The One Netbook OneGx1 is a tiny laptop computer with a 7 inch full HD touchscreen display, a low-power Intel Core i5-10210Y processor, up to 16GB of RAM, 512GB of storage, and optional support for 4G LTE.

It also looks like a gaming laptop, thanks to the RGB backlit keyboard and light bar that illuminates the back of the OneGx1. To complete the look, you can also buy a set of optional, detachable game controllers designed to work with the little laptop.

When I first reviewed the OneGx1 earlier this summer, I hadn’t had a chance to try the controllers yet. But One Netbook eventually shipped me a pair and I’ve been using them on and off for the past few weeks.

The One Netbook OneGx1 game controllers are available from GeekBuying for $46, while the OneGx1 mini laptop is available from GeekBuying for $930 and up or from Banggood for $840 and up.

The first thing I should mention is that the OneGx1 may look like a gaming laptop, but this 1.4 pound computer doesn’t really have the kind of horsepower you’d expect from a gaming machine.

With a 7-watt, quad-core CPU and Intel UHD 617 graphics, it can handle casual games and older titles well, but it slows to a crawl when you try loading up more demanding games. In my review I noted, for example, that Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate runs at 5 to 7 frames per second, but Amnesia: The Dark Descent runs at close to 60 fps.

I spent most of my time testing the OneGx1 controllers with more casual games like Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair and Pikuniku, which run smoothly on this computer and which fully support the game controllers.

Later this year One Netbook plans to release a more powerful version called the OneGx1 Pro. That version will have an Intel Tiger Lake processor and Intel Xe graphics, and will likely be better suited for AAA gaming. It will have the same design as the OneGx1 with a 10th-gen Core Y-series processor that I’ve been testing.

The second thing to note is that these controllers are clearly modeled after the Nintendo Switch Joy-con controllers. You can clip the onto the sides of the OneGx1 thanks to grooves in the bottom of the PC. Then slide up until they lock into place.

Once that’s done, you can grip the controllers while you game rather than holding the computer itself. The connection is a little on the wobbly side if you’re holding the OneGx1 + controllers in thin air. But if you brace your hands on your lap or a table or other flat surface, you probably won’t notice much shaking.

I don’t personally spend enough time playing PC games to feel comfortable addressing questions of build quality, responsiveness, or layout. But I did find the controllers fairly comfortable to grip while gaming. They’re made from plastic and each controller weighs just 1.9 ounces, adding very little to the overall weight of the OneGx1 (the computer has a sturdier metal body).

And the third thing to note is that while the OneGx1 controllers can clip onto the sides of the computer and snap into place, they use Bluetooth to communicate with the PC and support several different connection modes… and I kind of wish they didn’t. That’s because the connection can be a bit finicky when you switch modes… or sometimes when you just turn the controllers off and on again.

Things seem to work best when Windows treats the controllers as an Xbox 360-style gamepad. In this mode some games didn’t seem to recognize the controllers out of the box, but when I dug into the Windows 10 game controller settings I was able to confirm that the analog sticks and all the buttons were working.

I was also able to play Yooka-Laylee, Pikuniku, and several other games including Celeste, and Night in the Woods without any trouble.

Press and hold the Back and Start keys for three seconds, and you can switch from Xbox 360 controller to PC/PS3 controller… but I had no luck doing anything in that mode. People who know more about PC gaming hardware than I do might find this mode useful. I didn’t.

Finally you can press and hold the Power + L3 and R3 buttons (click the analog sticks to trigger L3 or R3) and the status indicator light will flash quickly. In this mode you can pair each controller with the PC as a new, individual Bluetooth gamepad. Then you can use the L-HID and R-HID controllers separately to play multi-player games.

Or at least you can if you can find any games that can work with the limited number of buttons available. While many games designed for the Nintendo Switch are also designed to take advantage of that game console’s multi-mode controllers, most PC games are not designed to be played in this way.

Anyway, I regularly found myself turning off the PC and controllers, turning it on again, and realizing that one or both of the controllers weren’t connected. Usually I could solve this by pressing the Power + L3 and R3 buttons until the status light flashes slowly, and then bringing the right controller near the left one so they would detect one another.

But it’s not always easy to tell which mode the controllers are in or if they’re detected by the computer without digging into the Windows Control Panel -> Hardware and Sound -> Devices and Printers settings to find out what kind of connection the controllers are using, if any.

That said, when I found games that detected the controller and had the controllers in the right mode, they definitely made gaming on the OneGx1 more enjoyable. And since they’re detachable, you can unhook the controllers from the sides of the OneGx1 and use them wireless with one controller in each hand to play games.

While some early promotional images of the OneGx1 showed a middle piece that would let you connect the left and right controllers to hold like a single Xbox/PlayStation-style controller, the demo units One Netbook sent me did not have any middle piece and I’m not sure the company will offer one.

One last thing to note about the game controllers is that they each have a battery that you’ll need to keep charged up. You can do that by opening the flap at the bottom of each controller to access a USB-C port that can be used for charging.

But since controllers cannot be charged by the laptop itself, that means you’ll either need to take turns plugging your controllers and OneGx1 in to charge, or you’ll need to use multiple power adapters if you want to charge everything simultaneously. The good news is that since USB-C is becoming a standard, there’s a good chance that you’ve already got a USB-C charger or two lying around if you’ve purchased a new Android phone (or some laptops) in the past few years.

Possibly the best thing about these controllers is that they’re entirely optional. So if you’re looking for a mini-laptop that supports 4G LTE and don’t care about gaming, you don’t need to pay for the controllers at all (but you do have to put up with a design that was clearly inspired by gaming notebooks).

Or if you do want to use the OneGx1 for gaming occasionally and productivity or media consumption at other times, you can always detach the controllers to make the little machine more portable. That’s something that sets the OneGx1 apart from other mini gaming laptops like the GPD Win, Win 2, and Win Max — all of which have their controllers built-in.

You can read more about One Netbook’s latest handheld computer in our Liliputing OneGx1 mini laptop review, but if you’re too lazy to click, here are some specs and ordering details:

Specs

Display7 inch, 1920 x 1200 IPS
CPUIntel Core i5-10210Y
GPUIntel UHD 617 (24 EU)
RAM8GB or 16GB LPDDR3
Storage256GB or 512GB M.2 SSD
WirelessWiFi 6, Bluetooth 4.2 + optional 4G LTE and/or 5G (M.2 card)
PortsUSB Type-C, USB 3.0 Type-A, micro HDMI, 3.5mm audio, microSD
Battery46.2Wh, 12,000 mAh
Charging5V/9V/12V/15V USB-C
KeyboardRGB backlit
CameraNone
Game controllersDetachable, wireless (optional)
CoolingDual fans + dual copper heat sinks
BodyAluminum body with plastic rear
Dimensions173mm x 136mm x 21mm (6.8″ x 5.4″ x 0.8″)
Weight640 grams (1.4 pounds)
Price$840 and up

Buy from Banggood

ModelPrice (USD)
OneGx1 (8+256) WiFi$840
OneGx1 (8+256) 4G LTE$934
OneGx1 (16+512) WiFi$1,018
OneGx1 (16+512) 4G LTE$1,094
OneGx1 (8GB+256) 5G$1,140
OneGx1 (16+512) 5G$1,318
Controllers$45

Buy from GeekBuying

ModelPrice (USD)
OneGx1 (8GB+256GB) WiFi$930
OneGx1 (8GB+25GB) 4G LTE$1000
OneGx1 (16+512) WiFi$1,119
OneGx1 (16+512) 4G LTE$1,180)
OneGx1 (8GB+256GB) 5G$1,265
OneGx1 (16+512) 5G$1,450
GamePad$46

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26 replies on “OneGx1 mini laptop review pt 2: Detachable game controllers”

  1. Meh, lazy engineering. It would have been better if the controllers had a wired connection: no latency, more stable connection, no need to charge each separately, etc. I also doubt the controls are on par with, say, a real Xbox controller.

  2. I would love it if you could test stadia with this setup. I’m looking for a portable device to play stadia on and this looks like it might just work!

  3. Any new info on One Netbook’s GPD MicroPC semi-competitor? Will it have a built-in 4G option too?

  4. Anyone know if they plan on having other colors available? For example, black or dark gray?

  5. Good point there. I’m also interested in getting a privacy screen for the OneGX1. Hopefully, the One Mix has privacy screens.

  6. Ergonomically, this design at this size seems like it would be more comfortable to game on with a display that rotated and folded flat against the keyboard, rather than a conventional clamshell hinge. Considering they copied the Switch’s side controller attachment, it seems strange they didn’t go this route with the display as well.

    1. There initial concept renders had a hinge mechanism that showed it doing this but it seems their engineers weren’t able t make it a reality.

  7. Anyone know of any screen protectors from other devices (ie. tablets) that would mostly fit one the OneGX1’s screen without cutting it down? I’d prefer to get a privacy screen but any screen protector would be okay.

    1. I suspect the protectors for the One Mix Yoga and the OneMix Yoga 2s might fit as they have the same 7 inch screen?

  8. I wonder if the other prototype reviewers also had wobbly controllers when attached.

  9. I hope One Netbook refreshes their One Mix line with built-in 4G (I’m not talking about those hacked ones being sold online).

    While it’s good the controllers are detachable and a separate purchase, the gaming look is a big turn off for me. I’ll never understand why gamers like these kinds of looks (at least enough of them do for all these OEMs to make all these ugly looking gaming PCs).

    1. I personally with my Acer predator looked more like a regular laptop. It would make me more comfortable taking it to work when I have to rather than connecting to it remotely from a low end laptop just to do some heavy lifting without anyone looking at me the wrong way.

      1. Why do you care what others think of what kind of laptop you use to the point you jump through hoops? You will be a much happier person if you just don’t give a damn what others think and move on with your day. These are electronics and it is not worth stressing about being “the cool kid” as an adult.

        There will be people giving you looks for not using a MacBook and picking up a thinkpad instead. You can’t let others dictate what kind of screen you choose to stare at all day.

      2. Since you already have the Acer, just take it to work assuming you can go into the office right now.

        People look/judge me whenever I pull out my 2016 iPhone SE. Whatevs.

        With that said, I wouldn’t get the OneGX1 in the first place because I personally don’t want to look at it unless no other UMPC comes with LTE within the next 6 or so months.

    2. Same. Been waiting for a UMPC with LTE but the OneGX1 hurts my mental eyes. The One Mix line is much more pleasing visually.

  10. Too bad the controllers are wobbly plus they don’t operate as wired controllers when attached.

    Needing to charge all 3 devices separately seems pretty annoying.

    1. Yeah. I doubt One Netbook will be able to release the OneGX Pro with Tiger Lake this year. I don’t think they’ll be the first ones in the queue to get the chips. The OneGX1 doesn’t seem to be fully released yet either.

      Plus, if they’re going to use higher TDP Tiger Lake chips, they may have to revise their cooling system.

  11. Oh, the controllers are wireless only. I had thought when they’re attached, they’d be wired controllers like the Switch including charging the controller batteries. I guess I can’t expect too much from a small company. As it is, it seems pretty decent for a non-large company.

    Anyway, I’m glad the controllers are optional. I don’t plan on getting them if I don’t have to.

  12. Not particularly interested in the game controllers but I’ve been occasionally looking at the Amazon listing for the 4G model (XAMUE seller) and the ship date keeps getting pushed back. It’s at September 7 now.

    I plan on waiting until it goes on Amazon Prime shipping (at least XAMUE has other One Netbook listings fulfilled by Amazon). Seems like that’ll be a long while though.

    1. I’m hoping the 4G model without controllers show up with Amazon Prime shipping. I wonder if the Tiger Lake version will start being sold by the Chinese retailers when that happens causing me to keep waiting, haha. Something better will always be on the horizon and all that.

      With me being stuck at home most of the time right now though, I don’t mind waiting for the more powerful version with built-in 4G to come out. It’s going to be a while before I’d make full use of a UMPC with 4G built-in.

      1. I hope the seller provides a 4G package without the controllers too. I don’t see myself gaming on this given how weak it is. But for an on the go UMPC, the 4G model would be great for my non-gaming use cases.

    2. Same. Waiting for that seller to start shipping via Amazon Prime but they haven’t even started shipping the non-Prime ones still.

    3. Waiting on Prime shipping too. Going to click buy on the 4G model as soon as it’s available.

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