Word on the street is that Game Kiddy are planning to release a new handheld with a single joystick called the GKD Little. Although they have had some success in the past, and recently with the GKD Pixel, there is still confusion as to which direction they are heading, with their main website being inactive for many months now.
This looks like a neat handheld, with GBA-like ergonomics, but it's nothing new. The GKD Pixel thrived because they were innovative and attacked a market with very little competition. Their recent devices like the GKD Plus Classic failed miserably, and I worry this is entering a territory that they won't survive in.
The Little is reportedly using the same screen as the AYANEO Pocket ACE, and with one joystick I can only imagine that this is yet another handheld designed as a means of playing everything from the Dreamcast backward.
Without a second joystick to control camera angles or the absence of C-buttons, games for consoles like the PS2 and N64 are going to be off the table without mapping the D-pad to do their job, and that's going to be uncomfortable to carry out. 4:3 ratio games are going to look stretched too... so what's going on here?
My first impressions are that this is going to be good for GBA, PSP, and Dreamcast games, but that's about it... Still, handhelds don't seem to be viable these days without at least one joystick and it's fast becoming the norm.
In terms of form, the handheld looks great to hold, but that's all I have to go off, and it doesn't wow me in any way. As these are just leaked images, there are no official stats to compare the Little to. Is the 1620 x 1080 LCD display the only thing it will share with the ACE, or will it also run via the Snapdragon G3X Gen 2 platform?
I can't see Game Kiddy pricing this handheld in the same bracket as the Ace so I doubt it will be as powerful, especially with just the one joystick (assumey Hall-effect these days), but time will tell. The GKD Pixel 2 comes in at around $69.99 and the Pocket ACE should... and when I say should I mean 'I hope will' come in at around $249. The Little might not be as small as the mighty Pixel 2, but if it were to become a reality, I think we can expect a price tag of around $120.
But will it be worth your hard-earned cash? Will it even make it out of the design stages? Look out for more information as new specs and details drop!
