Cocoon 3.0 is about to drop this week with a tonne of new features to enhance your AYN Thor experience, and from the early access we've seen, the frontend looks stunning. And, as you might expect, it brings the console even more in line with the 3DS.
I've been watching a video uploaded by RePlayGaming that shows off some of the new features that are coming to the handheld in the new update which drops on July 18th, and while this is an early access build and some of the features might change or not appear altogether, I'm going to assume that this is a near-complete build considering it's releasing now in a few days.
The new update brings two new themes (I love Dark Mode), all with liquid glass-style icons just like you'd find on the iPhone. It's all super clean and looks really easy to navigate. There's almost a 'less is more' kind of feel to the homescreen now, not quite minimalist but just a little smaller and tidier to things.
The update enhances your widget game too and gives you the chance to use screenshots taken in-game as backgrounds for your home screen via Picnic. If there's a screenshot from a moment you're really proud of, then you can proudly display it as part of your theme which I really like.
Some of the other new features include an online friends list (finally!), quick settings, an improved music player with easier access to Spotify and recently played songs, pods, and much more. There are some settings like access to How Long To Beat that are heading to the system soon and hopefully ready by launch day, with some widgets still 'unclickable', but all in all it's looking really neat!
I was talking with a friend this morning about waiting and loading times on old consoles and how we like snappy, quick transitions on our devices these days. Cocoon 3.0 moves quickly and is very responsive; it's one of the best bits about this update, leaving you feeling like everything's moving more smoothly, which, in turn, promotes a better playing experience all round. It's tighter, more fluid, and it seems like the devs are really listening to the users when implementing these new features and upgrades.
Head to Cocoon Shell for more details on release day!
