Indiegogo staffers are placing crowdfunded merchandise to the take a look at in our new collection of trustworthy evaluations. On this version, our very personal electronic mail advertising and marketing and lifecycle strategist Karisa Hunt tried out the OneXPlayer X1,, a brand new thrilling gaming and productiveness handheld that our crowdfunding neighborhood is speaking about. Does it reside as much as the hype? Learn on as we put it to the take a look at!
I like gaming, and I like the thought of taking it with me wherever I’m going. That is difficult for me as a result of I’ve low imaginative and prescient, which on this case means small screens are my enemy. It’s the largest deterrent to me utilizing in any other case incredibly-built handheld gaming gadgets. Nonetheless, after I noticed the scale of the OneXPlayer X1, I assumed I may need lastly discovered my good gadget.
One of many different actually cool issues I needed to check out with the X1 is that it’s presupposed to be a 3-in-1 gadget. You should use it as a laptop computer, a pill, or a handheld gaming gadget. I’ve by no means used one thing this versatile earlier than, and I used to be desperate to test it out.
Unboxing
The field for the X1 feels futuristic, which could be very cool.
The included twine is a little bit brief for my preferences – I’d like to have the ability to hold it plugged in whereas I exploit it – however it’s an ordinary USB-C, so I simply swapped it out for an additional, longer one which I already had and we had been good to go.
Setup
Setup is very easy. The X1 runs Home windows 11, so establishing the gadget is as simple as strolling via the Home windows setup course of. It comes partially charged, however I like to recommend plugging it in whilst you’re doing the setup, simply in case your gadget solely has a small quantity of battery life. Crashing throughout setup is a big headache.
Because it’s a Home windows gadget and is supposed for use as a laptop computer in addition to a gaming gadget, it’s simple to obtain and set up no matter packages you want. I instantly added Steam and Discord, in addition to downloading my most well-liked browser (sorry, Microsoft Edge), after which I used to be able to go.
Use
The very first thing I opened was Discord, which is a voice, video, and textual content chat program. I needed to see how good the digicam within the gadget was, so I made a video name to a pal… who burst out laughing as quickly as she picked up the decision. Apparently there’s a bug in Home windows 11’s model of Discord that forces your digicam to show upside-down, and since each of us are native Mac customers, we had no concept about it. A fast obtain and take a look at of Skype confirmed that that is really a Discord-only drawback, and in addition confirmed that the digicam works effectively. (I do need to observe that it is a identified Discord concern, not a problem with the X1 itself. It was only a very humorous expertise after I wasn’t anticipating it, and should you use Discord video calls loads, it is likely to be a bigger concern.)
Thus far, I’ve solely used the X1 as a laptop computer and as a pill (I’m nonetheless ready for my controller to reach so I can take a look at the hand held gaming capabilities). I’ll say that I used to be very, very pleasantly shocked by how effectively it features in these two capacities. The stand doesn’t seem like it should really maintain the show up, however it does a improbable job. The keyboard is extraordinarily simple to connect and detach, and should you depart it connected, it folds up neatly to assist defend the X1’s display whereas it’s not in use. There’s even a small trackpad on the keyboard, so it really seems like a tiny laptop computer.
The X1’s pill options additionally work effectively. It’s easy to tug the keyboard off, and whereas it’s not as huge because the iPad Professional I’m used to utilizing, the X1 continues to be large enough for me to make use of with out concern. It responds shortly when utilizing the pill interface, and it’s simple to modify between panorama and portrait mode (simply flip it, like we’re all now used to doing with cell gadgets). What’s extra, it’s nonetheless a fully-functional Home windows laptop on this mode, so that you’re not buying and selling performance for ease like you’re with numerous different tablets.
The one observe that I’ve is that it’s fairly heavy. It’s considerably anticipated due to the scale and the truth that it’s a full pill/laptop computer/gaming handheld multi function, however I’m a little bit nervous about the way it’s going to fare as a handheld gadget, as a result of I’m unsure how lengthy it is going to be comfy to carry. I’ll replace this assessment with my suggestions on that after I’ve had the possibility to try it out with the controller.
Conclusion
All in all, I’m proud of this gadget to this point! The battery life hasn’t fairly been the 8 hours promised, however I’m guessing you need to flip the entire show settings to their lowest for that to be true (and I haven’t accomplished that). The burden is likely to be a problem, however I’m nonetheless unsure about that. Apart from these two issues, although, it’s a quick, cell little gadget, and the flexibility to modify between laptop computer mode and pill mode with out dropping something aside from the keyboard is a big plus. It’s simple to arrange, simple to make use of, and very quick. For those who’re in search of one gadget that may serve a number of functions, this could possibly be the reply for you!
To study extra, try the OneXPlayer X1 marketing campaign on Indiegogo!
