OneXSugar gets demoed live — watch the dual-screen Android handheld transform into a Switch and a 3DS

OneXPlayer is no stranger to handhelds; they're one of the pioneers of the portable gaming handheld market that really took off with the release of the Steam Deck. Now, the company is back with its latest release, the OneXSugar — a crazy new device that runs Android but embodies some of Nintendo's best consoles ever. Today's update brings a much-needed first look at the device in action.

The OneXSugar is a dual-screen handheld with various rotary mechanisms that allow it to transform from a Nintendo Switch-like body to a Nintendo 3DS with full top and bottom panels. It was first shown off back in December of yesteryear and then teased again a few months ago when Qualcomm announced its brand-new slate of gaming chips.

As such, the OneXSugar is powered by the Snapdragon G3 Gen 3, which packs an 8-core Kyro CPU and an Adreno A32 GPU with ray tracing support. Qualcomm has cited a 30% performance bump over the previous G3x Gen 2 chip, alongside new features such as Unreal Engine's Lumen, which allows for fully dynamic global illumination and reflections in games. The chip also has Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.3 support thanks to the FastConnect 7800 module.

Coming back to the handheld, the OneXSugar features a 6.01" main display paired with a 3.92" secondary screen that can flip out to form the aforementioned DS. You can also use the secondary display on its own if you prefer a more compact experience. This versatility of a big screen, small screen, or dual-screen config is what makes the handheld utterly unique.

We're unsure whether these are OLED screens or standard IPS. Same goes for the refresh rate and resolution of the device, but the video below does show that it at least has a removable D-pad that would allow the device to have face buttons on the left side, similar to a Switch. There are also RGB rings around the joysticks, and the large screen has relatively small bezels.

For diehard Nintendo fans, this might remind you of the Nintendo XDS concept that made the rounds back in 2015 around E3. The iconic video showed a PSP Go-style handheld reminiscent of retro Nokia phones with a flip-up screen that would sit at an angle accompanied by controls on either side. The OneXSugar sort of takes that idea and runs laps with it.

The design of the device is a mishmash of utilitarian and minimalist. From the angle pictured below, it almost looks like a mirrorless camera grip with its depth. We can see a slight curve in the bottom with a hinge mechanism visible at the top for flipping out the small screen. Overall, you could bet that this handheld won't be waterproof.

Due to the fact that the OneXSugar rocks an Arm-based chip and ships with Android out of the box, it's not intended for serious PC gaming. You could probably emulate them, and the community will be eager to get Windows up and running on this thing, but don't look for a more innovative alternative to a Steam Deck in this handheld. Console emulation, though? That should be a walk in the park, especially for the very handhelds this is made to shadow.

The OneXSugar has recently gone live on Indiegogo, where you can support the crowdfunding campaign to potentially get your hands on the device early. However, there are no pricing or availability details as of yet. The Indiegogo page simply has an email box that'll inform you when the handheld will actually launch. We expect the campaign to go live next month, but only time will tell.

Follow Tom's Hardware on Google News to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button.