Retro Handhelds General Thread

[Spike]

It's done. I listed my deck for sale...
I don't know if you realized but I change opinion 20 times a day.

But yeah.
I got a question now.
I really love the Xbox 360 d-pad.
It's very clicky! And precise on all 8 axys.
Is there anything remotely close in the retro handhelds market?
If not, which one has the best d-pad?

 

[GVSE]

It's done. I listed my deck for sale...
I don't know if you realized but I change opinion 20 times a day.

But yeah.
I got a question now.
I really love the Xbox 360 d-pad.
It's very clicky! And precise on all 8 axys.
Is there anything remotely close in the retro handhelds market?
If not, which one has the best d-pad?

The only two i know of are anbernic's RG ARC-D (yup the names are terrible) and the RG Cube. They have this genesis dpad style... i just don't know how they feel 'cuz i never played on them.
D-pads in these retro consoles generally doesn't seem to be absolutely precise, so better watch some reviews (retro game corps guy usually tests his dpads trying to execute street fighter commands)

the one in the old RG35XX i had used to be too soft but they made it a little bit stiffier on the "Plus" version, i really like it now.

 

[Spike]

Deck is sold, shipping tomorrow. As for these handhelds it's undecided, I'll watch some video reviews and sleep on it. I can't decide. I guess an important factor is 0 setup, I just want to copy roms and it should just work and pick up all the metadata and images with a simple rescan of the dir.

 

[GVSE]

hmmm maybe the ones with android will be like that, satisfactory right out of the box. The cheapest linux ones like mine usually have a fucking ugly UI, then i always recommend flashing community's custom firmwares (i use batocera + emulation station for example)

 

[Waiting For The Rain]

It's done. I listed my deck for sale...
I don't know if you realized but I change opinion 20 times a day.

But yeah.
I got a question now.
I really love the Xbox 360 d-pad.
It's very clicky! And precise on all 8 axys.
Is there anything remotely close in the retro handhelds market?
If not, which one has the best d-pad?

Sorry to repeat myself, but the d-pad is what sold me on the Retroid Pocket 2S. It's been a long time since I held a 360 controller so I can't directly compare them, but it's my understanding that this is the clickiest or one of the clickiest pads on these things. The 2S can only comfortably do up to Dreamcast (I've seen it said it can do some PS2 and GC, but I haven't tried it and I doubt the performance), but the pads on the newer models look to be the same.

Retroid handhelds are also Android, so they take you through a quick setup kind of look a new Android phone and you're off to the races. If you're familiar with and want to use RetroArch, you could have the thing rolling in less than 10 minutes. I swapped my launcher from the stock one, but it wasn't necessary. I just liked the look of the screenshots for the new one I chose.

 

[Spike]

The only two i know of are anbernic's RG ARC-D (yup the names are terrible) and the RG Cube. They have this genesis dpad style... i just don't know how they feel 'cuz i never played on them.
D-pads in these retro consoles generally doesn't seem to be absolutely precise, so better watch some reviews (retro game corps guy usually tests his dpads trying to execute street fighter commands)

the one in the old RG35XX i had used to be too soft but they made it a little bit stiffier on the "Plus" version, i really like it now.

View attachment 591 View attachment 592

Yup i think the RG Cube is the winner for me.

hmmm maybe the ones with android will be like that, satisfactory right out of the box. The cheapest linux ones like mine usually have a fucking ugly UI, then i always recommend flashing community's custom firmwares (i use batocera + emulation station for example)

Yes that's exactly what I want to avoid, I don't want to tinker, just play for once. I've been a tinkerer all my life, i want to relax haha.

Sorry to repeat myself, but the d-pad is what sold me on the Retroid Pocket 2S. It's been a long time since I held a 360 controller so I can't directly compare them, but it's my understanding that this is the clickiest or one of the clickiest pads on these things. The 2S can only comfortably do up to Dreamcast (I've seen it said it can do some PS2 and GC, but I haven't tried it and I doubt the performance), but the pads on the newer models look to be the same.

Retroid handhelds are also Android, so they take you through a quick setup kind of look a new Android phone and you're off to the races. If you're familiar with and want to use RetroArch, you could have the thing rolling in less than 10 minutes. I swapped my launcher from the stock one, but it wasn't necessary. I just liked the look of the screenshots for the new one I chose.

I've seen the Retroid Pocket 2S is certainly one of the best. I was about to go for it. I know it can run many PS2 games. But that's really hitting the absolute limit as the person that made the video said. A commenter said:

"I got it for PS2 games, I like it, screen kinda small, runs most PS2 games but after an hour or so it overheats like crazy, the screen and the handheld itself then it becomes unresponsive and have to turn it off.

Everything below PS2 works just fine."

Knowing myself I will want PS2 so I think the RG Cube would be better for me.

 

[GVSE]

Knowing myself I will want PS2 so I think the RG Cube would be better for me.

Are you okay with the square screen? normally that's what avoid people from rg cube

 

[Spike]

Are you okay with the square screen? normally that's what avoid people from rg cube

I don't think it's much of a difference, small letterbox on top and bottom. There are no 4:3 devices (therre are :s) so this is as good as it gets, you can even put an fps counter or something up there, but it doesn't bother me.
4" is a nice upgrade over 3.5
I wanted something small with analog stocks that was powerful, silent, cold. This hit all the checkboxes, the only problem is that ill need to mod the analog sticks cos they don't work well out of the box.
Problem:

Fix:

https://www.reddit.com/r/SBCGaming/comments/1dpzqsc/thegammasqueeze_gammaos_creator_has_just_fixed

 

[Spike]

Now I'm thinking the Retroid Pocket MINI might be better.
I told you I change opinion all the time.

The Benchmarks are awesome, but the price is higher ofc.
The screen is 4:3 and OLED.

 

[PhrawzT]

I have a Retroid Pocket Flip and I really like it, however the hinge did crack a bit after only a few months.

 

[GVSE]

I have a Retroid Pocket Flip and I really like it, however the hinge did crack a bit after only a few months.
View attachment 697

i'd never have courage to buy any chinese clamshell console because of this. Even with my DS i always have fear of it breaking.

 

[It's Thinking 2]

All that matters to me is if it's super cheap and the emulation is good. But I might cave and get something like a FPGBC or a ModRetro Chromatic for my repro carts.

 

[vulonkaaz]

I got a question now.
I really love the Xbox 360 d-pad.
It's very clicky! And precise on all 8 axys.
Is there anything remotely close in the retro handhelds market?
If not, which one has the best d-pad?

i don't remember what the xbox 360 feels like but i really like the d-pad of my Ayn Odin Pro

 

[Spike]

i don't remember what the xbox 360 feels like but i really like the d-pad of my Ayn Odin Pro

I made a mistake, THIS is the d-pad that I like:

i think it's series S, I don't know.
I just own the gamepads not the consoles haha
It's incredible accurate, in Celeste it's like it reads my mind.
When using the Steam Deck it was a nightmare to play Celeste. The game went from hard to easy just like that.

I ordered the pocket mini...
I hope I can stick with it and not sell it :S

 

[Boo Man]

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!

nice! yeah i have a miyoo mini+ as well and its awesome!
i use it for anything up to PSX

 

[MajesticSiN]

I've been rocking my miyoo mini since it's release and it's a great portable system.
I'd love to eventually get a steam deck just to emulate all the classics

 

[Spike]

Just here to say I cancelled the RP Mini and went for the RP5.
It's basically the same machine but with a much bigger screen.
The reason is, even if the RP Mini is perfectly capable of running PS2 and Gamecube it doesn't mean it will be enjoyable in such small screen (unreadable text for example). Many games from that era already support widescreen or have patches/cheats for it.
And this opens up amazing PSP, VITA and eve Switch emulation.
So all set. Shipping at end of October hopefully.

Specs:

• CPU: 1*A77@2.8G 3*A77@2.4G 4*A55@1.8G
• GPU: Adreno 650
• RAM: 8GB LPDDR4x@2133MHz
• Storage: 128GB UFS 3.1 + TF Card Slot
• OS: Android 13
• Screen: 5.5 inch, AMOLED, 1080p@60fps
• Heat Dissipation: Active-cooling
• 5000mAh battery
• Analogue L2/R2
• 3D hall sticks
• Wi-Fi 6 & BT 5.1

 

[GVSE]

Just here to say I cancelled the RP Mini and went for the RP5.

Was it easy to ask for an exchange? I have the impression you bought the RPMini weeks ago.

 

[Spike]

Was it easy to ask for an exchange? I have the impression you bought the RPMini weeks ago.

The only annoying thing is you have to request by email not on the site, to this address sales@goretroid.com
Other than that it's pretty quick.

RP Mini
Placed on October 4, 2024 at 2:33 am
Requested Cancellation October, 12 2024 at 2:56 a.m.
Order Cancelled on October 12, 2024 at 9:48 am

RP5
Placed on October 13, 2024 at 9:31 am
RP5 didn't start shipping yet.

 

[Boo Man]

The only annoying thing is you have to request by email not on the site, to this address sales@goretroid.com
Other than that it's pretty quick.

RP Mini
Placed on October 4, 2024 at 2:33 am
Requested Cancellation October, 12 2024 at 2:56 a.m.
Order Cancelled on October 12, 2024 at 9:48 am

RP5
Placed on October 13, 2024 at 9:31 am
RP5 didn't start shipping yet.

they look super cool i should have got one of those!
what color did you get?
i just ordered a trimui pro but it cant run Ps2 or Gamecube
swap?

 

[Spike]

Did you get the TrimUI Smart Pro or is there a non "smart"? I'm having trouble loading products in their site.

I chose the "16bit" the one from the picture above. I guess it was between that one and the "GC" one, I mean maybe GC looks better but I still got the social stigma of being an adult and pulling out a thing that looks like a 3 years old toy. With the 16Bit gray I can retain some level of dignity. I know nobody cares and it's all in my head but therapy costs money.

This is the pretty(ier) GC:

 

[Boo Man]

Did you get the TrimUI Smart Pro or is there a non "smart"? I'm having trouble loading products in their site.

I chose the "16bit" the one from the picture above. I guess it was between that one and the "GC" one, I mean maybe GC looks better but I still got the social stigma of being an adult and pulling out a thing that looks like a 3 years old toy. With the 16Bit gray I can retain some level of dignity. I know nobody cares and it's all in my head but therapy costs money.

haha i know exactly what you mean, 16bit color looks professional but the GC version is just so cool!
to be fair all the colors look great even pure black looks very slick
and yes i believe the gadget i ordered was the smart version (i hope)
it was an impulse buy tbh but i really want a handheld for 6th gen stuff
so cant wait to find out what you think of the RP5!

 

[guppy]

This is some grumpy stuff, but I wish people stopped collecting cheap Chinese trash consoles as if they weren't going to fall apart/were playing them (all) regularly. It's some weird consumer hoarding stuff, and I wish people were either less obsessive around it or just like...chiller and grabbed things to utilize and not display.

I know it's not the same thing, but to me it kind of feels like if we took McDonalds toys and put them up on our walls or something. They are really cool for what they do, but they are not really worth obsessively collecting by any means.

p.s. - My partner has a Deck, and I didn't love it either. I played Intergalactic Fishing on it. Which I love to bits, and have played with a controller and a keyboard. I did not like it on the deck, because the trigger buttons (which you use to cast and catch fish) kept pinching my fingers. It's also gigantinormous (=P) which stinks on account of me having small hands. She actually just ended up using it as a computer (docked), so I don't really think it's worth it. She actually plays her games on her lappy. So...what was the point?

 

[sandogma]

I had purchased the Anbernic RG351V last year (left) to replace my ODROID GO Advance that I bought in 2020 (right). I love taking it with me when I travel and seeing people do a double take when they notice me gaming on what appears to be a block of wood. And yes that was part of the deciding factor when choosing which style to get

 

[guppy]

I had purchased the Anbernic RG351V last year (left) to replace my ODROID GO Advance that I bought in 2020 (right). I love taking it with me when I travel and seeing people do a double take when they notice me gaming on what appears to be a block of wood. And yes that was part of the deciding factor when choosing which style to get
View attachment 1532View attachment 1533

It's pretty. It kinda looks like polymer clay? I am not sure how they did this stain. Is it consistent with each case? Either way, I don't know how you'd use the little nubbin' there. Seems weird for hands, but then again mine are micro-sized. So maybe it's easier if you have a thumb with travel?