abxylute One has been one of the most affordable ways to get into high end streaming with a quality device since its release. Now with the new abxylute One Pro you won’t be restricted to streaming as it promises to have a more powerful CPU to assist with emulation on it’s beautiful 7” screen.
I have been a big fan of abxylute and have reviewed all of their products thus far. Recently they have gotten into the controller game progressing from the C6 to the S9 and now the recently released C8. They have learned a lot with the controller game that they seem to be transferring over to the One Pro.
Probably the biggest point of contention with the abxylute One has been the joysticks. Customers just couldn’t get behind the Switch style sticks lots of manufacturers have been using being on this device. Partly I think it is due to the available space it just never made a lot of sense. Now on top of a more powerful CPU they are also adding full size sticks to the One Pro. These are said to be the “first-ever capacitive digital joysticks” offering high precision without electromagnetic interference of the HallEffect triggers. Full Size with Full Control is a very welcome change. It is also something not often found in the Android gaming handheld market without going to a higher end device.
Another point of contention with the abxylute One has been the audio. The handheld is so thin they struggled to get any type of decent audio. The installed speakers have been pretty quiet and a little tinny with no real depth when playing games. When they were making adjustments to the body of the One Pro there was a focus on fitting 4 internal speakers to offer a stereo sound. We don’t have the dimension of the One Pro yet but I would assume that’s what they did. By making the handheld a little thicker. This is a welcome change and well worth any additional depth that they had to add.
The abxylute One is very thin for a gaming handheld. Almost to its detriment as it was easy to fit in a bag with its 7” screen, it could be hard to play on for long periods of time without some sort of grip. As stated earlier we don’t yet have the dimensions of the One Pro but the pictures seem to verify it is slightly thicker. Abxylute’s biggest direct competitor has to be the Logitech GCloud (another streaming handheld I like) which has some of the best ergonomics in gaming with the addition of built in grips on the back that form a teardrop. There hasn’t been any images of the back of the One Pro yet to verify if they went this route but it is something people have been asking for.
Other changes include video out for use with TV’s and AR Glasses, a redesigned launcher and customizable interface. The video out is definitely a welcome change and with the popularity growing for AR glasses, good implementation could help propel the One Pro to a new level.
Another thing that will help when using video out is a more powerful CPU. As stated earlier this has been verified on the new One Pro. Right now they are advertising improved emulation for “PS2 and beyond”. I’m not sure yet what SOC they are going with but it would be nice to see some sort of Snapdragon processor SD865 or greater. With Snapdragon you would have the best hope for additional drivers to improve game performance as this is a very active community releasing multiple driver revisions monthly. We also know the SD865 is starting to be more widely used as it is in the Retroid Pocket 5 and upcoming Retroid Pocket Flip 2. The more devices using this CPU will help drive the cost of it down.
That brings us to cost. The abxylute One Pro pricing has yet to be released. We do know the handheld will be going on sale in the next couple of weeks to backers on IndieGoGo. With the price of the current One being $220USD but often on sale for around $200, we can expect the One Pro to be more than that. In my head it makes sense for them to raise the price to $300USD making it $60 more for the updated version but for the existence of the Logitech GCloud at $250USD. From a consumer perspective however I would like to see them drop the price of the One (nothing indicates they are going to stop selling it) to somewhere around $175USD and bring the One Pro in for between $230-$240USD. As much as I like abxylute and what they have to offer, they are in a tough spot when competing against a trusted brand like Logitech. With their brand recognition, reliable continuous firmware updates, retail presence at BestBuy and their warranty replacement options, even with abxylutes handheld offering some needed improvements I don’t see it being as successful if selling for more. That was abxylutes thing the entire time as the One came out when the GCloud came out and at the time was somewhere around $180USD cheaper prior to Logitech dropping their pricing.
I think the abxylute One Pro is going to be a streaming handheld to keep on your radar. They really are a great company and spend a lot of time testing their devices to make sure they work for consumers prior to launch. I have backed them in campaigns before and will likely back this one as well. If you choose to as always do at your own risk. Not that I think it wont launch, I’m just not sure where they are at in product testing right now to have an estimate as to when it will be released after the campaign.
Bigger, Faster, Louder Streaming Handheld, sign me up. As always once I get more info I will share it here.
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