DS Emulation fans should sit up and take note of this one – One-Netbook, the makers of the OneXPlayer series of handhelds, have teased a new handheld in a rather dark and moody video over the Christmas holidays that they have promised will take us into a new era of handheld gaming. It’s called the OneXSugar, and from what we can see of the video so far, it looks more like a Transformer than a handheld which has made my inner 90s child very happy!
According to the description of the video posted by One-Netbook below, the new Android handheld will be Snapdragon-powered, which doesn’t surprise me too much in today’s era of handheld gaming. What did surprise me, however, was the motion of how the OneXSugar morphs into a dual-screen console. Unlike the DS which opens in a clamshell fashion that also protects the screens from bumps and scrapes, the OneXSugar has joycon-esque controls that open out 180 degrees with a second screen that appears to fold up from the back of the console, doubling the height of the handheld. Obviously, this could just be a cool graphic used to show the evolution of the OneXPlayer handhelds, but as they boast an ‘original design and unique experience’, I’m inclined to think that it could be true! You can see the transformation happening from 12 seconds in on the clip below.
So, first impressions are that the OneXSugar is going to be a one-stop-shop for DS emulation as well as all of the usual suspects such as the PS1, Dreamcast, PSP, etc, especially considering the fact that the second screen appears to fold back when not in use. Handhelds like the Trimui Brick offer DS emulation that admittedly works, but with a screen so small it’s hard to navigate some titles that require you to see both screens without constantly switching all the time. And yes Delta offers two screens the same size, but that requires you to use your phone or laptop for gaming, and while we love Riley Testut’s emulator, sometimes you just need proper hardware to relive your favourite games of yesteryear.
The OneXSugar wouldn’t be the first handheld to cater for DS emulation (the AYANEO Flip DS recently tried to make waves but fell a little short of the mark in our opinion), but if the OneXSugar can pull off the second screen placement well with a display the same size as the top screen and include touchscreen controls, I’ll be very impressed. As always, I’ll share more news as and when I get it!
