The ODROID GO Super is HardKernel‘s latest handheld which is rumoured to be released towards the end of January 2021.
For those of you new to this company they originally built the ODROID GO Advance, a powerful, affordable handheld that changed the retro handheld scene.
HardKernel were the first to innovate with new chips, and although it went well, the Chinese market copied what they did and unfortunately made it better.
But, that’s not to say HardKernel care, as they are back with a new, bigger handheld to compete with the copy cats in the niche. This time with a handheld they are called the ODROID GO Super.
ODROID GO Super Specifications
- 5″ TFT LCD Display (854×480 Resolution)
- Rockchip RK3326 Quad-Core Cortex-A35 Processor
- Mali-G31 MP2 GPU
- 4000 MAH Battery
- 1GB DDR3L RAM
- $80 Price Tag
ODROID GO Super Details
What made the previous ODROID Go handheld so good was simply the power for the price, and it looks as if HardKernel are doing the same with this one.
The only downfall we had with the previous ODROID Go handheld was that the build quality wasn’t up to scratch and it felt very cheap. But the power made it worth the buy.
From what we can see the ODROID GO Super has made a few adjustments, the biggest being the huge 5″ LCD Display.
This will certainly entice people into the handheld, especially with the small $80 price tag which is currently in line with the Retroid Pocket 2.
The ODROID GO Super no longer comes as a DIY kit like its younger brother, now it’s pre-made ready to play straight out of the box.
This will make it more accessible for retro handheld lovers in the community who can’t or don’t like modding.
This is no Nintendo Switch Pro, this is a handheld for those that want power over build quality, and that’s okay, the ODROID Go Super has a place in the market.
Visual wise, the ODROID GO Super has kept that “ODROID” look and hasn’t gone too crazy. They’ve now added two analogue sticks, which we have to admit, look like the cheap ones on the previous handhelds which we absolutely hated.
It looks as if they have also kept the buttons, which again we weren’t a fan of. But they have now added four shoulder buttons, USB-C charging and volume buttons.
It still has the iconic four buttons on the chin which can be used for many different mappings and there’s start/select buttons on either side of the screen.
The huge screen is what will interest many of you, and it’s one of the big selling points of the ODROID GO Advance and this is why we respect Hardkernel. They do what other handheld companies don’t want to do, and they’ve taken the risk with a large screen.
ODROID-Go Super still runs Ubuntu 20.04 with EmulationStation allowing you to play a bunch of your old retro games. It’s still using the old RK3326 chip which means it can emulate everything up to N64 and possibly a few of the best Dreamcast games and best PSP games.
It looks like a very interesting handheld, and HardKernel have priced it very competitively, but will users supplement screen size over build quality? Perhaps!
This is a new handheld, and a screen size that has rarely been touched so it will be good to see what happens.
The only thing to consider is HardKernel only made a very limited ammount of ODROID Go Advance’s and sold out fast, and this is why many copied their handheld and made it better. Not only that, these other companies shipped out quicker, leaving HardKernel in the dust.
So here’s hoping they can handle to demand this time, if not, history will replay itself once again.
