It’s not often we get exclusive access to upcoming handhelds, but the OH WOW handheld is one that we’re excited to show you, not only because it looks like a beefed up Analogue Pocket but because it’s being made by a small team from the United States.
Typically affordable handhelds are built, shipped and managed straight out of China with very little support and the odd broken English marketing tactics.
But the OH WOW handheld is different, it’s being crafted by a small team of passionate handheld enthusiasts with a primary goal of creating great handhelds, for an affordable price.
As you can tell from the design and the promo video, it looks like a mix between the Analogue Pocket, the Powkiddy RGB20S and a Powkiddy A20.
Horizontal handhelds have been ever so popular in the past, especially the RG351V, so it’s no surprise that new handheld manufacturers are looking to create something similar, this design is comfortable, easy to use, and easier to design.
The back trigger buttons look slim lined, just like the Miyoo Mini, the three option buttons at the bottom of the chin reminds me of the Analogue Pocket, and the yellow colouring reminds me of Powkiddy products or even the original Retroid Pocket.
OH WOW Handheld Specifications
- 3.5″ IPS Display
- Quad-core RK3399 CPU
- 4GB – 8GB RAM
- 16GB – 32GB Storage
- Bluetooth & Wifi
- Estimated $149.99 – $199.99 pricing
OH WOW Handheld Performance
In terms of performance it’s nice to them using the RK3399 chip, it’s not new, and in no way “incredibly” powerful buts its good enough to emulate a wider number of retro consoles all while keeping costs down for the OH WOW team.
The RG552 also used the RK3399 chipset, and that could handheld games up to Dreamcast and a couple of Gamecube games, so hopefully this gives you an idea of what the OH WOW handheld could do.
There is also likely to be a “Pro” version of this handheld that comes with a better OLED screen, a little more RAM and a storage increase for those of you that want to splash a little more cash.
If they can pull this off for under $200 then it’s certainly going to cause a lot of attention, especially when they plan to use an aluminium shell for the body, making it feel like anything on the market.
We had the RG351MP which is still one of my favourite handhelds, but the market has been a little light on metal handhelds recently so this could potentially be their USP.
I think going metal is the way to go, and our man Anthony would also be happy seeing as he has been begging ANBERNIC for a metal RG351V for almost two years now.
After speaking with the OH WOW team that mentioned that they are creating a OH WOW OS for the console that will be built on top of Batocera. This is a great shout, and if they can pull it off, i think a fluid, easy to understand OS for this device will pull in lots of newcomers.
Especially those that find Linux or even some of the best Android handhelds a little bit complicated. The easier it is to use, the higher chance of customers buying it for friends/family.
The Oh Wow 1 is something everyone wished they had when they were younger. We’re also creating a device that pretty much anyone would be able to afford & love. Our device will start around $149.95 which is amazing. The Oh Wow 1 also allows you to play more then AB & D-PAD games. With the analog sticks it opens a new world to retro gaming.
– OH WOW TEAM
The OH WOW team plan to release the handheld in November 2022. As of writing this article they are currently looking for private funding and are creating the board alongside software design.
They also planning to add more features to Oh Wow OS as the days go on, for example local gaming where you can play on games made by other Oh Wow enthusiasts, they also want to create a dock that can be connected to your TV and synced with a bluetooth controller, the new 8BitDo Pro 2 colours would go nicely in fact!
First Impressions
Overall this is a handheld I am excited for, especially if they can get it as close to $149.99 as possible. The metal shell would be nice, but that could increase the retail pricing far beyond what anyone can afford, but it would be nice if some customers had the choice, perhaps it could be exclusive to the pro model?
I am always hesitant of new handhelds coming onto the market, because i know how competitive it is, and how timing is everything. There’s also been lots of handhelds that have gone onto sale and haven’t had enough sales to sustain themselves, just like the iconic TRDR Pocket that failed depressingly.
I wish them all the best, and they have our full support, but please take all of this with a pinch of salt.
Update 21st August 2022 – The OHWOW team have announced that they will be using the Intel Celeron Processor N5105 for their Pro modes, and the MediaTek 8696 chip for their Lite model.
The MediaTek chip is a processor that can likely emulate up to PSP and Dreamcast, perhaps larger 3D games on these platforms may struggle.
Whereas the Intel chip is likely to emulate these large games much better. It also seems that the handheld is already delayed according to the founder & CEO Cory.
We will update this article with new information when the OH WOW team informs us of their Kickstarter campaign. They also have a Discord channel, should you want to receive the latest information about the device.
