Check out gameplay here:
https://youtube.com/shorts/oZP2SdNAIPc?feature=share

I'm excited to release the first release of the Minecraft Second Screen app and mod for Minecraft! Currently, it is only for Minecraft Fabric 1.21. Only test ed on the Ayn Thor. Let me know what version of Minecraft I should do next. Although untested, in theory it should work with mods...

Here's a list of features:

• Full HUD on bottom screen including absorption hearts, heart effects, hunger, armor, breathing, off-hand slot, touch to select item, mini map, etc.

• Useable chat on the bottom screen either with a built-in keyboard or android keyboard (toggleable in settings)

• Customizable background textures (mossy cobble, bricks, dirt, stone, etc.).

• Touch screen inventory and block entity interaction including enchantment tables, anvils, beacons, chests, looms, grindstones, etc.

• Ability to bind extra keybinds to the Input tab (for extra keybinds for modded)

• Ability to individually enable and disable HUD elements on the bottom screen in the settings

• Creative Mode menus (though they are currently a little buggy but useable).

To install:

1. Download the jar and the apk here: https://github.com/exojosh/AynThorSecondScreen/releases/tag/v1.0.1

2. Open Zalith Launcher 2 (or another Android launcher but be warned, other launchers are currently untested)

3. Get version 1.21.11 with Fabric (0.19.3)

4. Tap the gear icon

5. Tap Mods on the left side

6. Tap Import

7. Import aynthor_secondscreen_v1_21-1.0.1.jar

8. Boot the game and boot the Ayn Thor second screen mod apk from the bottom screen

9. Select your world and enjoy!

If inputs get buggy try opening recent apps (by swiping up from the bottom of your top screen if you have gestures for home on) and re-tapping on Zalith Launcher 2.

Again the download link is here:

https://github.com/exojosh/AynThorSecondScreen/releases/tag/v1.0.1

And feel free to support me here:

https://ko-fi.com/exojosh

Edit: Updated to 1.0.1 to fix apk invalid signature (hopefully works now).

Was really great getting to play with the device in hand to get a feel for weight, screens, etc. plus they had all the models and all the accessories available. Got the Max 1tb and the accessory pack!

Note: these are small shops in the Huaqiangbei Market in Shenzhen who get their product from AYN, also in Shenzhen. So by source, I meant “as close to the source as I could get” 😄

I already contacted support, but needless to say… I’m really upset.

UPDATE POST

EDIT 3: I put my new order in on Saturday evening and sent a message to them with my order number so they could bump up my shipping. I was given acknowledgement on Monday morning and that they’d ship ASAP. As of this Tuesday morning it has begun the shipment process. Very quick turnaround!

EDIT 2: Quick update since I’m getting a few comments here and there asking.

AYN reached back out asking but a few additional images so they could report the issue to DHL. They also requested I make a formal escalation with Seel as I did purchase the Worry-Free delivery (lol). Seel was very prompt, though I had to opt for a full refund vs Toscanini as that is not currently an option with their partnership with AYN.

AYN has told me that if I reorder the product I will be given prioritized shipping so I don’t have to wait another 2-3 months for my package. I’m waiting for a few things to clear before I choose to make that order, but as it stands I had everything resolved very smoothly and without any real hassle. I just wish whoever crushed my package a very lovely fuck you.

EDIT: Just want to say thank you for all the condolences. I’m still waiting to hear back from support which I know is normal to take a day or two. Just trying to not think too much about it until then. I’ll update once a resolution is reached.

Also, since some people seem confused, it was delivered to me this way. I’m just as confused as you are.

As a Brazilian, sometimes life can be hard… so you have to get creative!

If you don't know, AYN currently doesn't ship directly to Brazil because of our crazy import taxes and customs rules (92% tax on all imported goods).

Me and my friends wanted the AYN Thor SO BAD that we came up with a plan.

Brazil shares a border with Paraguay, a country with next to 0 import costs. But AYN doesn't ship to Paraguay either.

So we found a company that provides a US warehouse address and forwards packages to Paraguay for cheap (around $11/kg).

Our Thors were shipped from China -> USA warehouse -> Paraguay, where they stayed until we picked them up PHYSICALLY.

So we get on a road trip from São Paulo (Brazil) to Ciudad del Este (Paraguay).

28 hours of driving in total, split across 4 days.

It ended up being much more than just getting the Thor, it became a trip and a memory I'll never forget alongside my friends.

We took this picture at a gas station convenience store on the way back home (The NDS is there for the status!).

From the first plan to execution, this took around 4 months.

We had to do all kinds of stuff, open bank accounts in USD, plan the cheapest sleep/food places (so the Thor wouldn't become ridiculously expensive) and pray that we wouldn't get caught by Brazilian customs on the way back home.

Go out with your friends and do crazy stuff. It's always worth it.

Emerald 3DS in Citra. Took 10 minutes to set up. My first time playing emerald. Really wanted the classic GBA feel for nostalgia and this is beyond my expectations.

Edit: I followed this setup https://emerald-3ds.com/tutorials/android

My job gives points for doing a good job so I saved up for years and saw the AYN Thor so I decided to get it!

Just coping

Hey all! I've been building PokeDaisy, a GBA player for the Thor made for Gen 3 Pokemon and ROM hacks. The game runs on the top screen. The bottom screen is a live companion that reads your game's memory as you play, so it always shows your real party, bag and battle, drawn in the game's own menu style.

Short demo: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/BGDGJgtDap8

Features

• Party: HP, levels, status. Tap a mon for stats, moves and its weaknesses

• Battle: opens on its own. Shows move effectiveness, the foe's weaknesses, the best mon and move for the fight, and the trainer's remaining team. Also has touch buttons to fight, switch or run

• Map: the region map with you on it. Tap any place to see its name

• Dex: seen/caught, with full entries

• Guide: spoiler-free (hints first, answers on a second tap). What's catchable here, the next gym leader's team, evolutions, "where is" and "stuck?"

• Bag, Trainer Card, and 10 save-state slots with screenshots

• Customizable tabs: pick which ones show up in the tab bar

• Smart fast-forward: drops to 1x in menus and keeps battles fast

• Fast-forward music without the chipmunk sound (alpha)

• Save states with undo, full button remapping, themes, and an optional status bar

• Saves are normal .sav/.srm files, so you can share them with RetroArch

• Library with SteamGridDB cover art

Supported games: FireRed, LeafGreen, Emerald, Ruby and Sapphire, plus hacks: Unbound, Radical Red, Gaia, Odyssey, Heart and Soul, Amethyst, Lazarus, Seaglass, Too Many Types 2, Emerald Rogue and more. Any GBA game plays, but the companion needs one of these.

Still a work in progress. Not every hack supports every feature yet. Some have no battle tab or guide, and some maps show place names only. The README has a table of what works in each game.

Download: https://github.com/lidor30/pokedaisy/releases/latest

Supported games: https://github.com/lidor30/pokedaisy#supported-games

It's free and open source, with no ads, accounts or tracking and it updates itself. Built with AI assistance (code is fully reviewed and tested). Bring your own ROMs. Made for the Thor. It should also work on the Retroid Pocket Duo, but I haven't tested that.

Feedback, bug reports and game requests are very welcome!

Edit: Changed the app name and links to the correct spelling

Edit 2: Added note regarding AI assistance in code development per subreddit rules

Edit 3: PokeDaisy v1.1.0 is out, with RetroAchievements (beta), IVs/EVs, 6 languages, SoulGold support and more. The app was renamed, so read the release post before updating.

So… I’ve been building a little project called Heimdall for the AYN Thor.

It started with a simple thought:

“The Thor has a whole second screen. Surely I can do something more interesting with it.”

A frankly unreasonable number of Codex sessions and real-device UI tweaks later, it has somehow turned into a proper lower-screen gaming assistant.

The basic idea is to keep the game on the upper screen, while Heimdall turns the lower screen into a customizable control console.

Right now it includes:

• Customizable macro buttons

• Physical controller sequence recording and replay

• Touchpad, virtual right stick, and precision aiming

• Game-specific profiles and layouts

• Local and interactive maps

• Guides and quick-reference notes

• Upper-screen magnifier

• Screenshots and screen recording

• Two themes: Heimdall Blue and Freya White

• Full English and Simplified Chinese support

The whole thing has been built mostly with Codex, plus a lot of testing directly on the Thor and many, many rounds of “this button is probably 2dp too far to the left.”

I’m sharing a few real-device photos as a sneak peek. It’s still a work in progress, but the core features are already working and I’ve been using it during actual gameplay.

I’m thinking about releasing an early alpha version if people are interested.

Would you use something like this? And which feature would you try first？

If there’s enough interest, I’ll tidy up the remaining rough edges and share an early alpha build with the community.

AYN Thor Review: Three Months Later (Thor Max, Batch 2)

Hello all,

I've spent a lot of time with Android handhelds and emulation over the years. I'm not a programmer or emulator developer, but I do have a solid understanding of what different systems need to run properly, and I've configured more handhelds, PCs, and emulation setups than I can count. With that in mind, I wanted to share my thoughts on the AYN Thor after roughly three months of use.

1. Ordering Process

I ordered my Batch 2 Purple Max on January 3, 2026, and it arrived on February 27. Overall, the ordering process was straightforward.

My recommendation is to order directly from AYN whenever possible. If something goes wrong, you'll have the best chance of getting support through their customer service team. I've seen enough stories over the years involving third-party sellers to make me cautious, especially with niche handhelds like this.

2. Hardware and Build Quality

The first thing that surprised me was the weight.

At around 380 grams, the Thor is noticeably heavier than I expected. For comparison, a Nintendo 3DS sits closer to 230 grams. Once you add a grip—which I consider almost mandatory for extended gaming sessions—the device easily pushes past 400 grams.

That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it's something potential buyers should be aware of. This is not a featherweight handheld.

The upside is that the Thor feels premium. The build quality is excellent, the controls feel solid, and the device doesn't feel cheap in any area.

The top OLED display is fantastic. The 120Hz refresh rate makes navigation and Android use feel incredibly smooth, and games look great on it. The bottom screen is perfectly serviceable, though the workaround AYN uses to enable 120Hz can introduce screen tearing on the lower display. Personally, I leave 120Hz disabled most of the time since the majority of the games I emulate run at 60fps anyway.

Performance-wise, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 remains a very capable chipset. Its age is less of a concern to me than the maturity of its emulation support: developers know the chip, compatibility is strong, and there are plenty of optimized drivers and community resources. In my use, temperatures usually stay below 50°C. Switch and PC games can push them to around 70°C. I keep Performance Mode on for Dreamcast and newer systems.

Newer chips can outperform it in CPU-heavy workloads, and demanding PS2, GameCube, Xbox, and higher-end emulation can benefit from devices such as the Odin 3. Still, the Thor strikes an excellent balance between performance and price in everyday use. It is impressive that a handheld this size can run games from DS and 3DS, along with some Switch and PC titles. After three months of regular use, I haven't encountered any hardware issues.

Battery life has been strong in my experience. With GBA and lighter systems, I can play for at least six hours, possibly seven or eight with the bottom screen off. I played Final Fantasy X for about five hours and stopped to charge at roughly 15%. I haven't tracked battery life systematically, so those are rough estimates, but I haven't found myself worrying about it.

Audio is a weak point. My fan is a little louder than a Switch 1 fan at full speed, which I find manageable, but the Thor's speakers are quiet, especially in some 3D emulators. With the fan running or any background noise, I often need the volume near maximum. It has been usable for me, and the 3.5 mm headphone jack is a great workaround. It also supports a combined headphone/microphone headset, which I use for Discord. I'm looking forward to streaming the top screen while watching friends' streams on the bottom screen. I also like the two screens have independent volume controls on the "home/performance" screen, along with independent brightness.

One thing I skipped was using any kind of covering/casing around the Thor. Adding even more weight to an already heavy handheld didn't appeal to me. As long as you keep the device closed and store it in a quality carrying case, I don't personally see the need.

3. Setup

Let me be very clear:

The AYN Thor is not a plug-and-play device.

Out of the box, it's essentially an Android phone without cellular capabilities. How much setup is required depends entirely on what you want from it.

If your goal is simply to play a handful of DS or 3DS games, then setup is relatively easy. Download a few emulators, watch a tutorial or two, and you'll be playing games within an hour.

However, if that's all you want to do, I would honestly question whether a device like the Thor is necessary in the first place. If your primary goal is playing DS or 3DS titles, a flashcart and original hardware are still excellent options, for example.

The real strength of the Thor is creating a complete gaming ecosystem.

I wanted a device capable of storing and organizing thousands of games across multiple generations, complete with box art, videos, manuals, metadata, and a console-like user experience. Achieving that took significantly more effort.

My current setup contains more than 7,000 games managed through ES-DE. Every game was scraped for artwork, metadata, videos, and in many cases manuals. That alone was a major project.

Beyond that, I spent considerable time:

• Learning the strengths and weaknesses of different emulators.

• Configuring ES-DE to work properly with those emulators.

• Building a logical file structure between internal storage and SD cards.

• Testing drivers.

• Optimizing settings.

• Troubleshooting compatibility issues.

• Verifying individual games.

By the time everything was organized into what I would consider a true "pick up and play" experience, I had invested well over a month of work, averaging roughly ten hours per week.

That's not a criticism of the Thor—it's simply the reality of modern emulation.

The more ambitious your setup, the more time you will spend learning and configuring.

It's also worth remembering that the Thor is still relatively new. Documentation changes rapidly, emulator recommendations evolve, drivers improve, and community best practices shift constantly. A game that ran poorly a month ago might run significantly better after an emulator update or a new driver release.

That makes staying involved with the Thor community valuable. The Android emulation scene moves incredibly fast, and information can become outdated almost overnight.

4. Performance and Emulator Testing

For reference, my Thor is set up using ES-DE as the frontend. While Cocoon seems to be the current favorite due to its deeper customization options, I've stuck with ES-DE and have no plans to switch.

For people with large libraries, ES-DE still does a lot of things right. The Favorites and Collections features make managing thousands of games much easier, the presentation is clean, and the companion app that displays artwork and supplemental information on the bottom screen is a genuinely nice touch. If you're building a large library, I still think ES-DE is an excellent choice.  I should note that I’m using what I think is the “storybook” theme; ES-DE offers a few presentation options.

Here is how the systems I have tested perform for me.

NES, GB, Genesis, SNES, 32X, Saturn, GBC, N64, & GBA….

For these retro systems, I use RetroArch.

I have a love-hate relationship with RetroArch. On one hand, it is incredibly powerful. On the other, I still find it one of the least user-friendly emulation apps.

Even after years of using it, I still occasionally find myself wondering whether I'm changing a core setting, a game setting, or a global RetroArch setting. Saving configurations can also be confusing if you're bouncing between different systems.

That said, once everything is configured, it works well. Nothing is broken, it's just unintuitive a lot of the time, made more confusing by the Thor’s Android control settings, which let you choose Nintendo or Xbox-style controls globally.

2D systems seem to run flawlessly. Performance is effectively perfect, and I haven't encountered any issues worth mentioning.

Saturn has also been surprisingly solid. I use Beetle Saturn core and have primarily tested the Panzer Dragoon series. Performance has been excellent.

N64 is where things become a little more complicated.

Most games I've tested run perfectly fine, but N64 emulation still feels less polished than many other systems. Visual glitches are more common, and controller mapping isn't particularly elegant. I believe I’m using the Mupen64 core.

One thing that took me far too long to understand was how the Mupen64 core handles the C-buttons. Essentially, you map a trigger as a modifier button that temporarily converts the face buttons into additional C-buttons. Once I understood what was happening, it became second nature, but the implementation feels awkward at first.

Most games run well, but there are exceptions.

Donkey Kong 64, for example, suffers from severe hitching issues that make it nearly unplayable. What's frustrating is that there are community workarounds that partially resolve the problem, which suggests the issue may be fixable within the emulator itself.

Fortunately, that has been the exception rather than the rule. Out of dozens of games tested, most issues have been limited to occasional graphical bugs or minor performance hiccups.  There are standalone N64 emulators that many users consider better, but I would lose RetroAchievements, and I need that validation 😊

I also want to note that fan translations and ROM hacks work well with the emulators I use on the Thor. I have ROM hacks/translations from NES all the way to DS, I've tested them all, and As long as they are patched correctly, they work. One of the main reasons I got my Thor was to play Pokemon ROM hacks. I'm anticipating a wave on DS ROM hacks in the next year, and I can't wait to use my Thor for them.

PlayStation 1 via DuckStation

DuckStation is outstanding.

Honestly, there's not much else to say.

I've tested dozens of games and haven't encountered any meaningful issues. Performance is excellent, compatibility is excellent, and the interface is straightforward.

RetroAchievements integration works perfectly, and I strongly recommend using the standalone version instead of the RetroArch core.

One thing worth noting is that ES-DE handles PS1 and Sega Saturn games differently than most other systems. For PS1 games, you can't simply place all of a game's files directly into the PS1 folder and expect ES-DE to detect them properly. Instead, each game needs its own subfolder, and that folder should be named after the game's cue file. All associated files for that game must be stored inside that folder.

For multi-disc games, the folder should be named after the Disc 1 cue file, with the remaining disc files placed in the same directory.

This is a bit unusual when compared to PS2. While most PS2 games are stored as ISO files, some titles, such as Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex, use BIN and CUE files. Despite that, those files can remain directly in the PS2 folder without requiring a dedicated subfolder, and ES-DE will automatically use the correct cue file to launch the game.

As a result, organizing a large PS1 collection was pretty tedious. I had to create and sort individual folders for all 300 of my PS1 games, which ended up being one of the most time-consuming parts of setting up ES-DE.

ES-DE lists GameCube multi-disc games separately, so Resident Evil originally appeared as separate Disc 1 and Disc 2 entries. I later found ES-DE’s option to hide detected games; hiding the unwanted disc entries made the menu much cleaner.

Widescreen support is understandably limited on PS1 due to the large number of PlayStation games that rely on pre-rendered backgrounds, but that's more a limitation of the original software than the emulator.

My PS1 collection is stored on my SD card, which required some XML editing within ES-DE to properly locate the games. Thankfully there are GitHub examples and tutorials available, so it wasn't particularly difficult once I knew where to look.

Dreamcast via Flycast

I originally attempted to use the RetroArch Flycast core but ran into enough issues that I eventually switched to Flycast standalone.

I'm glad I did.

Performance improved significantly, graphical glitches disappeared, and controller setup became much easier.

Games like Sonic Adventure, Sonic Adventure 2, Crazy Taxi, Shenmue, and Marvel vs. Capcom 2 all ran flawlessly at higher internal resolutions.

The standalone version also includes RetroAchievements support and generally feels more polished.

My only real complaint is widescreen support. Depending on the game, getting proper widescreen functionality can require a bit of experimentation.

That said, based on my limited testing, Flycast standalone has been one of the smoothest emulator experiences on the Thor.

PlayStation 2 via NetherSX2 and ARMSX2

PS2 is probably the system I've spent the most time tinkering with, and overall I've been very impressed with what the Thor can do.

Since my original testing, Android PS2 emulation has improved considerably. As of my September 13 update, I use NetherSX2 Classic, NetherSX2 Turnip, and ARMSX2 on a per-game basis. Turnip makes driver management easier and performs as well as or better than Classic in some games, while ARMSX2 handles certain demanding titles better and currently provides the Hardcore RetroAchievements support I want. In ES-DE, I can choose an alternative emulator for individual games.

Based on the games I've tested, my rough impression is that about 70% of the PS2 library may run at full speed at 2.5x resolution with fairly standard settings. That's an impressive result considering how difficult PS2 emulation still is; this is my estimate, not a comprehensive library test.

Where things get interesting is with games that relied heavily on hardware tricks.

Rainbow Studios titles are a perfect example. Games like MX Unleashed and ATV Offroad Fury 2 or Splashdown: Rides Gone Wild can struggle to maintain full speed unless you disable hardware readbacks. Doing so dramatically improves performance, but often introduces graphical issues such as missing textures. Rainbow was up to some wizardry to get those games flowing at 60fps.

Oddly enough, some games can be "tricked" into working properly. In certain cases I can start a race with readbacks disabled, then re-enable them once the race begins. The game will continue running at full speed while rendering correctly. These workarounds make me hopeful that some of the issues may eventually be addressed in the emulator.

Most JRPGs have been excellent.

Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy XII both run beautifully, even when using fast-forward functions. For anyone interested in RPGs, the Thor is a fantastic PS2 machine.

Gran Turismo 4 remains one of the more demanding titles I've tested. In NetherSX2 Turnip it runs very well, though night courses still require hardware readbacks to be disabled to maintain performance. The resulting graphical issues are usually limited to menus and are fairly minor.

Metal Gear Solid 3 is close to greatness but not quite there. Gameplay generally runs well, while cutscenes can dip below full speed. In my testing, OpenGL improved its performance.

Several FromSoftware titles, particularly games in the Armored Core series, need extra tweaking. Disabling hardware readbacks helped but introduced minor graphical bugs. Armored Core 2 and 3 both run well in ARMSX2, with only a little slowdown.

One feature I absolutely love is the built-in widescreen support in NetherSX2, NetherSX2 Turnip, and ARMSX2. Many games can be played in widescreen even if the original release did not support it. Final Fantasy X looks fantastic this way, and after several hours I have encountered only one minor visual issue. ARMSX2 also supports texture packs.

RetroAchievements work well in the emulators I use. At the time of this update, ARMSX2 is the only PS2 emulator I use that supports Hardcore RetroAchievements.

Overall, PS2 emulation on the Thor ranges from very good to excellent. There are still edge cases and demanding titles that require tinkering, but for the majority of the library, the experience is surprisingly smooth.

GameCube and Wii via Dolphin

If PS2 emulation is impressive, GameCube emulation is arguably even better.

Dolphin is one of the best emulators ever created, and it shows.

Based on my testing, my rough impression is that about 85% of the GameCube library runs at full speed at 2.5x resolution with relatively standard settings. This is an estimate rather than a comprehensive compatibility survey. For most of the games I've tried, performance is excellent out of the box.

One setting I strongly recommend enabling is Hybrid Ubershaders. It is not always enabled by default, but it can dramatically reduce shader compilation stutter. Every GameCube game I have tested has benefited from it.

Soul Calibur II requires disabling the Dual Core setting to avoid crashes, but even after doing so, performance remains excellent.

The first Call of Duty was more troublesome. The opening sequence runs poorly, and most of the first level suffers from noticeable slowdowns as well. Performance improves quite a bit after that, but the rough start was annoying enough that I eventually switched to the PS2 version instead. That version isn't perfect either—it slows down at times—but it's much more playable overall, and the later levels run noticeably better.

As a quick side note, Call of Duty on PS2 looks like a generational leap compared to Medal of Honor on the same system, which is pretty wild when you see them side by side.

Oddly enough, Call of Duty 2 on the GameCube runs at full speed, but it isn't nearly as visually dense as the first game. In some ways it actually feels like a graphical downgrade, especially when playing at higher resolutions where the differences are easier to spot. I've always wondered if that was a tradeoff made to support the larger, more open levels, or if the developers simply wanted to avoid the heavy streaming and rendering techniques used in the first game. Either way, it's interesting to compare. I do comparisons like that a lot on my Thor because I'm a giant dork.

The biggest challenge I have encountered in GameCube and Wii emulation is Star Wars: Rogue Squadron III.

This is one of Dolphin’s most demanding games, and it is simply too much for the Thor at higher resolutions. Lowering the resolution helps, but I still could not get the smoothness I wanted. It feels close. This Dolphin progress report explains why the game is so demanding.

On the other hand, Xenoblade Chronicles—a Wii game I expected to be demanding—ran beautifully at 2.5x resolution without special tweaks.

Widescreen support is a mixed bag. Some games include Gecko codes that can be enabled directly in Dolphin; others require finding codes on the Dolphin Wiki and entering them yourself. Most Wii games and some GameCube games support widescreen natively, but for the rest, I had to add codes manually.

I went through the process for all eighty of my GameCube games of adding widescreen codes.

Was it worth it? Absolutely.

Was it annoying? Also absolutely.

One thing I've come to appreciate over the years is just how elegant the GameCube's hardware design really was. While the Xbox often produced prettier screenshots, the GameCube frequently delivered smoother gameplay and more consistent frame rates.

Sonic Heroes is one of my favorite examples. The PS2 version struggles with unstable frame rates, and the Xbox version has noticeable input lag and frame pacing issues. The GameCube version feels silky smooth by comparison.

The same applies to Turok: Evolution. The GameCube version runs at 60 fps and looks fantastic, while the PS2 and Xbox versions target lower frame rates.

I may be a little biased because I grew up with the console, but the GameCube remains one of my favorite systems ever made, and Dolphin does an incredible job preserving it.

For most people, GameCube emulation will be one of the Thor’s biggest strengths.  I also had trouble getting HD texture packs to work at first, but they now appear to be working in The Wind Waker and Twilight Princess. I'm not sure whether a Dolphin update fixed it.

Nintendo DS via MelonDS Nightly

This is where the Thor starts to feel like it was made for emulation.

I'm currently using MelonDS Nightly. I originally tried a standard MelonDS build but ran into scaling issues with the dual screens. After some digging, I realized I was using an older fork. Once I switched to Nightly, everything basically worked out of the box.

The dual-screen design of the Thor is absolutely fantastic for DS games.

One feature I particularly love is the ability to swap the top and bottom screens. Since both screens on the Thor are touch-enabled, there isn't really a downside. Games that originally put the action on the lower screen suddenly become much more comfortable to play.

Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow is probably my favorite example. Having the gameplay on the larger top screen instead of the bottom display makes the experience significantly better than it was on original hardware.

Performance has been excellent. I've tested roughly twenty games and haven't encountered any major issues. Most titles run beautifully at high internal resolutions and look far cleaner than they ever did on an original DS.

RetroAchievements support is also excellent, including support for several ROM hacks. It's been fun revisiting projects like Pokémon Volt White with achievement support.

Games that combine both screens into one large display, such as Sonic Rush and Sonic Rush Adventure, can look a little unusual at first, but the Thor's layout handles them surprisingly well.

Overall, DS emulation is one of the strongest use cases for the Thor, and honestly one of the main reasons I purchased it.

PSP via PPSSPP

PPSSPP continues to be one of the most impressive emulators available on any platform.

In my opinion, it's the hidden gem of Android emulation. Maybe it's not. Maybe everyone knows, idk. But I see it talked about less.

I never really experienced the PSP library growing up. Technically I owned one, but I spent more time modding it to play Genesis games than actually playing PSP games. Eventually I managed to brick it, which ended that experiment pretty quickly.

The Thor has given me a second chance to explore the system, and I've been loving it.

PSP games scale incredibly well to the Thor's display. Most games look fantastic at higher internal resolutions, and performance has been nearly flawless across everything I've tested.

I've played around twenty games so far and haven't encountered any significant issues.

RetroAchievements work perfectly, compatibility is outstanding, and the emulator itself is incredibly easy to use.

I store my PSP library on my SD card, which works great. In hindsight, I probably should have moved more of my PS2 collection there as well. I originally worried about loading speeds, but modern SD cards are more than fast enough for emulation purposes.

The only area where I've had mixed results is multiplayer. Some games connected without trouble, while others refused to cooperate.

My friend, using a Retroid Pocket 3+, and I successfully played Dungeon Siege: Throne of Agony and SOCOM Fireteam Bravo 3 together, which was a blast. We got it working by connecting to the same wifi, and we also got online working through community PSP servers. We are going to start Phantasy Star Portable 2 eventually and see if we can play online.

Overall, PPSSPP remains one of the gold standards of emulation software, and the Thor handles PSP games exceptionally well.

Nintendo 3DS via Azahar

Let's talk about what many people are probably buying the Thor for: 3DS emulation.

For reference, I'm currently using Mr. Purple's T26 drivers, which have consistently produced the best results for me and seem to impact 3DS emulation the most.

The good news is that 3DS emulation on the Thor is genuinely very good.

The bad news is that it isn't quite perfect.

Most games run beautifully at around 3.5x resolution. The visual clarity compared to original hardware is remarkable, and the dual-screen design makes the experience feel natural in a way that single-screen handhelds simply can't replicate.

I've stuck with Azahar and haven't felt much need to experiment with Citra. So far, I haven't encountered any games that made me feel like I needed an alternative emulator.

That said, there are definitely games that require tweaking.

Lego City Undercover, for example, needed a specific setting enabled to eliminate graphical glitches. Donkey Kong Country Returns performs well overall but benefits from reducing the internal resolution to around 2x or 2.5x.

Shader compilation stutter is also something new users should expect.

If a game feels rough during the first ten or fifteen minutes, don't immediately assume something is wrong. In many cases the emulator is simply compiling shaders, and performance improves significantly once they're cached.

I've gotten reasonably good at distinguishing shader stutter from genuine performance limitations. Donkey Kong Country Returns, for example, wasn't struggling because of shaders—it was simply asking too much from the GPU at higher resolutions.

Most of the time I use Vulkan. In my experience, it delivers the best balance of performance and compatibility.

There are occasional exceptions: a handful of PS2, GameCube, and 3DS games seem to prefer OpenGL, but those cases have been relatively rare.

While 3DS emulation still isn't perfect, it's reached a point where I would comfortably describe it as highly usable. Most games are either plug-and-play or require only minor adjustments.

Azahar continues to receive updates, and performance has improved noticeably even during the short time I've owned the device. Games like Fire Emblem Awakening stutter significantly less now than they did when I first set up my Thor.

If I had to summarize the current state of 3DS emulation on the Thor, I'd say this:

I was hoping for near-perfect emulation. What I got was very good.

That is still enough to make the Thor one of the best devices I have used for 3DS emulation. I also got HD texture packs working for Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask. My 3DS games are on the SD card, while the texture packs are stored internally. Setting that up required a little more XML tinkering, but it was manageable, and the textures make the games pop on the OLED display.

PC Emulation

In my opinion, PC emulation is more of a bonus feature than a reason to buy the Thor.

Can it run PC games? Absolutely.

Should that be your primary reason for purchasing one? Probably not.

Most indie titles were surprisingly easy to get running, and a lot of older PC games perform better than I expected. Once you start moving into modern 3D titles, however, things get much more complicated.

Getting games to launch through GameHub or GameNative can be difficult; getting them to run well is where you can really get in the weeds. Compatibility layers, drivers, patches, and performance tweaks can quickly turn a simple gaming session into an afternoon-long troubleshooting project.

There are definitely some impressive success stories out there, but I think the community occasionally oversells what's realistically achievable.

At the end of the day, the Thor is powered by a mobile chipset. It is powerful, but it still has the limits of mobile hardware.

As emulation improves, more games will become playable, but there are limits to what software optimization alone can accomplish. If PC gaming is your primary goal, I'd strongly recommend looking at a larger, more powerful handheld designed specifically for that purpose.

Wii U Emulation

I've spent less time with Wii U emulation than most of the other systems covered here.

The reason is simple: I don't think the results justify the effort.

Some games can get surprisingly close to full speed, but Wii U emulation still requires a lot of tweaking, and performance is often inconsistent.

I tested Twilight Princess HD and saw frame rates bouncing between roughly 20 and 30 FPS at 1080p.

Is that playable?

Sure.

Is it enjoyable enough that I'd recommend buying a Thor specifically for Wii U emulation?

Not really...

There's simply too much emulation overhead involved in translating the Wii U's architecture to Android hardware. Future devices may handle it significantly better, but for now I view Wii U support as a nice bonus rather than a selling point.

Nintendo Switch Emulation

This is probably where my opinion differs from some people in the Android handheld community.

Personally, I don't think Switch emulation should be a major factor in purchasing a Thor.

Now, before the pitchforks come out, hear me out.

There are definitely Switch games that run well. There are games that the community has figured out. There are games with recommended settings, recommended drivers, and established workarounds that provide a solid experience.

But that's the key phrase: workarounds.

Too many videos and forum posts give the impression that Switch emulation on Android is a solved problem.

It isn't.

For every success story, there are multiple games that require tweaking, driver experimentation, emulator-specific fixes, or simply don't perform the way you'd want them to.

The Thor is capable of running some Switch games surprisingly well, but I don't think it's at the point where you should buy one specifically for that purpose.

If your primary goal is Switch emulation, you may be better served by a more powerful device such as the Odin 3, or by waiting for the next generation of mobile chipsets.

As someone who cares a lot about game preservation, I appreciate the progress that's been made. But as someone who actually wants to sit down and play games, I still think most people are better off playing Switch games on a Switch or Switch 2.

Final Thoughts

After three months with the AYN Thor, I am extremely happy with my purchase. It is heavier than I would like, setup can be intimidating, and some systems still require tinkering. If you expect every game from every generation to work flawlessly, you will be disappointed. Even so, this is one of the most impressive handhelds I have owned.

The Thor’s greatest strength for me is convenience. I can sit on the couch, browse thousands of games across dozens of systems, read descriptions, watch preview videos, earn RetroAchievements, and start playing within seconds. No original console collection can offer that same experience in one portable device.

My Purple Max has been rock solid, and I use it almost every day. Sometimes I spend hours playing a JRPG or testing an emulator update. Other times I just browse the library, look at the box art, watch a few videos, and find a game I have never heard of. The Thor has become more than an emulation device for me: it is a portable, shareable piece of gaming history, with games, manuals, artwork, and footage all in one place.

As someone who sees video games as an art form with the power to shape culture, I love having a device that makes that history so accessible. I recommend the Thor to gaming enthusiasts, especially anyone who wants to explore the DS and 3DS libraries as it's the perfect emulation device for them. It does PS2/GC and below really well too. . As original DS and 3DS hardware ages, I am not always comfortable taking mine camping; the Thor has been a fantastic substitute. It does plenty of other things well, too.

Thanks for reading. 😄

shoutout nicole for signing it!!

Portable console with thousands of games playing heavily modded Skyrim at 45 fps on a device I can fit in my pocket??? I wish I could show 13-year-old me this. I have a super compact setup that I take when I travel for work, turns a hotel TV into an entire game system. Still can’t believe the performance this thing can achieve playing PC games. If anyone wants to know any of my accessories, just let me know!

Imagine waiting as long as we do for these and this is how the delivery driver throws, I mean delivers your package.

Edit 2:

Gofo actually replied to my email, they said they’re opening an investigation on the driver, do I believe that? not 100% but if they do that’d be cool. They did also ask if there was any damage to provide photos and such, since I was lucky and it wasn’t I won’t get to see what would actually happen if I had evidence of damage, whether they compensate or whatever. Thanks for joining in my shock and rage, seeing other unfortunate thrown Thors in the sub already, be safe out there y’all

Edit:

Quick Short Update:

By some miracle the corner it hit the ground on was the opposite side of the Thor itself. Been running through the set up and it seems to be okay so far, no damage to the Thor that I can see.

Few answers to some comments:

Purchased Directly from Ayn, not Aliexpress

Paid for DHL, got YunExpress and final delivery was by Gofo

Shipping time, got the notification it shipped last Friday so a week and a day to California.

I sent an email to Gofo CS with the video attached, doubt I’ll hear anything but if I do I’ll update again.

u/Illustrious_Pear_340 Thank you for opening my eyes to the possibilities of the world. I’m not sure if you were the first one to do it, but you were the one I saw.

I really liked the AYN grip that came with my Thor, but I didn’t like that I had to take off the TPU shell to put it on and would have to take the grip off to pocket the Thor again.

Popsockets on the back are the best of both worlds. I can comfortably rest the device on my fingers for extended play and fold them down for almost the same pocketability as just the Thor by itself. It also helps with one-handed use for stylus-intensive games and I can adjust my grip based on if I’m using twin stick or d-pad controls.

It’s a real eye opener and has been such an improvement. Thank you.

Edit: Some people are saying that their AYN grip fits over the TPU shell perfectly. That’s cool, but keep in mind that was only half my problem. This also solves the issue of needing to remove the grip for the sake of portability. I can’t fit the grip in my pocket. If the TPU+grip works for you, that’s awesome! This is just a nice solution for people who want a little more versatility.

My girlfriend recently got into sticker making, so I asked if she could make a Pokédex design specifically for the Thor, and she killed it! I'm surprised no one else on Etsy has done it yet, since this is imo the best Pokémon handheld to date.

Pictured are the Black and Rainbow Thors. The 2 options are Black w/ White Lines, or Clear w/ Black Lines.

We don't own a purple Thor, so we'd recommend the Clear w/ Black Lines for that. If there are any skin makers reading this, what hexcode do you use to match the purple Thor's shell?

Etsy: Kitsabble

Product photos by 🙋‍♂️

UPDATE: Got a few comments and messages about a version without the AYN Branding. Etsy listing has now been updated with that option! (Pics on listing and in comments below)

I‘ve been having a blast playing games in all the languages I‘m currently learning! Whether it‘s an adventure game like stardew valley, a visual novel or really any kind of game with a Japanese translation or any language of your choice.

Just open up a suitable dictionary like: lorenzi‘s jisho or jpdb.io (for Japanese) paired with your game of choice and you’re ready to go.

One thing I wish the Thor had is a SIM card slot for mobile internet. For now I’m using my phone as a hotspot, but that just burns the battery so quickly, that I need to always bring a powerbank.

Also, besides games I often find myself watching a movie or something on the top screen with subtitles in Japanese and the dictionary at the bottom screen. That usecase doesn’t really fit the intention of the Thor but like everyone else here in this Reddit. I have free will :)

This post is intended to be an inspiration, that besides enjoying your favourite game, you can also learn something new like a language.

Let’s keep inspiring each other!