and anime on it so what I'm mostly interested in is on the screen, I want to have a nice screen that looks decently sharp and has good colors without having to spend 1000€ for an OLED. Which means that my only 2 options are a used Steam deck LCD for 220€ or a used ROG Ally Z1 extreme for 300€.

What do you guys think? Are the colors and resolution good enough on the Steam Deck LCD or should I go with the Ally?

Ideally under $350 and not AYN if possible

Hello,

I’m more lost and confused after checking out comparisons and review on Reddit/youtube.
I have rounded up my choices between msi claw 8 ex ai+ vs onexplayer 3 vs Lenovo legion go. I understand there are some performance trade off between chips, which is fine. Can’t expect all machines to play even AAA games at 60fps. I’m fine with 30fps at a decent resolution and few hours of on the go gaming.

What I need help with is:
1. Oled vs ips screen? I’m not sure how significant a difference oled makes for handheld.
2. Battery life: based on usage which one offers best life?
3. After sales support and warranty

Some context:
I’m from India, getting any handheld here is a nightmare and expensive experience. So I need help with good handheld with good warranty & after sales support.
If oled is not that big a deal, then I’ll skip onexplayer. Reports of their after sales support doesn’t give me confidence.
Also any other thoughts or advice for first time handheld owner is appreciated

Hello all! 

I'm interested in getting a handheld in order to game. From what I have read in this subreddit and internet, you can stream a game from your PC to your handheld. How does this work? Is the PC doing all of the heavy lifting and how is the performance affected on the handheld compared to the PC performance? Is there much FPS drops? 

I'm not planning on playing shooters or online competitive games on the handheld as I already suck on the PC. Dont need to suck even more 😂

I'm interested in buying the ASUS ROG XBOX Ally or steam deck.

Thank you!