Occasionally something comes along that shakes things up a bit. HardKernel did it at the start of 2020, but it looks as though there might be a new benchmark soon. The KT R1 handheld promises a lot, and could be the one that a lot of people have been waiting for.
It started a back in November over on the Chinese forums. A user named niluanxy posted a long preamble about a device he was working on called the R1. Over the course of a few posts, we learned that this handheld is going to be quite different from anything currently available.
It is actually planned that there will be at least two versions of the R1. As far as I can tell the majority of the configuration is the same between both, with the main difference being onboard RAM and a sim card slot. For now we’ll talk about the premium version, as I expect most people will be interested in having more memory.
HARDWARE CONFIGURATION
This will be the first handheld available with the AmLogic S922X on board. The S922X was released last year and is a hexa core CPU made up of a quad core ARM Cortex A73 and a dual core A53 processor. I believe each core is capable of running up to around 1.8Ghz. Graphics are powered by a Mali-G52 GPU. The premium version will be configured with 4GB of LPDDR4 RAM.
There are a few Android TV boxes already available with this CPU. ETA Prime (among others) has done some YouTube videos showcasing its performance.
The KT R1 handheld contains a 4″ 800×600 touchscreen display. This 4:3 aspect ratio will be excellent for older systems, providing a nearly full screen visual experience with no side borders. Niluanxy also suggested that the LCD will have a minimal 3mm border around the edge.
The internal storage is taken care of via an EMMC of varying sizes. There will be a microSD card inside on the motherboard, as well as a secondary one available externally. There will be WiFi and Bluetooth onboard, a 5000mAh battery with 25w fast charging and rumble motors too.
CONTROLS AND I/O
There are various renders doing the rounds with the positioning of the left analog stick and d-pad in switched positions. It seems to be that the final design will have the d-pad at the top which is likely to cause the least amount of complaints. However it’s also been said by niluanxy that the left side of the device will be modular. After market custom face plates may allow customers to swap out the configuration.
The bottom edge of the device has a headphone jack, USB-C charge port and a mini HDMI output. Somewhere on the device there will also be a tray for a sim and MicroSD card.
The R1 contains dual analog sticks with R3/L3 support, d-pad, ABXY and an extra four face buttons. On the top edge of the device you’ll see stacked shoulder buttons for R1/R2/L1/L2. This is also where the volume rocker and power button can be found.
OPERATING SYSTEM
The KT R1 handheld will run Android 9 out of the box, which is the same as many TV boxes with the same chip. I believe it has been heavily customised for the handheld form factor. Niluanxy has stated that he’s pretty much finished with the OS already, but there aren’t any videos of it in action yet.
The bootloader is unlocked, and the device will support different OSs depending on what devs decide to port to it. Secondary systems can be installed to a seperate microSD card. There will be a hardware switch on the shell which tells the machine which system to boot from when turned on.
PERFORMANCE
The S922X is a very powerful chip, and we can expect to see much better performance in the systems already supported by RK3326 handhelds. Hard to emulate games such as God of War (PSP) apparently run at 60fps with x2 rendering on this chip. The redream Dreamcast emulator can run Shenmue 2 at 60fps, and N64 emulation will be amazing even with upscaling enabled. We can also expect to see very good Sega Saturn emulation. PS2 is where the capabilities of this chip end, with niluanxy stating that it’s only possible to get a dozen or so fps from that system.
To get a better idea, have a look at some of the TV box reviews on YouTube, it’s quite clear that this chip is leaps and bounds ahead of the RK3326.
AVAILABILITY AND PRICE
It seems that the KT R1 handheld is the dream of one talented man working with a factory in China to get this device brought to life. Although this is his first foray into handheld manufacture, he does have a project under his belt already. The GPD Win2 aftermarket cooler was engineered and manufactured by him, and successfully funded on IndieGoGo last year.
Niluanxy has stated that he will receive a real protoype of the R1 in January, after which time an IndieGoGo campaign will be started. Shipping of the final devices is due to begin in Q1 2021.
There are going to be various hardware configurations of this handheld, and the pricing hasn’t been finalised. It’s been said that $200 will be the maximum, but it’s possible that it’ll be less. There will also be an option for a metal shell, but that may be outside of the $200 budget. I believe the standard colours will be white, grey and yellow plastic.
THOUGHTS
It seems strange to me that it takes a one-man-band operation like niluanxy’s to bring real innovation to this market. We have companies like Anbernic, Bittboy and Retroid who must already have stacks of cash behind them. I do wonder why are they not already leading the way. Obviously GPD are doing their thing, but their machines are out of reach for most folk.
I think the $150 – $200 price range is a good sweet spot. OK it’s 2 or 3 times the price of most handhelds, but from what I see online a lot of people have 2 or 3 of those cheaper devices already.
The KT R1 moniker may not be final, and could change before it goes up for pre-order. I wish niluanxy all the best with his endeavour, and I’ll be keeping my eyes open for the IndieGoGo campaign next year.
The post The KT R1 Could Be The One You’re Waiting For appeared first on Obscure Handhelds.