Hardkernel’s third ODROID-Go device has a bigger screen, a bigger battery, improved wireless capabilities, and more buttons than the company’s first two handheld gaming systems. The new model features a 5 inch, 854 x 480 pixel LCD display in the center, with game controllers on the left and right sides and shoulder buttons along the top edge. Overall, it looks a lot like a Nintendo Switch Lite, which is hardly surprising since the the original ODROID-Go from 2018 looked like a Nintendo Game Boy, and the ODROID-Go Advance that hit the streets earlier this was inspired by the Game Boy Advance (with a more rectangular design).
But not only is the ODROID-GO Super less
than half the price of Nintendo’s handheld game console, but it’s also a heck
of a lot geekier. It’s designed to run an operating system based on Ubuntu
Linux, with support for emulators that allow you to run games for the
PlayStation 1, PlayStation Portable, Nintendo 64, and other older classic game
consoles.
The system features a 1.3 GHz Rockchip RK3326
quad-core ARM Cortex-A35 processor with ARM Mali-G31 MP2 graphics and 1GB of
DDR3L memory. There’s a small amount of built-in storage for a bootloader, but
the ODROID-GO Super is designed to use a microSD card for storage. Other
features include a mono speaker, 3.5mm headphone jack, USB 2.0 host port, a
4,000 mAh battery, and a DC jack for a 5V/1.5A power supply.
Hardkernel says it’s made a number of
changes to set the new model apart from the ODROID-GO Advance, including a
larger, higher-resolution display (the Advance had a 3.5 inch, 480 x 320 pixel
screen), a bigger battery (the Advance had a 3,000 mAh battery), and support
for faster UWB WiFi+ Bluetooth. There’s also a second analog joystick,
dedicated volume buttons, and the microSD card now has a spring eject system to
make it easier to remove cards.
The company will also pre-assemble the
ODROID-GO Super at the factory before shipping it to customers rather than
shipping a DIY kit that needs to be assembled at home. Since the new model has
the same processor as the ODROID-Go Advance though, software developed for one
device will be able to run on the other. If you don’t feel like waiting until
January (or prefer a smaller handheld gaming device), the ODROID-GO Advance is
currently available from Hardkernel for US$ 59.
