- The once Sunday Dragon 3D One handheld prototype is now launching in mid-November as the abxylute 3D One
- The company claims it will be the ‘world’s first’ glasses-free 3D handheld gaming PC
- Its retail price will be $1,799, which costs almost as much as the GPD Win 5, which is the most powerful handheld gaming PC
The handheld gaming PC market is seeing new additions in quick succession, with the recent launch of the Lenovo Legion Go 2 and the ROG Xbox Ally X and ROG Xbox Ally devices – and this ambitious new one might just be the most ridiculous yet.
As reported by Notebookcheck, the handheld abxylute 3D One is launching on Kickstarter (a crowdfunding platform), with an estimated release date of November 13. Retail prices are $1,799, while early-bird prices are $1,499 for a limited time.
The abxylute 3D One handheld has a 10.95-inch display, possibly the largest handheld gaming PC display we’ve seen yet, with a screen resolution of 2560×1600, using Intel’s impressive Lunar Lake Core Ultra 7 258V (also found in the MSI Claw 8 AI+) – and this absolute 3D world’s claim is also a first. PC handheld.
This device might ring a bell if you tuned in to the CES 2025 coverage, as there was a handheld called the Sunday Dragon 3D One in its prototype stage from Tencent – and there was a chance it wouldn’t have even seen the light of day, but here we are, with the abxylute 3D One based on the concept.
It’s certainly not the world’s first glasses-free handheld 3D gaming device, given the Nintendo 3DS. Still, it could technically be the world’s first glasses-free 3D gaming handheld if it launches before the DigiEra HoloMax portable hybrid handheld, which seems possible since the latter hasn’t launched yet.
If it wasn’t already obvious, I think it’s pretty ridiculous, just as I first thought when the prototype was revealed earlier in January, alongside the Acer Nitro Blaze 11 (priced at $1,099). Both of these handhelds have a ridiculously oversized 11-inch screen, which negates any notion of portability (remember, that’s one of the most important aspects of a handheld), but what makes the abxylute 3D One the worst offender is its $1,799 retail price.
There’s already plenty of criticism from consumers (and me) about handheld pricing, and this manages to cost almost as much as the most powerful handheld on the market, the GPD Win 5 (using the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395), without meeting the same performance.
Many may feel that the glasses-free 3D function is not justified, and especially not the 11-inch screen size, which pushes a handheld into the territory of a gaming laptop. It’s another stark reminder of why Valve’s Steam Deck has been so successful that it stays affordable, with a reasonable screen size and a processor that does more than enough for handheld gaming.
There’s no doubt there will be an audience for an 11-inch handheld, but as I mentioned before, let’s hope this is the limit for handhelds, because it’s not a good look by the looks of it.
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