Retro Handhelds General Thread

[sandogma]

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?

It's some type of plastic that has a rough finish which gives it a "wooden feel". It feels nice but the shoulder button placement could be better.
The analog "nub" works well enough for PlayStation RPGs, but not very conducive for any games that require precision. It didn't feel good playing any of the Wipeout games on it, for example. I primarily use the d-pad when playing SNES/Genesis, GameBoy Color and GB Advance games on it.

But my thumb travels with me everwhere I go so its not an issue

 

[guppy]

It's some type of plastic that has a rough finish which gives it a "wooden feel". It feels nice but the shoulder button placement could be better.
The analog "nub" works well enough for PlayStation RPGs, but not very conducive for any games that require precision. It didn't feel good playing any of the Wipeout games on it, for example. I primarily use the d-pad when playing SNES/Genesis, GameBoy Color and GB Advance games on it.

But my thumb travels with me everwhere I go so its not an issue

It's funny but I didn't even think about this device having shoulder buttons. Hahahaha!! Hahaha! Ooooh! I made myself laugh. You know, I have a handheld myself. The...V10. Yep, I know names =P! I like it, but I find playing games which require precision to be really unfun (yeah, unfun!). I tried playing a handful of pong-y type games and each one felt awful. I mean across the board. Really bums me out, because I like playing games like those. I wondered if it was me or the system. But came to the conclusion I have always dug games like these so it's something to do with the screen size/controls - something. No lie, after I saw yours I tried a little thumby action to see if it would feel comfy to reach down that way. I think seriously it's just not for me =P! But I also haven't played with a joystick in quite some time by this point.

Maybe it's the flatness of the device (I just emulated it on my own) but I feel like I could pretty much just take a joystick to the left of my thumb. Which...does nothing for no one ever. But it is a really pretty looking thing. I chose that faded looking V10. The one that looks like it aged in a shoe box for 100 years.

 

[akumajobelmont]

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?

You've got a point! People have become hoarders of the machines, I see it on Reddit all the time. Seeking approval on massive handheld collections to justify their spending sprees and fomo.

The number of devices released is a direct result of the hoarding mentality.

I just got an ASUS ROG Ally X to replace my laptop, and I don't need my RGB10Max 3 Pro any more, so I'll be gifting it to my nephew this Christmas with a brand new 1TB card loaded with games

I don't think I could get rid of my V10 though, because it's amazing for GBA and the Atari Lynx, and my RGB30 is way too amazing for GB/GBC games. They both hit that nostalgic form factor that actually makes me want to play and finish games.

My Ally X is now my de-facto PSP, DC, PS2, Gamecube, 360 and PS3 emulator. Ridge Racer PSP and 7 are AMAZING on the unit

 

[guppy]

You've got a point! People have become hoarders of the machines, I see it on Reddit all the time. Seeking approval on massive handheld collections to justify their spending sprees and fomo.

The number of devices released is a direct result of the hoarding mentality.

I just got an ASUS ROG Ally X to replace my laptop, and I don't need my RGB10Max 3 Pro any more, so I'll be gifting it to my nephew this Christmas with a brand new 1TB card loaded with games

I don't think I could get rid of my V10 though, because it's amazing for GBA and the Atari Lynx, and my RGB30 is way too amazing for GB/GBC games. They both hit that nostalgic form factor that actually makes me want to play and finish games.

My Ally X is now my de-facto PSP, DC, PS2, Gamecube, 360 and PS3 emulator. Ridge Racer PSP and 7 are AMAZING on the unit

Best thing you can do on the face of this planet is give these things setup to people who'd enjoy them =)! I just don't get people obsessively buying them when they are literally cheap and not meant to last. And will not last. And are actual fire hazards in their house (as they're made of junk parts pieced together for profit which usually means seconds). Like, come on! Also get your nephew to charge it correctly =X!

I have a V10 as well. I was emulating explicitly on my phone but was being driven crazy by texts. I would turn off the notifications, but if I did - I would never answer anyone. As I've tried in the past. So it's nice to have a dedicated handheld. But not like...10 that do the same thing.

I've never heard of an Ally X by the by. I think I said it somewhere (here?) but my partner has a Steam Deck. But it's unwieldy to me, and it kept pinching my fingers (maybe how I held it?) while I was playing Intergalactic Fishing. My gal uses it explicitly docked, and just to watch like...X-Files so idk why we have it. But you know, that's how she wanted to go about things =P!

I have also been thinking in general like...were a lot of these games fun because I played them with people? I mean even the one player stuff. You could tap out, and have a friend pick up the gauntlet. And I think in a way it's harder to go back and dip my toes back into the scene. Like, I love Ribbit King like crazy. But do I? Cause I've tried several times to go back and play it and have had zero fun as opposed to the oodles I had playing with others. But my folks I used to game with are all split apart and the only person who games with me still is my partner. And she dun like these games =P!

So eh.

But you know - enjoy the life story response =P

 

[akumajobelmont]

Amazing anecdotes, I love it!

I liked being a part of a gaming culture as a youngster. All my friends and neighbours had different gaming allegiances, and it was amazing and fun to play their consoles and PC's.

My friend across the road had a NES and a BetaMax player. So many fantastic memories.

My friend UP the road had a Commodore 64 and an Amiga. As somebody whose first gaming experience was a VIC 20, I was in awe of her setup!

However, I always preferred games on my own. A friend of mine used to make fun of me because Lara Croft was 'fat' on my PAL Saturn version of the OG Tomb Raider, compared to her version of Lara on her PC I never liked the trolling aspect of gaming

I love my V10, and my RGB30 even more, because the GB shaders look brilliant on that screen.

The Ally X is the Steam Deck alternative that I wanted. A Windows PC in a shell that makes me want to play handheld with battery life that is actually quite insane!

 

[guppy]

Amazing anecdotes, I love it!

I liked being a part of a gaming culture as a youngster. All my friends and neighbours had different gaming allegiances, and it was amazing and fun to play their consoles and PC's.

My friend across the road had a NES and a BetaMax player. So many fantastic memories.

My friend UP the road had a Commodore 64 and an Amiga. As somebody whose first gaming experience was a VIC 20, I was in awe of her setup!

However, I always preferred games on my own. A friend of mine used to make fun of me because Lara Croft was 'fat' on my PAL Saturn version of the OG Tomb Raider, compared to her version of Lara on her PC I never liked the trolling aspect of gaming

I love my V10, and my RGB30 even more, because the GB shaders look brilliant on that screen.

The Ally X is the Steam Deck alternative that I wanted. A Windows PC in a shell that makes me want to play handheld with battery life that is actually quite insane!

In talking with you the other day I was thinking about how crazy it'd be to live where your gamer folk were. I mean I was at one point, but I for sure am not anymore. We all still talk, but it's just you know catching up kinda stuff. Sometimes good news, sometimes bad news. Love my buds, but for sure our lives are all on their own paths. I think a big reason why we don't play together anymore is because in general I too enjoy solo gaming. By that I mean, you won't catch me playing the latest CoD anytime soon. I like to go to the beat of my own drum. And I think in a way, that controller pass-off was a part of that. If say, I got bored or defeated by a game someone else could pick it up and I could do something else like feed the troops or something like that.

Yo, tell me about this Pal Saturn. I didn't even know this system existed, and I was zany for consoles as a teen. I am not sure why it wasn't even on my radar. I don't even know when it came out. PSX times? Between PSX/PS2? That's Dreamcast right? When did the Sega Saturn exist. Also did you ever get it working on your V10. Cause mine was broken from the get go.

The Steam Deck, in a way - feels like a joke. I looked a little bit at the Ally X, it looks cleaner. Although I am not sure my hands are big enough for it? As it seems the buttons are pretty high and the grip is pretty vertical. But it's probably great for a grown man's hands (if that's what you are, it's just an assumption cause of you know...gaming). It's part of what makes this whole handheld thing so difficult. Finding that magical tiny device that fits in your hands. I saw people poo-pooing the Miyoo Mini, so I went with the V10. But if I had a redo, I'd have gone with the Miyoo Mini because I think it would fit my hands better.

Also, I am jelly like a donut of you and your buds =P! I am not sure how you keep these electronics going 40-50 years after their mark. It's naners to me. I think about how people like the folks that run this site are really doing their part to keep media around long after it's been forgotten. You lot keep kicking ass and taking names =)

 

[Shadowruls]

I've been using my Vita for retro gaming for years now, but recently got into a few dedicated handhelds over the last year.

I own the Miyoo Mini Plus, Miyoo A30, and the RGB30. I have also used the R36S, and returned a RG35XX H due to severe software issues at launch (to my understanding, this has been 100% fixed). Every one of them has some setbacks, there is not yet any perfect system. Note for ANY of these systems, custom firmware is a MUST

MM+ (30-35 USD) is what I use the most by a longshot. It fits nicely in the hands and pockets, plays enough systems, and is by far the most user friendly. Largest problem is while on it always emits a high pitched noise that doesn't seem to be fixable barring unplugging the speaker. I also had the charger port break off, and had to solder it back on. If you want a smaller size, I recommend the Miyoo Mini 4 instead, you just won't have wi-fi or bluetooth

MA30 (25-30 USD) is the newest and smallest, I wanted it for its extremely portable nature. It just a few days ago got a CFW software patch that fixed most problems, but not nearly all of them. Largest problems with the system would be its short battery life, it can overheat easily, and buttons are bound to keyboard functions, which can cause problems. I also still can't get the wi-fi to work. It worked fine when I originally bought it, then after one reboot, it hasn't worked since. It is also worth noting the system doesn't have a headphone jack, but you can use the USBC port

RGB30 (70-85 USD) is pretty neat for its 1:1 screen, and is powerful enough to play more games than most at its price, like Stardew Valley, Super Meat Boy, and Dreamcast. It has great battery life, is surprisingly pocketable (same height as the Vita) and nearly every basic feature you could want. Like nearly all of these devices with analogue sticks, they are useless for precision, as they love to snap to cardinal directions (like a D-pad). I find the system to be more difficult to hold for long periods than it has any business being. And the largest problem by far is that after a 2 foot drop onto a soft surface, the screen popped completely out. It works fine, but isn't actually designed to stay in place (I think I need to use some glue, which I really don't want to resort to)

R36S (30-35 USD) I bought for a kid friend (8yo), but I have spent some time with it. The shell and controls are the cheapest of the bunch by far, and the firmware sucks, but the system is weirdly powerful, even able to play low power PSP games. My largest problems would be that it has very loud buttons, and the triggers stick out way too far, making it not super pocketable

At the end of the day, I would recommend most people wither get a Miyoo Mini, or an RGXX system (any of the newer ones would do, they all look quite nice), or just stick to your phone and buy a slim controller to bring around. For a nice controller I would recommend the 8BitDo SN30 Pro (30-35 USD). For a super slim and cheap option I have a "ShanWan lightweight mini" on its way (6 USD), hopefully it will do nicely enough

I long for the day I can have a dedicated system that will scale GBA games well and allow for multiplayer with the system. I long to netbattle again

.....Maybe I should make a thread for dedicated reviews on my experience with emulation system options at some point

 

[Yankee]

I've never had one and I never would. Had enough "fun" with bootleg Chinesium ripoff consoles from the flea market when I was a kid. I know better now.

 

[mandrakes]

after 1 month geting trimui smart pro, i wonder when this device broke where i service it since online market is selling no sparepart for this device unlike psvita

 

[Boo Man]

after 1 month geting trimui smart pro, i wonder when this device broke where i service it since online market is selling no sparepart for this device unlike psvita

haha i doubt you'll ever find spare parts for it i think its supposed to be more of a disposable product.
however i got my one in the mail a few days ago and it seems very solid & well made

 

[Shadowruls]

after 1 month geting trimui smart pro, i wonder when this device broke where i service it since online market is selling no sparepart for this device unlike psvita

I literally broke my RGB30 trying to get the screen fixed back in place. I'm pretty pissed, and they want $35 for a new screen. Like as if.

At least I've got other systems.

 

[HTBandicoot]

I got one for $18.99 off of Amazon. They’re sold by several different people. I think it’s called Retro FC or something like that, but nothing officially. It’s from China, but it has 400 games on it. A lot of the Marios plus classic Nintendo and arcade games. It’s well worth it for me. And all of them have overwhelmingly good reviews. Because it doesn’t take much to make it worth it, paying so little. I’ve also discovered some NES games I’ve never tried, and probably wouldn’t, if not for this little tool. And it has a rechargeable battery too. So all accounts, I think it’s pretty cool although some games are repeated and some text occasionally is in Chinese lol. It doesn’t affect the gameplay.

 

[Darklink]

What, if any, of the various retro emulation handhelds would any of you guys want? I actually have a few now, but I have a new one coming, the Retroid Pocket 4 Pro.

It's just amazing to me that we have relatively small handheld devices, not just phones, that can emulate Gamecube and PlayStation 2 games. I remember watching videos as a kid of people ripping apart and hard modding their consoles into handhelds. So this kind of stuff is super cool to see.

 

[Yousef]

View attachment 3013This little fella always served me wonders. Nice to play even Eng patched roms on it.
(No, don’t ask why I had a team of 6 Ariadoses there )Edit: I apologize, I didn’t read the title correctly. I didn’t know this was a thread to sell your rig. Good luck though!

Post automatically merged: Dec 6, 2024

 

[DunkeyKong]

This…the ultimate SNES

Other than that though
I remember this guy making a PS4 handheld…I was flabbergasted. This is just one guy too, his commitment is insane
It was really, really amazing

 

[tenkai star]

I have the odin 2 pro and love almost everything about it. I use it a lot and the battery life is incredible. Unfortunately it has just enough input lag to be noticeable, but since I mostly played jrpgs it's not the biggest deal. I'm secretly hoping something happens to it so I feel justified upgrading to one of the new OLED screen models coming out soon lol

 

[DunkeyKong]

View attachment 3013This little fella always served me wonders. Nice to play even Eng patched roms on it.
(No, don’t ask why I had a team of 6 Ariadoses there )

Post automatically merged: Dec 6, 2024

Edit: I apologize, I didn’t read the title correctly. I didn’t know this was a thread to sell your rig. Good luck though!

Same lmao

 

[OptmisticMatt]

On the more budget side, ive recently bought the trimui smart pro and so far im happy with it. dreamcast and saturn performance could be better but for the price i cant complain much. Currently playing tales of phantasia on it.

 

[Teone]

I merged the recent thread from @Darklink with the previous one from @Spike on the same subject, and changed the name to make it more comprehensive!

We also have a @Shadowruls thread focused on structured reviews of those devices if you guys want to make / read some.

 

[Darklink]

I have the odin 2 pro and love almost everything about it. I use it a lot and the battery life is incredible. Unfortunately it has just enough input lag to be noticeable, but since I mostly played jrpgs it's not the biggest deal. I'm secretly hoping something happens to it so I feel justified upgrading to one of the new OLED screen models coming out soon lol

I also have an Odin 2 Pro! I really like it, but I feel like it's almost too big, so I got the Retroid Pocket 4 Pro to compare.

 

[tenkai star]

I also have an Odin 2 Pro! I really like it, but I feel like it's almost too big, so I got the Retroid Pocket 4 Pro to compare.

Yeah especially with the official carrying case, it's quite the unit lol. It's hard to be inconspicuous with that beefy thing at work! I've been checking out the retroid line after your post and I'm really considering it. Hope you enjoy it!

 

[Darklink]

Well, Anbernic just announced their RG34XX. I have to stop myself from buying. It's everything I wanted from a smallish handheld. PS1 and down perfect, no sticks, and hopefully relatively cheap.

 

[adamthekaiju]

I have been a fan of Anbernic for years. I love these things. I am currently waiting for my RP5 to come in the mail (first time buying from these guys, wish I did my research). The older I get, the more I enjoy handhelds more. Sometimes I want the horizontal feel of a GB and other I want that sweet, comfy feel of a GBA. I think the RG 40XXV is a bang for your buck.

 

[Dyne]

I have an Anbernic 35xxSP and I really like it. The clamshell lets me just throw it in my pocket or bag or backseat whatever without worrying about the screen. I put the MUOS custom firmware on it and it works great. The fact that you can get these things that play every game from my childhood for around the cost of one new game is amazing.

 

[bsudo]

The first retro handheld I got was an LDK portrait off of aliexpress in like 2016(?). I still have it and it's a great little yellow brick of plastic to bring along if I need to go on a trip. Runs RetroFW which I believe started out as a custom firmware for the leapfrog leap pad or something like that so it actually has bunch of neat source ports from other handhelds. The miracle of FOSS.

I bought the retroid 3+ years ago and use the crap out out of the thing. I know I could just slap a controller on my phone but it's a really nice little device and then I don't clutter up my phone. I need to get some larger SD cards for it though. I don't feel compelled to upgrade yet but I'd but them again.

I've been a distant enjoyer of all the retro handhelds though so this thread has been a great read. Might be pushed to buy an anbernic. Maybe as a gift the I "have to setup".