OneXPlayer 3 Quick Look

First Impressions

The OneXPlayer 3 just arrived, and while this isn’t going to be a full review yet, I wanted to take a first look at the device and talk about what immediately stood out to me.

I purchased this during the pre-order, and after spending some time with it, there are definitely some things I like here — and a few things that I’m already not a fan of.

The biggest thing to understand right away is that this thing is huge.

The OneXPlayer 3 Is Massive

I have the OneXPlayer Apex, which I already consider a pretty large handheld, and going back to it after using the OneXPlayer 3 makes it feel small.

The OneXPlayer 3 is absolutely massive.

It’s also heavy, coming in close to 1,000g, but surprisingly, the weight is distributed pretty well. I don’t find it particularly uncomfortable to hold, at least so far.

The size is definitely something you’re going to want to consider before buying one. If you like larger handhelds, that’s obviously less of a concern, but this is not something I’d call portable in the traditional handheld sense.

The 8.8-Inch OLED Display

The screen is immediately one of the best parts of the OneXPlayer 3.

We’re getting an 8.8-inch, 1200p OLED display running at up to 144Hz with VRR.

It’s gorgeous.

It’s also the same general display we’ve seen in the Lenovo Legion Go, except you’re not having to sell your firstborn to buy one of these.

The combination of OLED, 144Hz and VRR makes everything feel incredibly smooth, and even navigating around Windows feels very snappy.

The screen was the first thing that really caught my attention when I started using the device.

It’s also substantially larger than the 8-inch 1200p IPS display on the OneXPlayer Apex, so the difference is noticeable.

Controls

The sticks feel mostly identical to the Apex, although they’re a little tighter and not quite as loose.

I like these sticks quite a bit, and I really like the caps that OneXPlayer uses, so I’m happy to see them here again.

The dpad was actually one of the things I was worried about, but it turned out to be much better than I expected.

It’s raised, which I initially thought would be a problem, but it actually feels really good.

There’s also a second dpad included in the box that’s much more similar to the one on the Apex. I haven’t felt the need to swap it yet because I actually like the default dpad.

The face buttons are also different from the Apex.

They’re still microswitch buttons, but they’re more recessed and have less travel. Surprisingly, I actually prefer these to the Apex’s buttons, despite really liking the Apex’s controls.

That’s two improvements I wasn’t expecting.

The shoulder buttons are a little quieter than the Apex’s, although they’re still clicky. You can’t push them right at the very top, but otherwise they work well.

The triggers feel essentially the same as the Apex to me.

Fingerprint Reader and Ports

On the top of the device, there’s a fingerprint reader with an LED indicator.

You also get a 3.5mm headphone jack, USB-A, two USB-C ports and volume controls.

One small but welcome change is that the volume buttons are finally in the right orientation.

On the Apex, volume down and volume up were swapped, requiring a software adjustment on both Windows and Linux.

That’s not an issue on the OneXPlayer 3.

On the bottom, there are two speakers, a mini SSD slot and a microSD card slot.

The speakers have actually impressed me so far. They sound surprisingly good for a handheld of this size.

The Removable Controllers

This is where some of my problems with the OneXPlayer 3 start.

The controllers are removable.

You push the button on the back, slide the controller upward and it comes off. They’re extremely light because there’s not a whole lot going on inside them.

Personally, I don’t need removable controllers. It’s not something I particularly care about, and some of the implementation here has already bothered me.

The biggest problem is that the controllers don’t line up perfectly.

The left side is mostly fine, but the right side has a noticeable gap where it doesn’t sit completely flush. You can actually feel that while holding the device.

For a device that costs around $1,400, that’s frustrating.

There’s also some movement on the left controller. When I’m holding the device and applying pressure, I can feel it moving back and forth.

I tried tightening the screws and couldn’t eliminate the movement.

That’s a quality-control issue that I really don’t think should exist on a device this expensive.

Personally, I’d rather have OneXPlayer make this exact device without the removable controllers.

The Kickstand

The kickstand is another area where I don’t think OneXPlayer got this right.

You have to push it all the way out to the end for it to actually work properly.

Anywhere else and it’s extremely wobbly.

It’s one of those things where I really wonder if anyone actually used it before the device shipped, because it’s such an easy thing to test.

The idea of turning this into a tablet is neat, but the execution isn’t something I’m particularly impressed with.

The Keyboard

You can also buy an external keyboard for the OneXPlayer 3, which makes sense given that the device can effectively turn into a small Windows tablet.

Unfortunately, I don’t really like using it.

The keyboard works, but typing on it isn’t particularly good, and I was hoping for a little more here.

This is especially important for me because I plan on using the OneXPlayer 3 while traveling, including for things like DaVinci Resolve.

So this is something I’ll have to spend considerably more time testing.

Windows and OneXConsole

The OneXPlayer 3 runs Windows, and one of the first things I did was set up the Xbox Full Screen Experience.

There’s a dedicated Xbox button, and unlike the Apex, it actually works properly with the Xbox interface.

That’s a big improvement for me.

The OneXPlayer 3 uses Intel’s new G3 Extreme processor, so I also had to install the Intel drivers and update the OneXConsole software.

I’ve always liked OneXPlayer’s software.

It’s a little difficult to find everything initially, but once you understand where things are, there are a lot of useful options available.

You can adjust performance modes, TDP, fan settings, display options, RGB, performance overlays, button mappings and joystick settings.

There’s also a game trainer that can automatically detect trainers for your games, which is something I’ve enjoyed using on previous OneXPlayer devices.

Performance and CPU Boost

One important thing I discovered during my initial testing is that CPU boost needs to remain enabled on the G3 Extreme.

I’m used to turning CPU boost off on handhelds because it’s often unnecessary and just creates additional heat and fan noise.

That’s not the case here.

With CPU boost disabled, performance can be severely affected.

Once CPU boost is enabled, performance is where it should be, although the fan does become noticeably more active.

So if you’re setting up a OneXPlayer 3, don’t make the same mistake I did: leave CPU boost enabled.

I’m still going to do much more extensive performance testing before making any conclusions about the G3 Extreme, but that is something worth knowing immediately.

35W and 40W Performance Modes

The OneXConsole software lets you configure performance presets and TDP settings.

I’ve been running the device at 35W, although there’s also an option to unlock a maximum 40W TDP through the advanced settings.

Personally, I’m not particularly interested in constantly changing TDP settings. I’d rather leave the device at a sensible maximum and let the games handle themselves.

There’s also a custom fan mode, although I’m still experimenting with this and wouldn’t recommend copying my settings yet.

The fan is one of the things I’m not particularly impressed with so far. It’s louder than I expected, although I need considerably more testing before making any real conclusions about thermals and fan behavior.

Yakuza 0

I did test Yakuza 0 briefly, although I wasn’t initially getting the performance I expected.

The problem turned out to be CPU boost.

I had CPU boost disabled because that’s normally something I do on my handhelds, but the G3 Extreme relies much more heavily on it.

Once I turned CPU boost back on, the performance issue was resolved.

That’s something I’ll be digging into much more during the full performance testing.

Storage Is Going to Be a Problem

One of the reasons I haven’t done extensive performance testing yet is simple: I don’t have enough storage.

I need to install an SSD before I can really start loading this thing up with games.

I also don’t want to open the device until I’ve confirmed exactly how OneXPlayer wants me to handle the removable controllers and warranty, so I’m waiting before doing that.

That means this first impressions article is really about the hardware, controls, display and overall experience rather than performance.

The OneXPlayer 3 as a Portable PC

The whole concept behind the OneXPlayer 3 is interesting.

You have a giant Windows handheld with a massive OLED display, removable controls, a kickstand and an optional keyboard.

It can essentially become a tiny Windows PC or tablet when you want it to.

I’m not completely sold on the execution yet, particularly with the removable controllers, kickstand and keyboard, but I can see why someone would want this setup.

For me, the most exciting part is still the combination of the G3 Extreme and that 8.8-inch 144Hz OLED display.

Everything I’ve used so far has felt extremely fast and responsive.

First Impressions

After spending some time with the OneXPlayer 3, I’m definitely impressed by some parts of it.

The display is fantastic.

The controls are better than I expected.

The speakers are surprisingly good.

Windows feels extremely responsive.

And the G3 Extreme has the potential to make this one seriously powerful handheld.

But there are also some things that I really don’t like.

The removable controllers have noticeable quality-control issues on my unit, the kickstand isn’t great, and the keyboard isn’t particularly enjoyable to type on.

The size is also something you’ll have to decide for yourself. Personally, I think the OneXPlayer Apex is already about as large as I’d want a handheld to be, so the OneXPlayer 3 is definitely pushing past my preferred size.

Still, this is only my first impression.

I haven’t properly tested performance, battery life, thermals or how well this works as a travel PC yet. Those are all things I’ll be testing once I have more storage available.

For now, the biggest takeaway is pretty simple: the OneXPlayer 3 is absolutely massive, but that massive size comes with one seriously impressive OLED display and a lot of potential.