The AYN Thor has undoubtedly been one of the most popular retro handhelds to release over the last year or so, and for good reason, it's a remarkable dual-screen Android handheld that we scored a 9.4 in our full review.
It's powerful, well-built, features not one, but two AMOLED displays and can handle most emulation up to and including PS2, wrapped in an easy-to-use Android OS. With the boom in popularity has come long shipping delays. As of now, there's a 2 - 3 month wait for the 7th batch of pre-orders to ship in August.
That's not fun for anyone wanting to get their hands on this, a device that has been out for over 7 months now. But I'll still admit the wait will be worth it. But what's causing these delays?
Well, the legendary handheld content creator known as Russ from Retro Game Corps shared a video on his YouTube channel that showed him visiting Moorechip's headquarters, the very parent company that owns AYN and Retroid. I previously knew the same company owned them, but I never knew that both companies were under the same roof, literally. Russ shared that they sit on two different levels, one above the other, likely meaning they can collaborate fluently, even if this connection is unknown to many who own these handhelds.
AYN focuses on high-end, premium retro handhelds, whereas Retroid is trying to target the more affordable range, even if their prices keep increasing year on year. In a part of the video, Russ learns that AYN's long delays are actually due to the long manufacturing process of the screens. The lead times are high, forcing AYN to wait for the delivery of their screen orders, which pushes back manufacturing, quality checks, packaging and shipping.
So, it's not AYN doing this on purpose, so to speak, or to condense the orders to streamline the packing process; it is, in fact, due to the high demand for screens and long lead times. Russ goes on to explain that Moorechip are taking screen quality very seriously now, as they've had a few issues in the past with their Retroid Pocket Mini and Retroid Pocket Flip, so vigorous testing of screens and hinges are in play, stating that they test them "100,000 times" to see where the wear and tear is actually happening and how they can create better products.
I think it's awesome that these Chinese retro handheld manufacturers are letting content creators into their offices as there is no denying that sometimes these companies can feel a little soulless at times due to the language and communication barriers and this one video, although not many clips are shown in the headquaters, is a good way to build trust with western customers and to give them a peak behind the curtain. I hope they do this more. I highly recommend watching Russ's video all the way through.
