Microsoft’s Surface Pro meets Nintendo’s Switch 2 in this absurd gaming handheld — and it’s ludicrously expensive

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As an analyst, I’m thrilled to announce that the one-of-a-kind handheld gaming device I work with has received a fresh upgrade. A new chip has been incorporated, and this revamped version is now known as the OneXPlayer X1 Pro. To make it even more exciting, there’s a special edition model inspired by Evangelion! Under the hood, you’ll find an Intel Core Ultra 7 255H processor, ensuring smooth and efficient gaming experiences.

You can find the OneXPlayer X1 Pro at Minixpc for $1,649.99.

The OneXPlayer X1 Pro appears to be a fusion of the Microsoft Surface Pro 11 and the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2. This versatile device functions as both a laptop and a handheld gaming console, offering the convenience of a detachable keyboard similar to the Surface Pro, while also accommodating controllers on either side, much like the Nintendo Switch.

An alternative approach is utilizing the controllers as a gaming controller, making it more comfortable as prolonged holding of a 10.95-inch screen tablet may cause discomfort over time.

Last year, when the OneXPlayer X1 was introduced, it felt excessive to have a 10.95-inch screen on a handheld gaming device. However, the screens on the OneXPlayer X1 Pro and its counterpart devices are only slightly larger than what you’d find on some competing hardware, making them more in line with industry standards.

Compared to the original Nintendo Switch, the anticipated Nintendo Switch 2 boasts a significantly larger 7.9-inch display, a jump of approximately 1.7 inches. On the other hand, the MSI Claw 8 AI+ sports an 8-inch screen.

Absolutely, the size of a handheld device significantly matters, and a difference of two to three inches can be quite substantial. The OneXPlayer X1 Pro manages to accommodate its large screen due to its versatility as not just a device but also a 2-in-1 PC, or perhaps even a 3-in-1 if we consider other potential functionalities.

A disappointing price

The limited-edition OneXPlayer X1 Pro with an Evangelion theme costs $1,649.99.

At that cost, you receive an exclusive gaming computer boasting 64GB of memory and 2TB of storage space. It’s noteworthy that the OneXPlayer X1 Pro houses an Intel Core Ultra 7 255H processor, which might seem somewhat unexpected.

I thought it was likely that the OneXPlayer X1 Pro, with its Battlemage (Xe2) graphics, would be equipped with a Lunar Lake chip inside because processors from this series perform comparably to AMD Ryzen AI 300 (Strix Point) lineup and Lunar Lake chips offer better battery life than Arrow Lake chips.

The Intel Core Ultra 7 255H from Arrow Lake lags behind in graphical performance compared to its upcoming Lunar Lake counterparts, yet it’s still capable of managing some top-tier PC games.

Still, for the price of the device, I’d have liked to see a better processor inside.

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2025-04-14 16:09