Updates:
Retroid Pocket 5
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GKD Pixel 2
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And yes, the Z13 2025
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With the retro handhelds, nothing was wrong. Retroid announced two new handhelds, the Flip 2 (same as the Pocket 5, but clamshell and looks to have better ergos) and the Classic (Gameboy style). Initially I wasn't interested, but the Classic has a version with six face buttons, so that was a lock. I looked on eBay and people are selling the RP5 and the GKD Pixel 2 for more than they cost new, so this was an easy decision. I sold the RP5 for $30 more than I paid for it and the Pixel 2 for $40 more, then pre-ordered both Retroid systems. Don't need so many of these handhelds. Also put my older RP3+ Metal Edition up for sale.
With the Z13, the software problems just started getting worse. I'm still sure this will all be fixed soon, but after the shit I went through with the 2023 Z13 two years ago and concerns over longevity of the device (you can't open it up for cleaning/maintenance), I just decided to send it back. Wasn't a hard decision since again I still have my Razer Blade 14 and the performance is virtually the same anyway. Actually perhaps still better because I did get some better framerates on some more games I tested in comparison to the Z13. Still very big on that 395 chip and will see what other companies do with it.
I'm going to try one more device- the OneXPlayer X1 Pro. It's an 11" Windows tablet that comes with a keyboard cover, controllers to attach to the sides, 2TB of storage, and 32GB of ram. It's using the Ryzen AI 9 HX370 and while it won't come anywhere near as close as the Z13's 395 for performance, it's still going to be an improvement over the Z1 Extreme found in the Ally, Ally X, and Legion Go. Should be about 20-25% better from my understanding, plus going from 16GB of ram on the Legion Go to 32B on this thing should help too. It's also significantly cheaper than the Z13- like $1200 less which means I don't need to sell off my Blade 14 to help pay for it. If this doesn't work out, I'll just wait for the Legion Go 2 later this year, which I likely am still going to get regardless if I keep the X1 Pro.
Have also thought about getting a 16" 4080 laptop, but since my 4070 Blade 14 is still working great, I don't really see any reason to trade up yet. The Z13 was an exception because of its form factor. Can certainly wait another year if not longer. Another option to ditch portables completely on this front and get one of the small Mac Mini-sized PCs coming out that will have 395 chipsets. Using one of those with a portable monitor is certainly viable for me. I have a fantastic 16" 1600P 144hz portable monitor that would work great for this.
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