Retro Handhelds General Thread

[Spike]

Have you seen those? It seems like every other day a Chinese Gameboy like device running RetroArch comes out. There's so many of them I don't know where to start.
Some time ago I followed a guy on YouTube that did comparison videos (I lost that channel somehow). Turns out some specific models had insanely good screens for retro gaming. Squared, Bright, no ghosting, perfect I would say. Those things could even run Dreamcast games so very powerful, compact, light and cold.

Which ones you tried if any?

 

[akumajobelmont]

I've got three, all Powkiddy devices.

* A V10, which is my GBA/Lynx device

* An RGB30, which is my GB, GBC, GG SNES, Amiga machine, amongst other things

* Finally, an RGB10Max 3 Pro, which is my DC, Saturn, N64, PS1, PSP & Widescreen SNES + Mega Drive handheld.

I've been selling off my physical collection over the years to save space and save power, since I live in the country in a Tiny House now. Having to rely on predominantly on solar, all three come in handy!

I also like tinkering with them; customizing them is fun. I got extra sets of the fantastic d-pad and buttons from the V10, and replaced the very average stock ones on the RGB30 and RGB10Max 3 Pro.

I'll be side-grading from my laptop to an ASUS ROG Ally X next month, and it'll likely become my Saturn, DC, GC, PS2 machine.

 

[zemaduvant]

Screen is falling off where the black spot is. Used it like 10 times in a year and kept it in the box 240$ wasted. I woula avoid anything ambernic.

 

[akumajobelmont]

Screen is falling off where the black spot is. Used it like 10 times in a year and kept it in the box 240$ wasted. I woula avoid anything ambernic.

I tried an Anbernic with the RG35XX SP, and really loved it, but I ended up giving it to my brother because he took a bit of a shine to it.

Sucks to see yours in such bad nick from such little use. I'm generally not a fan of Android for retro-gaming emulation, so all my units are relatively cheap and Linux-based.

 

[Gorse]

Turns out some specific models had insanely good screens for retro gaming. Squared, Bright, no ghosting, perfect I would say. Those things could even run Dreamcast games so very powerful, compact, light and cold.

Those things are all well and good, but BE CAREFUL: the downside to ultra-high-resolution screens like that is extreme input lag, occasionally over a second long! Years ago, I bought a Powkiddy handheld with a gorgeous OLED screen, but the input lag (and general poorness of Android OS for emulation) made actually doing anything with it completely impossible. Always triple-check reviews of handhelds like these, and be sure that they specifically mention responsiveness as a plus.

 

[akumajobelmont]

Those things are all well and good, but BE CAREFUL: the downside to ultra-high-resolution screens like that is extreme input lag, occasionally over a second long! Years ago, I bought a Powkiddy handheld with a gorgeous OLED screen, but the input lag (and general poorness of Android OS for emulation) made actually doing anything with it completely impossible. Always triple-check reviews of handhelds like these, and be sure that they specifically mention responsiveness as a plus.

Do you mean Anbernic? Because Powkiddy devices haven't had OLED screens and don't run Android. You must be think of the Anbernic RG505?

 

[Gorse]

Do you mean Anbernic? Because Powkiddy devices haven't had OLED screens and don't run Android. You must be think of the Anbernic RG505?

Whoopsy-doodle – this model of the RG505 is exactly what I meant, and it is heartily un-recommended. (I've also owned disappointing Powkiddy devices in the past, which is where the confusion must have come from. )

 

[akumajobelmont]

Whoopsy-doodle – this model of the RG505 is exactly what I meant, and it is heartily un-recommended. (I've also owned disappointing Powkiddy devices in the past, which is where the confusion must have come from. )

Ahh yeah, Powkiddy have only recently started coming into a decent spot anyways, they were known for trash too, haha!

 

[mkol103]

I've got three, all Powkiddy devices.

* A V10, which is my GBA/Lynx device

View attachment 276

* An RGB30, which is my GB, GBC, GG SNES, Amiga machine, amongst other things

View attachment 277

* Finally, an RGB10Max 3 Pro, which is my DC, Saturn, N64, PS1, PSP & Widescreen SNES + Mega Drive handheld.

View attachment 278

I've been selling off my physical collection over the years to save space and save power, since I live in the country in a Tiny House now. Having to rely on predominantly on solar, all three come in handy!

I also like tinkering with them; customizing them is fun. I got extra sets of the fantastic d-pad and buttons from the V10, and replaced the very average stock ones on the RGB30 and RGB10Max 3 Pro.

I'll be side-grading from my laptop to an ASUS ROG Ally X next month, and it'll likely become my Saturn, DC, GC, PS2 machine.

Very cool collection. I never thought to own multiple devices for different aspect ratios.

Whoopsy-doodle – this model of the RG505 is exactly what I meant, and it is heartily un-recommended. (I've also owned disappointing Powkiddy devices in the past, which is where the confusion must have come from. )

That sucks! My impression of the Anbernic devices is that anything they sell that is less than 100 dollars is a decent investment, and anything more than that is a piece of crap to be avoided at all costs. Remember that Windows Handheld they made? What a disaster lol



My own impression of the retro handheld scene is that if you want to spend <100 dollars, get an Anberbic, if you want to spend between 100-200 dollars, get a Retroid (though wait a bit after a new device is released for them to fix the kinks), if you want to spend 200-400, get an AYN, and if you want to spend more than that, get a Steam Deck/ROG Ally/Lenovo Legion Go. Do you guys think this is about right or is way off?

 

[akumajobelmont]

My own impression of the retro handheld scene is that if you want to spend <100 dollars, get an Anberbic, if you want to spend between 100-200 dollars, get a Retroid (though wait a bit after a new device is released for them to fix the kinks), if you want to spend 200-400, get an AYN, and if you want to spend more than that, get a Steam Deck/ROG Ally/Lenovo Legion Go. Do you guys think this is about right or is way off?

Pretty much, although I do think Anbernic and Retroid go toe-to-toe when it comes to mid-tier devices, but Anbernic also have the range of lower-cost handhelds which is something that Retroid don't do.

The end of the market when it comes to the lowest cost is the most competitive right now. As is the booming Handheld PC market. I'm seriously happy that it's becoming a thing and taking off.

Speaking of, I don't think I could spend Odin 2 prices on an Android device. There's just nothing about Android that screams 'gaming' to me. I've played MANY native Android games and used many emulators on it over the years, and it's just no good. I've only ever experienced lag, and it persists to this day; those that say Android lag has improved I feel are just not sensitive to it.

I'm very excited about getting the Ally X though - I've ordered it through my sister-in-law who works at JB HiFi here in Australia (basically Best Buy), and her staff discount has knocked $300 off the price for me, which is pretty great!

 

[mkol103]

Pretty much, although I do think Anbernic and Retroid go toe-to-toe when it comes to mid-tier devices, but Anbernic also have the range of lower-cost handhelds which is something that Retroid don't do.

The end of the market when it comes to the lowest cost is the most competitive right now. As is the booming Handheld PC market. I'm seriously happy that it's becoming a thing and taking off.

Speaking of, I don't think I could spend Odin 2 prices on an Android device. There's just nothing about Android that screams 'gaming' to me. I've played MANY native Android games and used many emulators on it over the years, and it's just no good. I've only ever experienced lag, and it persists to this day; those that say Android lag has improved I feel are just not sensitive to it.

I'm very excited about getting the Ally X though - I've ordered it through my sister-in-law who works at JB HiFi here in Australia (basically Best Buy), and her staff discount has knocked $300 off the price for me, which is pretty great!

Interesting. I'm happy that the PC handheld market is taking off, especially since the Ally X looks to be a damn good non-Steam-Deck handheld. I feel like the best device right this second would be an Ally X running Bazzite or Chimera OS.

I've never noticed lag on Android, but I just might not be sensitive to it. I owned an Odin for about a year, and I don't remember having any kind of problem like that. I feel like the only people getting an Odin 2 are those who are very concerned about form factor and battery and know they have no interest in playing PC games.

A $500 dollar Ally X is a steal! I'm jealous lol

 

[akumajobelmont]

Interesting. I'm happy that the PC handheld market is taking off, especially since the Ally X looks to be a damn good non-Steam-Deck handheld. I feel like the best device right this second would be an Ally X running Bazzite or Chimera OS.

I've never noticed lag on Android, but I just might not be sensitive to it. I owned an Odin for about a year, and I don't remember having any kind of problem like that. I feel like the only people getting an Odin 2 are those who are very concerned about form factor and battery and know they have no interest in playing PC games.

A $500 dollar Ally X is a steal! I'm jealous lol

The fact that the Ally X runs Windows is actually a boon for me - I really want that compatibility, since it'll be my workhorse when docked (it'll have to run my DAW for music and be able to do some video editing too), haha! The fact I can undock it and move to the couch to play games is massive for me, too. I won't be playing many modern AAA games, so battery like should be pretty great for me.

I don't need it to be console-like, like a Steam Deck... I'm happy to boot into Armory Crate to launch my games, for the moment at least or until custom and more amazing comes along

I considered the Odin 2 for a while, but yeah, it's too pricey for me for what it offers. The form factor and build quality do look quite fantastic, though.

 

[A Slime Draws Near]

I love my Powkiddy RGB30. I swapped to MinUI for my system software and I'm going to order parts for some hardware upgrades too. It's been a big help when I've been taking care of my kid, they often take naps in the car so I get to just chill in the front and play some retro games while they get sleep. Easy to pick-up and put down (the handheld, not the kid), and with PortMaster there's even some PC games it can run.

 

[mkol103]

I love my Powkiddy RGB30. I swapped to MinUI for my system software and I'm going to order parts for some hardware upgrades too. It's been a big help when I've been taking care of my kid, they often take naps in the car so I get to just chill in the front and play some retro games while they get sleep. Easy to pick-up and put down (the handheld, not the kid), and with PortMaster there's even some PC games it can run.

I forgot about that one. That's the one with the 1:1 aspect ratio, right? Do games look good at that aspect ratio?

 

[akumajobelmont]

GB, GBC, GG, Wonderswan, Pico-8 + SNES, NES and Master System in 8:7 look pretty amazing!

I have it pictured above in my first post, with GB integer scaled and bezels on. It adds so much to the experience.

 

[Waiting For The Rain]

I'm on a tight budget, so I had been just using either the 3DS or PSP/Vita that I had on hand for years when I wanted handheld emulation. They did the job well enough, but I don't really like using the 3DS for one screen, and I noticed some burn-in on the Vita from LCD grid shaders.

I bought a Retroid Pocket 2S about three months ago (it feels like I've had this thing way longer, I've put serious miles on it in that short time), and I've been very happy with it. Decent looking screen, great controls, and it apparently can run up to Dreamcast comfortably, but I've only gone up to PS1 so far. It's handled that with NTSC shaders with no problems. It's Android, and I don't want to deal with the Google store but am also too lazy to hunt apks, if they even exist, so I've relied solely on Retroarch cores and thankfully haven't had any problems.

It was $120 shipped, if I remember correctly, so there were cheaper options, but I was trying to weigh price to value and I think this nailed it. Once I read it was basically the Vita's d-pad I was sold, and the other face buttons are nice membrane connections that feel like an old controller. My only complaint is that GBA scales a little small, somewhere between the original screen size and the Micro, but it looks good regardless.

 

[A Slime Draws Near]

I forgot about that one. That's the one with the 1:1 aspect ratio, right? Do games look good at that aspect ratio?

I'm not super picky about perfect pixel ratios so I like it for anything 4:3 and most handhelds except for Nintendo DS. It also got me into Pico8 games for modern made, retro feel games.

 

[mkol103]

I'm not super picky about perfect pixel ratios so I like it for anything 4:3 and most handhelds except for Nintendo DS. It also got me into Pico8 games for modern made, retro feel games.

That's fair. As long as it runs well and looks decent, then it should be fine. Besides, it's impossible to find a device which supports all the various aspect ratios anyway

 

[mandrakes]

i'am about to buy trimui smart pro to replace my old psp 3000, is it good running psp and dreamcast with custom os?

 

[GVSE]

Have you seen those? It seems like every other day a Chinese Gameboy like device running RetroArch comes out. There's so many of them I don't know where to start.
Some time ago I followed a guy on YouTube that did comparison videos (I lost that channel somehow). Turns out some specific models had insanely good screens for retro gaming. Squared, Bright, no ghosting, perfect I would say. Those things could even run Dreamcast games so very powerful, compact, light and cold.

Which ones you tried if any?

I love from the bottom of my heart my RG35XX hahaahahaaha that thing made me be back at videogames. I never liked playing on pc and i'm too poor to buy a nice console, so i bought this cheap simple one and it ressurrected my bond with gaming.

The screen makes everything beautiful, and you can make all the customizations possible from retroarch.... . the only one thing that bothers me, its that some units from some brands come with light bleeding in the corners, stuff like that

They release like almost a new model everymonth, that is the really crazy part for me, but at the same time is really cool that you can have so many hardware options and cheap

 

[Spike]

I love from the bottom of my heart my RG35XX hahaahahaaha that thing made me be back at videogames. I never liked playing on pc and i'm too poor to buy a nice console, so i bought this cheap simple one and it ressurrected my bond with gaming.

The screen makes everything beautiful, and you can make all the customizations possible from retroarch.... . the only one thing that bothers me, its that some units from some brands come with light bleeding in the corners, stuff like that

They release like almost a new model everymonth, that is the really crazy part for me, but at the same time is really cool that you can have so many hardware options and cheap

I'm sold! I just need to get rid of my steam deck, it's too huge, too noisy, too heavy, too much!
It has power but it doesn't make sense for me to play a AAA on a small screen when I have a good PC with a big monitor. I wouldn't be able to see any details on the Deck.
Better get a retro gaming machine like yours.

Oh boy oh boy!! *gasp* I'm too excited about changing religions!

 

[GVSE]

I'm sold! I just need to get rid of my steam deck, it's too huge, too noisy, too heavy, too much!
It has power but it doesn't make sense for me to play a AAA on a small screen when I have a good PC with a big monitor. I wouldn't be able to see any details on the Deck.
Better get a retro gaming machine like yours.

yeah! I'm most interested in retro games nowadays, so it was perfect for me. Mine can play everything up to ps1 without any stress. DS is possible too but only games that doesnt need touch or doesnt show essential info on the second screen, saturn i haven't tried yet... i wish to buy something between it and the steam deck someday, so i can play more demanding emulators like switch or ps2

i'd recommend you channels like retro game corps to check models and their construction quality

 

[mandrakes]

I'm sold! I just need to get rid of my steam deck, it's too huge, too noisy, too heavy, too much!
It has power but it doesn't make sense for me to play a AAA on a small screen when I have a good PC with a big monitor. I wouldn't be able to see any details on the Deck.
Better get a retro gaming machine like yours.

Oh boy oh boy!! *gasp* I'm too excited about changing religions!

i installed my sdcard on steamdeck with batocera and turn it into emulation station, it can run every emulation perfectly up to nintendo switch on other hand ps3 emulation on steamdeck is too laggy, or is it bc i installed on sdcard not in nvme?

 

[Spike]

i installed my sdcard on steamdeck with batocera and turn it into emulation station, it can run every emulation perfectly up to nintendo switch on other hand ps3 emulation on steamdeck is too laggy, or is it bc i installed on sdcard not in nvme?

I might just try that first cos I'll lose money selling it. And the deck can emulate almost anything.

 

[dejiko]

i have a miyoo mini plus and love it! use it for all my retro portable needs~

i use the steam deck for more modern things!