As a recently revitalised hardware category Android and Windows handhelds are enjoying a period of reinvention and refinement. This means that, alongside the obvious queries (how well does it play games and for how long can its portable battery stand it?) manufacturers are also posing questions I didn't know I wanted to ask, like, "Do you want a handheld that looks like a sweet little transforming robot?"
The Sugar 1 from OneXSugar is the shapeshifting Android gaming handheld in question, featuring two screens of differing dimensions alongside fold out, rotating magnetic controllers. Unveiled at GDC 2025, the shape-shifting design offers a few different play orientations, such as either playing with one or two screens.
When playing with dual screens, you can also reorient the controllers to have either the bigger 6.01-inch or smaller 3.92-inch screen on the top of the handheld. I think that qualifies as ‘more than meets the eye.’
As for actually gaming, the Sugar 1 features the Snapdragon G3 Gen 3, a serious bit of kit that itself was only fully revealed earlier this week. This specific handheld gaming chip features an 8-core Kryo CPU alongside an Adreno A32 GPU with ray tracing capabilities. This, in addition to those two snazzy screens, goes some ways to perhaps explain the Sugar 1’s chunkier form factor; I’m expecting this wee little robot to keep my palms toasty.
Neither pricing information nor a release date have yet been announced, though the handheld does have an IndieGoGo page. No further information about a potential crowd-funding campaign has been made available at this time.
OneXSugar is not a complete unknown in the handheld gaming PC space, itself a fresh-faced sub-brand of One-Netbook. OneXSugar is intended to be an Android focused brand, while the OneXPlayer banner will continue offering Windows-based hardware in a handheld form factor.
Historically, we’ve not loved everything One-Netbook has put out under their OneXPlayer banner, but at the end of last year our Dave was impressed by the OneXFly F1 Pro. Personally, I’m still pining after this handheld’s fetching Neon Genesis Evangelion special edition in red and gold.
I definitely appreciate the Sugar 1’s experimentation with form and function–though I do have some practical concerns. Like, just how strong are the hinges on the Sugar 1’s rotating controllers? As someone who still has both her fullsize Nintendo DS and 3DS XL, this isn’t my first handheld hinge rodeo. One can only hope the Sugar 1 is all sweetness on the performance front, but heavy-duty when it comes to build quality.
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