OneXPlayer is one of the original companies to bring portable gaming PCs to the market, and the latest is called the X1 Mini. It's an aptly named portable gaming PC that takes a smaller form of OneXPlayer's admittedly beastly X1. It also does this while trimming things down and adding some new goodies.
If you missed the X1 in all its glory, you'd be forgiven. OneXPlayer doesn't have quite the same kind of marketing budget as bigger players in the space like Valve or ASUS. However, it offers some unique takes on the handheld space and the X1 Mini is no exception. The X1 Mini's claim to fame, or rather the unique feature that sets it apart, is its new SSD swapping feature.
Since it has a smaller screen than the original X1, it should also appeal to consumers who want something more portable. Because the X1 might feel a bit clumsy for someone who is constantly on the go.
The OneXPlayer Mini X1 lets you effortlessly swap out SSDs depending on your activity
This is a pretty big deal, as it's not something you can do with any other portable gaming PC. One of the biggest concerns people have had with one of these new handhelds is storage. None of the brands have done their best to prevent consumers from replacing the SSD. However, you will need to disassemble the calculator to access the SSD so you can swap it out. OneXPlayer makes things a lot easier with the SSD Swap feature on the X1 Mini.
It features a special user-accessible slot that holds the SSD and allows you to swap it out at any time without taking the handheld apart. The idea here is to allow you to tune your SSD to the current activity. So you can have one for gaming, one for work or casual use, etc. OneXPlayer doesn't say whether you should turn off the handheld before swapping it out. But we can imagine it could go either way. Either you need to turn off the device first, or you can “eject” the SSD as you would with a memory card or flash drive.
Either way, the fact that you can easily swap out the SSD this way will be extremely helpful. OneXPlayer also says this was highly requested by the community. In addition to the SSD Swap, the X1 Mini runs on an AMD 8840U CPU and comes with an 8.8-inch 144Hz display. It also uses the same detachable controller system as the X1, and there's even a keyboard attachment so you can use it as a mini-tablet PC.
OneXPlayer hasn't announced any pricing yet
When it comes to pricing and availability, there's no talk yet. However, OneXPlayer does mention that the X1 Mini will soon be crowdfunding on Indiegogo. You can to register for early bird pricing if you're interested, with actual costs announced later in the campaign. Which doesn't seem to have started yet. One thing to keep in mind is the price of the original X1. It starts at $1,099.99 for 32 GB of RAM and 1 TB of storage. So there is a good chance that the X1 Mini will start less than this. Especially for those with the early bird pick-up.
Some details have also been left out. In particular, most of the specifications. No mention is made of exact battery life, but OneXPlayer says the X1 Mini is designed for long-term use. “The X1 Mini ensures users can enjoy continuous gaming and media consumption without frequent charging,” the company says. Whether or not that translates into several hours of gameplay is unclear. Either way, it should be close to what current devices offer, if not better. The X1 Mini also has multiple ports for connectivity, including OCulink and USB 4.0.
