Update: Pimax has released on overclock update for the device which improves performance to align with their previous retail unit. More info here: th-cam.com/users/postUgkx2V-SAP8ytqn0oHXPhts8rNla-a_lZIl2
The dpad isn't as bad as the reviewers made it out to be. I think they re-did the buttons to be much softer to push and the edges aren't as noticable. Still not ideal for fighting games but if that's not your niche then the buttons aren't an issue at all.
@@4G3NTOR4NG3 A Dpad should never EVER be separate buttons, not unless it's something like a PS controller where they're segmented, but still one Dpad underneath. They should've listened, for sure
Honestly, the d-pad wouldn't be an issue if it was like a PlayStation controller. Those have separated d-pad buttons, but they're my absolute favorite style of d-pad (even more so than the Anbernic pads or old-school Game Boy pads). The Dualshock d-pad has a nice shape, easy to do diagonal presses, very responsive.
thanks for the honest review! I was really hopeful for this device, but the d-pad is a deal breaker, and they basically "lied" with their performance with the overclocking. that leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I have a feeling they aren't gonna listen to community feedback.
@@cheeeeezewizzz wow rude. the point is the prototype unit was overclocked higher than the retail unit, to generate hype. TDP is not the same as overclocking.
So a Retroid Pocket 3+ but with these specs tbh. Hopefully the Retroid Pocket 4 has the same design as the 3+ but with this level of performance because I will buy another one.
@@dynamicide It seems like retro focused handhelds are basically staying under around $200. Of course there exist more premium options, but those are marketed more as a general gaming handheld rather than for retro games specifically. So I doubt we'll see these until the hardware reaches this kind of price point.
Seems like the steam deck and switch really have made this market challenging as hell for that performance tier. Valve and Nintendo heavily subsidizing their handhelds is keeping their older internal hardware still very competitive. I finally ordered my steam deck last week as my college graduation gift and can't wait to set it up as our living room game streaming setup from my office PC.
Nintendo doesn't subsidize their console costs. the internals were already old and cheap before it released 7 years ago. They do have an uncanny ability to make great games run fantastic on underpowered hardware. Most people's phones have been more powerful than the switch for years and years. and yet you don't get anywhere near the same quality of games.
@@chriswarrington9353 the big killer of the ally for me was the software being way less developed and the lack of the thumb haptic pads - I REALLY like haptic thumbpads, they make so many vintage FPS PC games completely playable from being completely unplayable.. The only thing the ally has that I would miss on the deck is the higher refresh rate screen, tbh. The horsepower only a little.
This might be an unpopular opinion, but... As the Steam Deck and Asus Ally are pretty good for PC Gaming, I think that Android is the future of high-end emulation. Mainly in x86 vs ARM battery performance, size/weight of comparable devices, and thermals. I feel like we are so close, yet still not quite there. The day something like TOTK is playable on Skyline in Android, we will no longer need x86 for emulation.
This really could have been the chosen one for me. A full android emulation handheld with the ability to remove the joycons and make it lighter when I'm having a bad fibro day! But that d-pad makes me want to cry.
If you were considering going for the upper tier Pimax Portal I'd suggest going for the base model SteamDeck and the Quest 2. Together they are about the same price as the more expensive Portal and are a better at being a handheld and VR device respectively (assuming the VR goggle accessory is an additional charge). And it's not like you're saving that much space using the same device for handheld and VR gaming because the headset accessory for the portal takes up about as much space as a Quest 2 and the handheld unit takes up about as much space as the SteamDeck.
@@cheeeeezewizzz I mean it's far from the first of it's kind, there's been many transforming Android based devices over the years. Transforming a phone/tablet to VR of course has basically already been done with stuff like Daydream, Gear VR, and Cardboard. There's been devices like the ASUS Transformer that turned Tablet into Laptop. Stuff like the Razer Edge already are basically transforming a phone into a handheld with removable controllers. And one of my favorites, the ASUS Padfone was a phone you put inside of a tablet that could then go inside of a laptop like the above mentioned Transformer, insane hybrid levels.
Thanks for the video Russ, great job as always! Martin from Pimax here again. Regarding the lower performance mode and lack of overclocking, your Portal was unfortunately not updated to the latest version from June 14. The new update introduces out-of-the-box overclocking profile when you enable Performance mode and max power draw in the side menu. This automatically overclocks the Pimax Portal Gpu to 855 Mhz from 587 Mhz at stock. Its very close to the 905 Mhz you had on the pre-production sample in the past. With the performance mode enabled, 3DMark score is reaching around 5200 points, so basically identical score as in your previous video with pre-production model. The new update also adds physical volume adjustment with a button combination, plus other improvements. Anyway, hopefully you can do some follow up on this once we get your Portal updated. Anyways, quality content as usual, keep up your great job!
I think the real comparison instead is this vs a Meta Quest 2 and it looks like a steal in that case. Compared to Quest it's only slightly more expensive (the Portal itself is cheaper by $30 but you need to buy the actual headset still for ~$150 more), has higher resolution, higher refresh rate, better Wifi (6E instead of 6), more RAM, and the exact same CPU but doubling as a full Android based handheld/tablet means you are basically getting 2 devices in one for cheaper (~$500 instead of $800 for both a Deck and a Quest 2)
I'm glad you made a follow up review. It looks really scummy to me that they were handing out overclocked units to reviewers, seems like they wanted reviewers to champion the device solely on performance.
@@LagiohX3 That's good to hear. I still think it is a little deceptive as it's still an "overclock" and not something that's out-of-the-box. If they wanted the device to run at that kind of performance all the time, they wouldn't have put it as an "overclock".
Its nice that a handheld device using something like joycons other than the onexplayer and the switch. Not sure if any other handhelds have done this. I still prefer my switch since its a handheld system thats a gaming console. Most these handhelds i see are either trying be made for android gaming, emulators, or pc gaming.
What a journey this has been. I started out with cautious optimism (they seem capable, there will undoubtedly be changes made to the final production unit), then proceeded to sadness (first Russ review), then finishing with general amusement (this review). As someone who both a) has hands, and b) has used them, I instantly knew the buttons and d-pad would be awful. Would have been the first change I made, but they survived and are making their way into the (soon-to-be-bloodied) hands of early adopters. Still has the screen that is way too powerful for both its own size and the chip powering it. No Play Store integration…like Russ said, it may not be their fault. I would not have shipped it without it though (figure out a solution). Sad about the software. That should have been the easiest negative to get perfect before release. Also, WTF is “most delicate picture for 4k” (at 11:26 of the video). I now expect users to have to choose between “smart colors or loud animation”. What does it mean?? These are display settings, be descriptive ffs! Well, just my 0.02 (though, by Taki rules, I have now created this device).
I wish the device was better because I'd absolutely love a 4k high refresh display, specifically for emulation w/ shaders. Good step in the right direction, though, even if they tried to do too much at once.
remember the good ole days when electronics manufacturers actually put out finished products instead of relying on us to test them.........ahhh good times.
Imagine them not going back to the drawing board and remaking a dpad- fully changing their design concept for the versatility of the handheld just because one person told them to. 😂
Coming back to this almost 10 months later, I love my Portal but the VR STILL hasn’t released. I didn’t have super high expectations but I sold my Quest 2 hoping this would scratch the basic VR itch.
ปีที่แล้ว +1
With all these devices I always want to compare them with an Android smartphone with a Razor Kishi or Backbone one. Like, how does this stack up with my Pixel 7 or the Samsung S23 or whatever their flagship is. Or even a mid-spec phone. It's probably out of scope for your channel as you probably don't get review units from Samsung, Google or Huawei :D
Russ, if you were to buy ONE handheld for Android and Emulation (Dual control stick, up to NGC and PS2) gaming, what would you buy? I'm not talking about handheld PCs like the ROG ALLY or SteamDeck. Also, have you thought about tier listing devices? I'm kinda thinking like Scott's Thoughts' Pokemon Yellow where he updates the tier list after every video he does so you can always get an up to date tier list for each game you're interested in just by watching his latest video for the game.
Looks OK and price isn’t terrible. The VR definitely is an unneeded gimmick and the controllers seem like they would get annoying after awhile, just like the Switch Joy-Cons. Being Android powered and not having official PlayStore support is a real negative. Most of these Android powered handhelds are beaten in both power and price by just getting an Android phone with at least a Snapdragon 855 and a controller.
Even the odin beats most sd855 phones in sustained tests since its got a fan, only the redmagic would win with its fan. The edge and portal are all a lot faster than 855. Though you can get used 855 phones for under 200$.
I’m a little confused about the Playstore comment as mine definitely came with it already installed. So unless it is only the initial Kickstarter batch that comes with it but the retail version doesn’t then maybe that is just the ‘official’ line and they’re intending to install it anyway.
I hear people always bring up just getting a phone and having a controller attached to it. With that I say while you can do that, most phones, unless it's a gaming phone that comes with a fan, can't sustain their performance due to the heat. It's why the Odin can beat most 855 phones due to the cooling that the device has. So depending on what you get and what you're playing on it, that might not necessarily be the better case.
The “retro” version of this (controllers are wired instead of bluetooth) is apparently $150 today ($199-$50 in cart). At that price it might be worth it to someone.
Hot take, I actually like the Joy-Con style d-pad for 2D games as I feel I have better control for diagonal inputs but having used the PS Vita's d-pad work the same for me, I see that would've been a better choice that this handheld could have gone for
Hmm . . 20% reduction in performance between the testing unit vs the retail unit? Thats a big drop.. will there be a way to overclock it a bit to squeeze some more performance out of it by the end user? Im still putting in my order, but i am not happy about that..
It's worth it and looks nice. Lots of people say the ROG Ally is a waste but I love mine. So much so that I even expanded the storage to 2TB, a dbrand screen protector, 1TB Micro SD and solid plastic stand. I'll be doing the same to the pimax portal and my steam deck.
You would expect that its somehow manually possible to overclock the device still, maybe they have just opted for less overlock on the basic settings so people dont run into issues with cpu variance etc.
The D-pad thing makes me wonder if the situation is that not enough reviewers and testers have brought it up as an issue for them to feel it could be a threat to sales thus a need to change it. 🤔
whats a tester?......they have not sold any of these yet so theres not alot of testers........the ppl that backed them and the ppl that buy the retail version.....they are the testers.
@@christopher480 Many companies employ people to test their products during development, to assess usability, find bugs, etc.; these people are called ‘testers’.
I think they are more focused on the VR aspect of this device hence the overblown screen specs, that is why the d pad is just an afterthought as well as retro gaming.
Pimax sending you a specially overclocked unit for review purposes is shady as hell. I mean, at least they admitted that they had done it, but still it's essentially sending you a different product than that which will be available to consumers. It skews the reviewing process irredeemably . It's very curious though - if it's possible to substantially improve performance just by tweaking the software, why the hell don't they do that for all the production models? Weird as hell...
Check the comment right above yours. The firmware update they just released added an overclock mode to the unit that matches the performance of what he saw in his first unit. A guy from Pimax provided the update.
This is such a niche product I can’t imagine they’ll make much money. None of these handhelds are “perfect”. Every single one, steam deck and Ally included, have something holding them back. This is likely due to limitations in technology in general.
at least with the deck its mostly multiplayer games not wanting to play ball with their anti-cheat. which is totally fine for me, since i wouldn't want to play competitive games on a deck anyway lol
@@Rakumei672 this has always been how I feel, I could care less about the anticheat games. I don't want my kd to get bombed attempting to play on a handheld lol. I got a series x or gaming pc for that, the only thing holding the deck back for me is battery life... but even the ally has worse battery life so its not to big of a deal.😊
Hard disagree on the d-pads. I absolutely hate d-pads are like the steam decks or Xbox controllers where it's all one button and it's easy to accidentally pressed the wrong one and the correct one of the same time because they're connected. The best d-pads are the separated buttons like PlayStation favorite d-pad.
if youre interested in android and android dev this this is bees knees with that price also 🔥 now were talking og quest 2 price to performance which was legendary
It would be nicer if on the "What I (don't) like" list markers (like a colored border around the bullet point) would show which points are the same and which have changed in your opinion and if the change was good or bad. And now I'm watching the rest of the video...
I definitely would've bought the Razr Edge if it had Joy Con-like controllers (instead of the Kishi plug in) - hoping the Pimax Portal 2 in the future really makes emulation gaming even easier Is the function of using it from handheld to docked/USB-C hub + TV as seamless as a Switch? (Like, could you pause a game, plus the tablet portion into a dock, unpause and play on a television?)
for me, the most interesting feature of the pimax portal was the native display port. connect it to a laptop on a plane flight. don't know if this still supports that
I am very interested in this as i have been looking for a reasonable VR headset and an android device that can run gamecube and ps2 flawlessly. I might be one pf those that actually buys this if they fix the VR mode.
I like the switch d-pad to be honest I just order Pimax Portal I know I will like there d-pad. if you don't like the d-pad on portal you can buy switch cover to fix the issue on portal d-pad.
I have a bit of an oddly specific question, I have the hardest time adapting N64 games to using the right analog stick as the C-buttons. Some games (road rash 64, wwf no mercy) just need buttons instead of a stick. I'm looking at the triangle and O button above the ABXY diamond, are those dedicated function buttons for the device, or would it be possible to program those as A and B for the N64 emulator and the ABXY as the C-buttons?
What's with the white dot constantly blinking in the bottom? I hope it's possible to turn off otherwise it would probably be annoying enough to be a deal breaker for many.
That only appears when viewing through a camera running at 60fps, same with the QLED ghosting that you see while playing games. To the naked eye it looks great.
If there's a way to lower the resolution to 1080P you could probably squeeze a lot more out of emulation. The emulator is still taking that internal resolution and passing it on to your GPU to stretch the frames to fit the native 4K resolution and that's taxing. ps. I don't think the company sending out OCed hardware to reviewers is kosher but there may be ways to make this device work better with some slight setting changes.
Yeah mine finally arrived my biggest complaint at the moment is you can't program the top row of buttons. Updated and now it at least let's me map them but they all count as the same button..
Cool points! - A data connection is obvious! ... and I hope they'll release a joycon with a real D-pad on top like on Steam Deck and (the excellent clicky) PSVita :)
@@cheeeeezewizzz @RetroGameCorps Are the D-pads on new Steam Decks much worse? - Degraded/cheaper? I just compared the horrible D-pad on a recently bought 64 GB Steam Deck to the one a 512 GB unit bought quite early (the ones that have raised blue dots on their cases). The D-pad on the old Steam Deck was WAY better!!! It's much harder to run in a rhombus on the new Steam Deck's D-pad. Could Valve really have cost-optimized the D-pads after the first batch making them horrible just to save money?
Got my unit yesterday 8gb+128gb. Mine shipped with Google Play store installed. I’m pretty disappointed with it - I don’t like the housing on the back, it feels really weak. I really hate the screen… I should’ve got the QOLED, lcd is terrible!! Looks like I’ll be sticking with my GPD XP+ and EDGE WI-FI
One question wasn't answered, can I watch Netflix, Crunchyroll on VR? Woks, because I like to play, but I'd like to watch something on it also, the switch doesn't work and the PS VR I can't bring to the bedroom (wires), I also have the trimui to play old videogames.
The gimmicks really detracts from the rest of the design. VR is already very niche, and being android based, I don't see it being any good at all even in the near future. The other gimmicks are no good either, a dock would be just fine with built in controllers and the bigger add on makes it worthless as a portable. It feels like they focused most of the design on that crowdfunding "WOW" factor to gather interest. Yes, it looks cool, but that's about it, especially without that kickstarter discount.
Getting tired of these candybar androids. I have the Odin Pro and RP Flip. It's like you said, basically a tablet with controllers on them. I have been picking up my RP Flip more just because its a way better form factor and it doesn't feel like a tablet with controllers attached. In hindsight I should've just bought controllers and stuck it onto my old OnePlus 8 pro which has a new SD processor.
This is definitely something ill wait until like the 2nd generation and see what improvements have been made and the health of the company can be determined
This channel is too detailed now. Thorough. A but much for me to enjoy. It used to be like me and uncle ross having a talk on something we both are interested. Now it’s a lecture.
I don't care for the screen size. But now that I think about it. A 7-inch tablet and that new dock coming out soon will allow people to replicate the Nintendo Switch. Make me think?
Crummy D-pad=No hadookies for you! Also who would pay that price for this thing when you could just get a Steam Deck? And why would you want "2x and 3x resolution"? What's wrong with the original res?
Do you have a list of portable consoles that can run Steam? I'm looking for something to run retro + simpler games (no AAA) but with support to steam games.
Anyone knows if the Portal comes with built-in GPS? Pokemon Go is kinda dumb for this device, but there are more and more proper Android games coming out that include a IRL GPS component :/
Maybe i missed it but does this accept a sim card to allow for an internet connection on the go for the android apps that require a constant connection?
Update: Pimax has released on overclock update for the device which improves performance to align with their previous retail unit. More info here: th-cam.com/users/postUgkx2V-SAP8ytqn0oHXPhts8rNla-a_lZIl2
The battery test was done with the screen at 1080p/60hz?
@@pedro4205 yes, all testing was done with 1080p/60Hz.
Where do I buy it
Do you recommend playing PS2 and game Android?
I can't believe the CEO wouldnt listen about the D pad. Nobody in the handheld market makes buttons like this.. for good reason!
The dpad isn't as bad as the reviewers made it out to be. I think they re-did the buttons to be much softer to push and the edges aren't as noticable. Still not ideal for fighting games but if that's not your niche then the buttons aren't an issue at all.
Hopefully because of the modular design, somebody would make a better d-pad attachment
If you're familiar with PiMax as a company from their VR products, this is no surprise. They make great hardware with baffling constraints
@@4G3NTOR4NG3 A Dpad should never EVER be separate buttons, not unless it's something like a PS controller where they're segmented, but still one Dpad underneath. They should've listened, for sure
@@3godzilla3 dpad isn’t really that big of a deal for me honestly unless it’s too mushy then again this is coming from someone who likes the joycons😅
I love this concept specifically with the VR integration. Will definitely get an updated model in 1 or 2 years that fixes the many downsides
Honestly, the d-pad wouldn't be an issue if it was like a PlayStation controller. Those have separated d-pad buttons, but they're my absolute favorite style of d-pad (even more so than the Anbernic pads or old-school Game Boy pads). The Dualshock d-pad has a nice shape, easy to do diagonal presses, very responsive.
For me ps4 dpad feels hard to press, because it's not rubber contact based, I prefer ds2 ds3 dpads.
I love when a new Retro Game Corps videos pops up, especially when I’m looking for something to watch with my morning cup of coffee ☕️
thanks for the honest review! I was really hopeful for this device, but the d-pad is a deal breaker, and they basically "lied" with their performance with the overclocking. that leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I have a feeling they aren't gonna listen to community feedback.
It has an overclocking menu in the settings doofus.
@@cheeeeezewizzz wow rude. the point is the prototype unit was overclocked higher than the retail unit, to generate hype. TDP is not the same as overclocking.
Imagine if someone just made a PS2/GC capable handheld with good buttons, no gimmicks or stupid design choices or needlessly poor decisions...
So a Retroid Pocket 3+ but with these specs tbh. Hopefully the Retroid Pocket 4 has the same design as the 3+ but with this level of performance because I will buy another one.
@@dynamicide It seems like retro focused handhelds are basically staying under around $200. Of course there exist more premium options, but those are marketed more as a general gaming handheld rather than for retro games specifically. So I doubt we'll see these until the hardware reaches this kind of price point.
You said it. My dream is to have an android emulation handheld like the portal minus all this garbagy gimmicky crap like 2% of buyers will utilize.
So.. a Steam Deck?
@@GiggaGMikeE- I just came here to say that...but you beat me to it, lol! 😆
You sat down with the CEO and gave recommendation about one part of the design?
You should've called the Video : " I made this! "
Seems like the steam deck and switch really have made this market challenging as hell for that performance tier. Valve and Nintendo heavily subsidizing their handhelds is keeping their older internal hardware still very competitive. I finally ordered my steam deck last week as my college graduation gift and can't wait to set it up as our living room game streaming setup from my office PC.
Congrats and have fun!
The Asus rally probably out performs the steam deck overall. I'm kind of regretting my steam deck buy, I hate Linux with a passion
SWITCH doesn't really factor into any other handheld.... 90% of people buying a SWITCH don't even know of these android and PC handhelds
Nintendo doesn't subsidize their console costs. the internals were already old and cheap before it released 7 years ago. They do have an uncanny ability to make great games run fantastic on underpowered hardware.
Most people's phones have been more powerful than the switch for years and years. and yet you don't get anywhere near the same quality of games.
@@chriswarrington9353 the big killer of the ally for me was the software being way less developed and the lack of the thumb haptic pads - I REALLY like haptic thumbpads, they make so many vintage FPS PC games completely playable from being completely unplayable.. The only thing the ally has that I would miss on the deck is the higher refresh rate screen, tbh. The horsepower only a little.
I don't know what surprises me more, that it released at all, or that incredibly high price.
I still find that price questionably low for the specs and all the things it claims to do.
The PRICE doesn't bother
me at all. It's not even
that high for what we get.
@@InvidiousIgnoramus yeah, I got reminded of this thing and right now the retro version is $200 and the regular portal is $300.
@@YOUR_NARRATOR975 I think you can get the Razer Gaming device for a similar price now, and that has a Snapdragon Gen 3X in it.
If the controllers weren’t abominations I’d actually buy one because this thing delivers the kind of performance I want in my RP3+ form factor.
This might be an unpopular opinion, but... As the Steam Deck and Asus Ally are pretty good for PC Gaming, I think that Android is the future of high-end emulation. Mainly in x86 vs ARM battery performance, size/weight of comparable devices, and thermals. I feel like we are so close, yet still not quite there. The day something like TOTK is playable on Skyline in Android, we will no longer need x86 for emulation.
Totk is playable on yuzu android, all you need is a redmagic 7 and above for 20-30fps.
The moment I ran Zelda Switch emulation on my S23 Ultra I knew it's future
Exactly!
I'm starting to feel that way as well.
Android is Number 1!!
@@TRX25EXTHAT PART!!!! 💯🙌🏼👏🏼
Call me when there’s a working pa3 emulator that can handle 3d games .
This really could have been the chosen one for me. A full android emulation handheld with the ability to remove the joycons and make it lighter when I'm having a bad fibro day! But that d-pad makes me want to cry.
If you were considering going for the upper tier Pimax Portal I'd suggest going for the base model SteamDeck and the Quest 2. Together they are about the same price as the more expensive Portal and are a better at being a handheld and VR device respectively (assuming the VR goggle accessory is an additional charge). And it's not like you're saving that much space using the same device for handheld and VR gaming because the headset accessory for the portal takes up about as much space as a Quest 2 and the handheld unit takes up about as much space as the SteamDeck.
On the other hand, a transforming handheld, the first of its kind, is way cooler even if its got a couple flaws.
@@cheeeeezewizzz if you want to be an early adopter, knock yourself out
@@cheeeeezewizzz I mean it's far from the first of it's kind, there's been many transforming Android based devices over the years. Transforming a phone/tablet to VR of course has basically already been done with stuff like Daydream, Gear VR, and Cardboard. There's been devices like the ASUS Transformer that turned Tablet into Laptop. Stuff like the Razer Edge already are basically transforming a phone into a handheld with removable controllers. And one of my favorites, the ASUS Padfone was a phone you put inside of a tablet that could then go inside of a laptop like the above mentioned Transformer, insane hybrid levels.
I don't think the concept is bad but i think a future version would need a lot of improvements before i would consider it
At $300 it would have been decent, but now it's just a novelty device.
Great vid. I think you stated the razer edge is a qled, but it should be an amoled
Thanks for the video Russ, great job as always! Martin from Pimax here again. Regarding the lower performance mode and lack of overclocking, your Portal was unfortunately not updated to the latest version from June 14. The new update introduces out-of-the-box overclocking profile when you enable Performance mode and max power draw in the side menu. This automatically overclocks the Pimax Portal Gpu to 855 Mhz from 587 Mhz at stock. Its very close to the 905 Mhz you had on the pre-production sample in the past. With the performance mode enabled, 3DMark score is reaching around 5200 points, so basically identical score as in your previous video with pre-production model. The new update also adds physical volume adjustment with a button combination, plus other improvements. Anyway, hopefully you can do some follow up on this once we get your Portal updated. Anyways, quality content as usual, keep up your great job!
I think the real comparison instead is this vs a Meta Quest 2 and it looks like a steal in that case. Compared to Quest it's only slightly more expensive (the Portal itself is cheaper by $30 but you need to buy the actual headset still for ~$150 more), has higher resolution, higher refresh rate, better Wifi (6E instead of 6), more RAM, and the exact same CPU but doubling as a full Android based handheld/tablet means you are basically getting 2 devices in one for cheaper (~$500 instead of $800 for both a Deck and a Quest 2)
I'm glad you made a follow up review. It looks really scummy to me that they were handing out overclocked units to reviewers, seems like they wanted reviewers to champion the device solely on performance.
The thing has an overclocking menu in the settings.
it overclocks just putting it in performance mode, in the latest patch.
@@LagiohX3 That's good to hear. I still think it is a little deceptive as it's still an "overclock" and not something that's out-of-the-box. If they wanted the device to run at that kind of performance all the time, they wouldn't have put it as an "overclock".
Its nice that a handheld device using something like joycons other than the onexplayer and the switch. Not sure if any other handhelds have done this. I still prefer my switch since its a handheld system thats a gaming console. Most these handhelds i see are either trying be made for android gaming, emulators, or pc gaming.
“A jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one.” still better then 1
What a journey this has been. I started out with cautious optimism (they seem capable, there will undoubtedly be changes made to the final production unit), then proceeded to sadness (first Russ review), then finishing with general amusement (this review).
As someone who both a) has hands, and b) has used them, I instantly knew the buttons and d-pad would be awful. Would have been the first change I made, but they survived and are making their way into the (soon-to-be-bloodied) hands of early adopters.
Still has the screen that is way too powerful for both its own size and the chip powering it.
No Play Store integration…like Russ said, it may not be their fault. I would not have shipped it without it though (figure out a solution).
Sad about the software. That should have been the easiest negative to get perfect before release. Also, WTF is “most delicate picture for 4k” (at 11:26 of the video). I now expect users to have to choose between “smart colors or loud animation”. What does it mean?? These are display settings, be descriptive ffs!
Well, just my 0.02 (though, by Taki rules, I have now created this device).
i don't care about pimax portal, but watch anyways because this channel is awesome
I wish the device was better because I'd absolutely love a 4k high refresh display, specifically for emulation w/ shaders. Good step in the right direction, though, even if they tried to do too much at once.
remember the good ole days when electronics manufacturers actually put out finished products instead of relying on us to test them.........ahhh good times.
I hate being an unpaid beta tester
Am I the only 1 who loves the intro theme I thinks it’s a bop😂
Imagine them not going back to the drawing board and remaking a dpad- fully changing their design concept for the versatility of the handheld just because one person told them to. 😂
i love the game demo in the backround! brought me back!
Coming back to this almost 10 months later, I love my Portal but the VR STILL hasn’t released. I didn’t have super high expectations but I sold my Quest 2 hoping this would scratch the basic VR itch.
With all these devices I always want to compare them with an Android smartphone with a Razor Kishi or Backbone one. Like, how does this stack up with my Pixel 7 or the Samsung S23 or whatever their flagship is. Or even a mid-spec phone.
It's probably out of scope for your channel as you probably don't get review units from Samsung, Google or Huawei :D
Russ, if you were to buy ONE handheld for Android and Emulation (Dual control stick, up to NGC and PS2) gaming, what would you buy? I'm not talking about handheld PCs like the ROG ALLY or SteamDeck.
Also, have you thought about tier listing devices? I'm kinda thinking like Scott's Thoughts' Pokemon Yellow where he updates the tier list after every video he does so you can always get an up to date tier list for each game you're interested in just by watching his latest video for the game.
GPD XP
@@brucegreen8463 for $600 I might as well buy a ROG ally lol
Pimax Portal-Retro $300
Looks OK and price isn’t terrible. The VR definitely is an unneeded gimmick and the controllers seem like they would get annoying after awhile, just like the Switch Joy-Cons. Being Android powered and not having official PlayStore support is a real negative. Most of these Android powered handhelds are beaten in both power and price by just getting an Android phone with at least a Snapdragon 855 and a controller.
Even the odin beats most sd855 phones in sustained tests since its got a fan, only the redmagic would win with its fan. The edge and portal are all a lot faster than 855. Though you can get used 855 phones for under 200$.
I’m a little confused about the Playstore comment as mine definitely came with it already installed. So unless it is only the initial Kickstarter batch that comes with it but the retail version doesn’t then maybe that is just the ‘official’ line and they’re intending to install it anyway.
@@leehardy2025 Same here, mine was already installed. I think they're doing it the new way to save on time on their end.
I hear people always bring up just getting a phone and having a controller attached to it. With that I say while you can do that, most phones, unless it's a gaming phone that comes with a fan, can't sustain their performance due to the heat. It's why the Odin can beat most 855 phones due to the cooling that the device has. So depending on what you get and what you're playing on it, that might not necessarily be the better case.
@@13JacksonMr I also hate the horrible aspect ratio on phones. The Razer seems great, but I don't want 50% of my device to be black bars and bezels
YESYESYES MORE RUSS FROM RETRO GAME CORPS
Dang bro. Ride it harder. 😂
I like RGC as much as then next nerd but dang this is hardcore
😂
👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
This is what the switch needs to become
The “retro” version of this (controllers are wired instead of bluetooth) is apparently $150 today ($199-$50 in cart). At that price it might be worth it to someone.
I wish a console of this tier came with a Genesis/Evercade style d-pad.
Hot take, I actually like the Joy-Con style d-pad for 2D games as I feel I have better control for diagonal inputs but having used the PS Vita's d-pad work the same for me, I see that would've been a better choice that this handheld could have gone for
yeah, joy-cons style d-pad is pretty good, and for me is better than a normal d-pad
Hmm . . 20% reduction in performance between the testing unit vs the retail unit?
Thats a big drop.. will there be a way to overclock it a bit to squeeze some more performance out of it by the end user?
Im still putting in my order, but i am not happy about that..
It's worth it and looks nice.
Lots of people say the ROG Ally is a waste but I love mine. So much so that I even expanded the storage to 2TB, a dbrand screen protector, 1TB Micro SD and solid plastic stand.
I'll be doing the same to the pimax portal and my steam deck.
You would expect that its somehow manually possible to overclock the device still, maybe they have just opted for less overlock on the basic settings so people dont run into issues with cpu variance etc.
They need to make a model that doesn’t have VR support, has windows OS, different D pad and it would be a home run with a lot of people
The D-pad thing makes me wonder if the situation is that not enough reviewers and testers have brought it up as an issue for them to feel it could be a threat to sales thus a need to change it. 🤔
whats a tester?......they have not sold any of these yet so theres not alot of testers........the ppl that backed them and the ppl that buy the retail version.....they are the testers.
@@christopher480 Many companies employ people to test their products during development, to assess usability, find bugs, etc.; these people are called ‘testers’.
I think they are more focused on the VR aspect of this device hence the overblown screen specs, that is why the d pad is just an afterthought as well as retro gaming.
That d pad is nutty. Honestly if I had any interest in this device at all one look at that woulda killed it.
The razer edge isn't widely avaliable though. Its only out in the US and maybe Canada
I beleive its US only
Pimax sending you a specially overclocked unit for review purposes is shady as hell. I mean, at least they admitted that they had done it, but still it's essentially sending you a different product than that which will be available to consumers. It skews the reviewing process irredeemably . It's very curious though - if it's possible to substantially improve performance just by tweaking the software, why the hell don't they do that for all the production models? Weird as hell...
Check the comment right above yours. The firmware update they just released added an overclock mode to the unit that matches the performance of what he saw in his first unit. A guy from Pimax provided the update.
Random question: What is the Daijishou theme you're using in this video?
It’s called “Pop!”
@@RetroGameCorps Thank you! :D
This is such a niche product I can’t imagine they’ll make much money. None of these handhelds are “perfect”. Every single one, steam deck and Ally included, have something holding them back. This is likely due to limitations in technology in general.
at least with the deck its mostly multiplayer games not wanting to play ball with their anti-cheat. which is totally fine for me, since i wouldn't want to play competitive games on a deck anyway lol
@@Rakumei672 this has always been how I feel, I could care less about the anticheat games. I don't want my kd to get bombed attempting to play on a handheld lol. I got a series x or gaming pc for that, the only thing holding the deck back for me is battery life... but even the ally has worse battery life so its not to big of a deal.😊
Idk the steam deck seems perfect.
Holding them back how?
Care to elaborate
Hard disagree on the d-pads. I absolutely hate d-pads are like the steam decks or Xbox controllers where it's all one button and it's easy to accidentally pressed the wrong one and the correct one of the same time because they're connected. The best d-pads are the separated buttons like PlayStation favorite d-pad.
if youre interested in android and android dev this this is bees knees
with that price also 🔥 now were talking og quest 2 price to performance which was legendary
Ive been looking forward to this for ages, can't wait to get this
It would be nicer if on the "What I (don't) like" list markers (like a colored border around the bullet point) would show which points are the same and which have changed in your opinion and if the change was good or bad. And now I'm watching the rest of the video...
I would prefer the VR controls to be one handed. For um ergonomics
I was all in before you said that only the QLED one can be used on PC VR
TwT
I definitely would've bought the Razr Edge if it had Joy Con-like controllers (instead of the Kishi plug in) - hoping the Pimax Portal 2 in the future really makes emulation gaming even easier
Is the function of using it from handheld to docked/USB-C hub + TV as seamless as a Switch? (Like, could you pause a game, plus the tablet portion into a dock, unpause and play on a television?)
Yes, it transitions to the tv screen smoothly and still be in sync with it's controllers
Is there any device with the proper aspect ratio to get rid of the black bars?
for me, the most interesting feature of the pimax portal was the native display port. connect it to a laptop on a plane flight. don't know if this still supports that
That D-pad...hahaha...hahhahahahaah
I am very interested in this as i have been looking for a reasonable VR headset and an android device that can run gamecube and ps2 flawlessly. I might be one pf those that actually buys this if they fix the VR mode.
I like the switch d-pad to be honest I just order Pimax Portal I know I will like there d-pad. if you don't like the d-pad on portal you can buy switch cover to fix the issue on portal d-pad.
Compare to odin and edge for ps2/gc/switch
Yeah this one's a big pass for me. Was hoping it was on the level of the review unit. At this point, I'd just get an Odin
Holy crap! Pimax Portal is an PlayStation 5 Handheld?! O_O
I have a bit of an oddly specific question, I have the hardest time adapting N64 games to using the right analog stick as the C-buttons. Some games (road rash 64, wwf no mercy) just need buttons instead of a stick. I'm looking at the triangle and O button above the ABXY diamond, are those dedicated function buttons for the device, or would it be possible to program those as A and B for the N64 emulator and the ABXY as the C-buttons?
What's with the white dot constantly blinking in the bottom? I hope it's possible to turn off otherwise it would probably be annoying enough to be a deal breaker for many.
That only appears when viewing through a camera running at 60fps, same with the QLED ghosting that you see while playing games. To the naked eye it looks great.
If there's a way to lower the resolution to 1080P you could probably squeeze a lot more out of emulation.
The emulator is still taking that internal resolution and passing it on to your GPU to stretch the frames to fit the native 4K resolution and that's taxing.
ps. I don't think the company sending out OCed hardware to reviewers is kosher but there may be ways to make this device work better with some slight setting changes.
Would you say it's worth the 549.99 CND or 449.99 ( LCD Model )? I am in the market for an ANDROID machine thats NOT my phone.
Thanks for the review Russ. Bit unfortunate that something designed for broad appeal on paper ends up feeling niche.
Great video - again. I guess you didn't have any problems updating yours - mine immediately states invalid product ID and then does nothing. Hmmmm!!!
Yeah mine finally arrived my biggest complaint at the moment is you can't program the top row of buttons. Updated and now it at least let's me map them but they all count as the same button..
Yes, that’s a bummer. I talked to the team and they are aware of it and working on a solution (like other aspects of the device).
I feel like the VR stuff it has is a missed opportunity for the Nintendo switch lol
Cool points! - A data connection is obvious! ... and I hope they'll release a joycon with a real D-pad on top like on Steam Deck and (the excellent clicky) PSVita :)
the steam deck dpad is garbage though. Mentioning it alongside the vita dpad is practically sacrilege
@@cheeeeezewizzz I agree actually. Steam Deck's D-pad works OK but I can't consistently move up'n'left :( - but PSVita's is the best there is!
@@cheeeeezewizzz @RetroGameCorps
Are the D-pads on new Steam Decks much worse? - Degraded/cheaper?
I just compared the horrible D-pad on a recently bought 64 GB Steam Deck to the one a 512 GB unit bought quite early (the ones that have raised blue dots on their cases).
The D-pad on the old Steam Deck was WAY better!!!
It's much harder to run in a rhombus on the new Steam Deck's D-pad.
Could Valve really have cost-optimized the D-pads after the first batch making them horrible just to save money?
I love that Gradius 3 is playing on the TV in the background!
Got my unit yesterday 8gb+128gb. Mine shipped with Google Play store installed. I’m pretty disappointed with it - I don’t like the housing on the back, it feels really weak. I really hate the screen… I should’ve got the QOLED, lcd is terrible!!
Looks like I’ll be sticking with my GPD XP+ and EDGE WI-FI
They should have put magnetic modules for the left and right so you cab opt for a traditional d-pad for instance
One question wasn't answered, can I watch Netflix, Crunchyroll on VR? Woks, because I like to play, but I'd like to watch something on it also, the switch doesn't work and the PS VR I can't bring to the bedroom (wires), I also have the trimui to play old videogames.
Correct me if I'm wrong wasn't this also supposed to have a "optional" wireless transmitter for wireless HDMI
The d pad is intended for VR. Not a small fan base as you mentioned.
The d-pad is a deal breaker 😅 I'll pass on this one or if they bring out better controller option but it's in there hands now till they do.
The gimmicks really detracts from the rest of the design. VR is already very niche, and being android based, I don't see it being any good at all even in the near future. The other gimmicks are no good either, a dock would be just fine with built in controllers and the bigger add on makes it worthless as a portable.
It feels like they focused most of the design on that crowdfunding "WOW" factor to gather interest. Yes, it looks cool, but that's about it, especially without that kickstarter discount.
I was at CES 2023 and saw it but didn’t do it for me. I was more impressed with Razrs handheld though
Can u test the emulation performance of the 7+ gen 2 processors.
Getting tired of these candybar androids. I have the Odin Pro and RP Flip. It's like you said, basically a tablet with controllers on them. I have been picking up my RP Flip more just because its a way better form factor and it doesn't feel like a tablet with controllers attached. In hindsight I should've just bought controllers and stuck it onto my old OnePlus 8 pro which has a new SD processor.
This is definitely something ill wait until like the 2nd generation and see what improvements have been made and the health of the company can be determined
This channel is too detailed now. Thorough. A but much for me to enjoy. It used to be like me and uncle ross having a talk on something we both are interested. Now it’s a lecture.
I fully admit I am a newbie, do you have to download the emulators or do it comes with it?
Will you do a review for the Powkiddy X55?
If you can connect an extra controller like a PS4 controller I'd definitely this.
Seems like the only downside to me is the bad controllers.
Razer Edge is OLED (AMOLED), not mini LED. Some advantages, some disadvantages, but not the same tech.
I don't care for the screen size. But now that I think about it. A 7-inch tablet and that new dock coming out soon will allow people to replicate the Nintendo Switch. Make me think?
The question is, can I use that like my phone?
Crummy D-pad=No hadookies for you! Also who would pay that price for this thing when you could just get a Steam Deck? And why would you want "2x and 3x resolution"? What's wrong with the original res?
Do you have a list of portable consoles that can run Steam? I'm looking for something to run retro + simpler games (no AAA) but with support to steam games.
Will it be able to run Asphalt 9 Legends on Pimax Portal?
Anyone knows if the Portal comes with built-in GPS? Pokemon Go is kinda dumb for this device, but there are more and more proper Android games coming out that include a IRL GPS component :/
Hey Russ, what Theme on Daijisho are you using in this Video?
It’s called “Pop!”
the highest model being usable with PC to me is probably a win/plus for some consumers, justifies it's price? Idk much about PC VR hardware
All of them are usable with pc Vr
Maybe i missed it but does this accept a sim card to allow for an internet connection on the go for the android apps that require a constant connection?
i found this product on amazon and it's going for half the price the odin 2 is going for on amazon (In Canada)
Are you the guy who was in a minecraft hypixel parkour today. Someone's said you were there.
My son uses my Microsoft/Steam accounts on his PC so it was very likely him! He was playing Minecraft earlier.
@@RetroGameCorps oh so that was your son? How old is he? He talked in a polite and formal manner
The Pimax Portal is the only Android console rocking front and back cameras... which can be used for scanning or videos chat...💭🤔🧐