MagicX, exclusively on the Retro Handhelds Discord has announced that future releases of their devices will feature an Allwinner SoC.
Not much information has been shared, but it looks like tensions have reached a level that has made MagicX cease operation with their previous development company. The difference in chipset manufacturer could pose problems for the company and their software plans for their devices, but there’s little reason to believe much will change as far as the company’s standing in the retro gaming world.
Currently, a decent majority of companies work with two companies, Allwinner and Rockchip. Allwinner makes the often-seen H700, and Rockchip makes the RK3622 and RK3566.
MagicX has been on a roll as far as device production goes. The company recently released its XU Mini M, announced its XU HD, and showed off design prototypes for the Mini 2, Touch One, and Touch Two.
The announcement on Discord notes that an agreement between Allwinner and MagicX has been made to exclusively lock their future devices to Allwinner SoCs. When looking at other popular companies, the offerings between Rockchip and Allwinner seem bountiful. We can also see companies using the T600 by Unisoc, like the heavily covered RG Cube.
The MagicX XU Mini M used a slightly more powerful version of the RK3566, the RK3562. With slightly better benchmarks, the 3562 offers better compatibility with systems that have more demanding games like PS1, N64, and SNES. That chipset is made by Rockchip, and MagicX’s inclusion of the 3562 in the Mini M set it apart from other handhelds of similar sizes.
Going forward, MagicX will rely on Allwinner for their SoCs. Changing from Allwinner to Rockchip could see the company struggling to find worthwhile replacements to match the power, but nothing has been announced yet. For example, the RK3566 is about as powerful as the H700, but Allwinner doesn’t seem to have a chip that quite matches up to the RK3562.
What Happens Next?
For the time being, if you order an XU Mini M today, it will be powered by the RK3562. However, if a new SoC is implemented, both the “Mini M and Mini L will be relaunched.”
So what does that mean if you’ve already bought the Mini M and want to get the new one? Well, it appears that MagicX will offer coupons to Mini M owners “to buy a new Mini M or Mini L.”
Making the switch over to an Allwinner chip also potentially complicates the custom firmware solutions. Notably, plumOS 0.7 implements some nifty new scripts that increase the CPU, GPU, and MEM frequencies. It also enables the ability to use a Wi-Fi dongle, while adding a bunch of extra features and functionality.
Unfortunately, we won’t know whether plumOS will be available on a new Mini M until the SoC is revealed. For now, it’s just a bit of a waiting game. However, if you’ve been holding off on picking up the Mini M for yourself, now’s probably a good time to do so.
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