The folks at Indiegogo are putting crowdfunding products to the test in our new series of honest reviews.In this issue, our own email marketing and lifecycle strategist Karisa Hunt tries OneXPlayer X1,,an exciting new gaming and productivity handheld device that our crowdfunding community is talking about. Does it live up to the hype? Read on as we put it to the test!
I love the game and I love taking it with me everywhere. This is a challenge for me because I have poor eyesight, which means the small screen is my enemy. This is the biggest stumbling block for me in using an otherwise incredible handheld gaming device.However, when I see its size OneXPlayer X1I think I may have finally found my perfect device.
One of the other really cool things I wanted to try with the X1 was that it was supposed to be a 3-in-1 device. You can use it as a laptop, tablet, or handheld gaming device. I’ve never used anything with so many features before and I’d love to try it.
Unboxing
The box of X1 is very futuristic and very cool.
The included power cord is a bit short for my liking – I’d like to be able to keep it plugged in while in use – but it’s standard USB-C, so I just swapped it for another longer cord Now that we have it, we’re ready to go.
set up
Setup is very simple. The X1 runs Windows 11, so setting up the device is as easy as going through the Windows setup process. It’s partially charged, but I recommend leaving it plugged in while you’re setting it up in case your device has low battery life. Crash during setup is a huge headache.
Since it’s a Windows device that can be used as either a laptop or a gaming device, any program you need can be easily downloaded and installed. I immediately added Steam and Discord, downloaded my preferred browser (sorry, Microsoft Edge), and I was ready to go.
use
The first thing I opened was Discord, a voice, video, and text chat program. I wanted to see how good the camera in the device was, so I made a video call to a friend…and she laughed as soon as she answered the call. Apparently, there’s a bug in the Windows 11 version of Discord that forces your camera to appear upside down, and since we’re both native Mac users, we don’t know anything about it. A quick download and test of Skype showed that this was indeed a Discord-only issue, and also showed that the camera was working fine. (I do want to point out that this is a known Discord issue and not an issue with the Big question.)
So far, I’ve only used the X1 as a laptop and tablet (I’m still waiting for the controller to arrive so I can test the handheld gaming capabilities). What I will say is that I was very, very pleasantly surprised at how well it performed on both of those features. The stand doesn’t really look like it can support a monitor, but it does a great job. The keyboard is very easy to install and remove, and if you’re not using it, it folds away neatly to protect the X1’s screen when not in use. There’s even a small trackpad on the keyboard, so it feels like a tiny laptop.
The X1’s tablet functionality also works well. Removing the keyboard is easy, and while it’s not as big as the iPad Pro I’m used to, the X1 is still large enough for me to use without issue. It’s very responsive when using the tablet interface, and it’s easy to switch between landscape and portrait modes (just turn it, like we’re all used to with mobile devices now). What’s more, it’s still a fully functional Windows computer in this mode, so you’re not sacrificing functionality for ease like you do with many other tablets.
One thing I noticed is that it is quite heavy. This was somewhat expected due to its size and the fact that it’s a full tablet/laptop/gaming handheld, but I was a little nervous about how it would perform as a handheld because I wasn’t sure How long will it last and will be comfortable to hold. I’ll update this review with my feedback when I get a chance to test it out with the controller.
in conclusion
All in all, I’m very happy with this device so far! Battery life isn’t quite up to the promised 8 hours yet, but I’m guessing you’d have to turn all display settings to minimum to achieve that (I haven’t done that yet). Weight might be an issue, but I’m still not sure. Beyond those two things, though, it’s a fast, mobile little device, and the ability to switch between laptop and tablet mode without losing anything other than the keyboard is a huge plus . It’s easy to set up, easy to use, and blazingly fast. If you’re looking for a device that can be used for multiple purposes, this might be your answer!
To learn more, check out OneXPlayer X1 Campaign on Indiegogo!