AYN Thor Review: 1 Year Later — Still Worth It, or Wait for the Pocket Duo?

Описание: The AYN Thor turns one. I didn't test one: I read close to a hundred owner threads, about ten reviews and every official update. What owners love, what drives them crazy ("Hingegate"), what it really costs landed in the US with the new 12.5% China tariff… and whether you should wait for the Retroid Pocket Duo.

Official stores and one affiliate option (the Thor isn't available on Amazon US right now). Prices checked Oct 20, 2026, before sales tax:
→ AYN Thor (Base $329 + $26 shipping + ≈ $41 duty ≈ $396 landed): https://www.ayntec.com/products/ayn-thor
→ AYN Thor Base 8+128 from the AYN Official Store on AliExpress, ships to the US ($381.56 + $24.54 shipping before duty, preorder, checked Oct 20, 2026; affiliate link): https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c4N...
Affiliate link: if you buy through it, RetroPicks earns a commission at no extra cost to you. Links to official stores are not affiliate links.
→ Retroid Pocket Duo ($269, $249 with code DUO until Oct 31, ≈ $306 landed): https://www.goretroid.com/products/re...
Import duty: the $800 de minimis exemption is suspended and a 12.5% Section 301 tariff applies to products of China (game consoles included) since July 24, 2026. Duty is usually billed by the carrier at delivery. Prices change often: check before you buy.

Also on RetroPicks:
AYN Thor vs Retroid Pocket Nova:    • Видео  
Which Retroid should you buy:    • Retroid Pocket 6 vs Pocket Duo vs Pocket M...  

Chapters:
00:00 One year of the Thor: my verdict
01:22 The Thor in brief
02:29 What owners love
04:18 What runs (and what struggles)
05:03 What drives owners crazy
08:46 The first buyers' warranty
09:21 What it really costs in the US
11:24 Which version to get
12:02 Or wait for the Pocket Duo?
13:17 If you're getting one: first steps
14:00 Verdict by player type

Sources (read Oct 19-20, 2026):
Owners: r/AynThor and r/SBCGaming (posts quoted: Hingegate, 3-month review, fan, Wi-Fi MLO, power button…); usernames hidden on screen
Retro Handhelds (hinge cracks, Nov 17, 2025; updates; price hikes and UFS 3.1, Apr 17 and Jun 29, 2026): https://retrohandhelds.gg/ayn-thor-hi...
Steam Deck HQ review (Nov 6, 2025) and updates .372/.377: https://steamdeckhq.com/news/ayn-thor...
DROIX review (updated Sep 4, 2026): https://droix.net/blogs/ayn-thor-hand...
Held Games review (updated Oct 1, 2026): https://heldgames.com/reviews/ayn-thor
Android Authority, July 2026 price hike: https://www.androidauthority.com/ayn-...
Pocket Duo: Notebookcheck (Oct 15, 2026), Retro Handhelds (Oct 16, 2026), Geeky Gadgets / Retro Game Corps (Oct 16, 2026); Duo Lite: Time Extension (Oct 10, 2026), Daryl Baxter (Sep 28, 2026)
US duties: Federal Register 91 FR 47318 (Section 301, 12.5%), 91 FR 37789 and 91 FR 37801 (de minimis suspended); 19 U.S.C. 1401a (duty base)
Best Buy listing (Thor Max 512, $629.99, checked Oct 20, 2026); Amazon.com Thor listings "Currently unavailable" (Oct 20, 2026)

Credits:
Video clips under Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY), not affiliated with RetroPicks: Monto Tech —    • The AYN Thor is SO GOOD! (Live Gameplay)   ,    • Playing MORE GAMES on The AYN Thor!   ,    • Hands On: The AYN Thor! (Dual Screen Handh...   ,    • AYN Thor: The New 3DS for EVERY Console   ; Modern Broadcast —    • AYN Thor Dual-Screen Handheld – First Impr...  
Music: "Circuit Rush" (The Mini Vandals) and "Back To The Start" (Patrick Jordan Patrikios), YouTube Audio Library.
AI-generated voice-over (Google Gemini). Drawn handhelds and charts: RetroPicks. No Thor was tested by the channel.
No pirated games here: free games, official re-releases and backups of your own games only.

#AYNThor #RetroidPocketDuo #retrohandheld