Retrogaming Hardware

[jpfriction]

An old ds with an R4 card is probably still the best way to do that, just hard to get the form factor right otherwise. I haven’t looked much into hacking a 3DS but have to imagine the community has that figured out too.

I can confirm saturn games work great on a retroid 5. I was playing panzer dragoon saga just the other day.

 

[Kazin]

Saturn runs great on the 5 and Mini, yeah. Sadly, its N64 emulation that still has issues here and there, and from what I understand it's an emulator issue, not hardware. Pilotwings 64 having weird shadow issues whenever you're over land makes me sad

 

[Patrick]

An old ds with an R4 card is probably still the best way to do that, just hard to get the form factor right otherwise. I haven’t looked much into hacking a 3DS but have to imagine the community has that figured out too.

Yeah, I have a hacked 3DS with DS games on it. Unfortunately, the screens are different resolutions (and it's not a convenient multiple), so you can't play them at the full screen height and have them look as sharp as they do on a DS. So you can:

1) force the DS games to play at their actual resolution, but the display area is smaller. Or,

2) scale the DS games to full screen and use a filter. The default filter that Nintendo uses is terrible and blurry, but there are a lot better ones available on a hacked system.

I use option 2 and it's good enough. But, if you really want perfect DS emulation a hacked DSi will look better.

Fakeedit

I just searched and yeah you can totally play DS games using flip grip.

Hmm... I bet that resolution isn't the best though. Maybe worth checking out down the road though.

Real EDIT:

DS is 256 x 192, vertical switch is 720 x 1280. yeah, that's no better than 3DS. Ah well.

 

[Patrick]

Oh man, I’m a dumbass. I’ve wanted to swap Start + Select with the function buttons on the Brick, and for some reason I assumed it was going to be complicated or require some weird method. But in MinUI you can just go in the menu and set Select to L3 and Start to R3. Then you can go to shortcuts and set save state to select and load state to start. And… it just works.

I have no idea why I assumed that wouldn’t work.

 

[Beowulf]

Coopreme R40S Retro Handheld

I thought that between the advances in retro handheld technology and the ridiculous tariff nonsense that I was done getting packages from China. Well, that lasted a couple of months, but then there was a sale and I figured I probably didn’t have a lot more chances, so I got three more handhelds, all around $30 after various discounts.

This one was the worst of them, though amusingly, it was the opposite of the last lousy widescreen handheld I tried (the RG50XX). That one was a half-decent hunk of plastic with terrible software. This, on the other hand, is a piece of crap with decent emulators installed.

So, the good: It’s running proper RetroArch without any of the stupid lockdowns. You can change your screen resolutions (they’re stretched to fullscreen by default), you can change key bindings (though they seem correct by default), you can access save states and cheats and all the usual RetroArch menu functions. The device even has a function key, though oddly it’s next to Start on the right of the device and Select is off on its lonesome on the left (which is only the beginning of the lousy physical design choices). It’s got the same level of “tier 2” power that we’ve come to expect at this point, where SNES/Genesis/PS1 runs great, and N64/PSP pretend they can run games but aren’t actually good play experiences.

The bad part is the actual construction of the device. I was immediately concerned when I first felt the shoulder triggers (there’s only one set, and they’re set out from the back of the device) and they felt loose and clicked slightly from side to side. Then I started trying games and discovered that the D-pad was one of the worst I’ve EVER used. It’s mushy and imprecise, but more importantly, it regularly missed or delayed inputs. Forget an action game, this would be annoying to use to play an rpg. The analog stick is better and more responsive, but it’s low and set-in which means you have to hold the device somewhat cocked to use it and the buttons (which also are clicky but feel loose, and also aren’t the best at registering input consistently).

If this had a TV out (it doesn’t, just a headphone jack) I’d say it might be workable as a TV box with a plug-in controller. But it doesn’t support that, so never mind.

Overall: What I’d really want to do—which I’m certain isn’t feasible—is take the internals from this and put them in the RG50XX, because that had half-decent (though still cheap, let’s be honest) build quality but was hobbled by terrible software, and this gives you access to all the software tools to make things playable but is one of the worst-built handhelds I’ve used. Honestly, most of the $10 Famiclone bootleg handhelds (…though not all) were more playable.

 

[Beowulf]

BOYHOM New R36H Retro Handheld

This is just an R36S in a horizontal format, which means it strongly resembles the Anbernic RG35XX-H and earlier 3.5” screen/horizontal form-factor line. It has pretty much exactly the same internals and software; to the point I suspect you could swap cards between them--It’s running ArcOS and EmuElec and plays most things decently, including managing some N64 and weaker PSP titles. (“Tier 2” is the standard for anything but the bottom-level crap at this point—even the $30 devices are playing SNES perfectly with cheat codes and fast-forward options.)

My only real complaint is that they left off a function or menu button, so you need to use Select, and that’s a miss. They also flipped the D-pad and left analogue stick to match X-Box configuration rather than Playstation, so using the D-pad is just generally less comfortable; but I understand this is a matter of personal preference. I’m just more about the D-pad, especially for retro games. Like the R36S, this has two SD card slots. It’s also got a headphone jack, but no TV-out. It’s interesting how common that feature was on the bottom-of-the-line devices for years (including coming packaged with RGV cables!) but it seems be dropped from the newer bargain-basement devices.

In other news:
The crap SD cards that came with my R36S started to die, so I replaced them with a single SanDisk card with the latest fully-updated ArkOS image and just put my ideal roms list on the card. I needed to tweak a couple of settings, but overall it’s better than it was—actually, the N64 emulation has gotten shockingly playable. In case it wasn’t clear, the R36S and R36H can take one or two cards—you can either put your roms on a separate partition from your OS, or a separate card. The advantage of the second card is that you can swap it (and your saves) to other devices quickly. In practice...I know I’m never going to do that.

I also bought a silicone cover for my R36S, because it was $4 and I was curious how it would work. It’s decent to hold—honestly, the plastic shell of the R36S isn’t super-comfortable for long play sessions—and along with a screen protector, it makes the R36S feel like something you can throw in your bag or big pocket without a proper hard case. I actually put the GB300 into my winter coat pocket so I could play it on the subway and then started alternating in my old Powkiddy Q90 as the weather got warmer. I have so many devices and there are so many “pick up and play” games (especially from portable systems) that it seems silly not to pretty much always have one. And frankly, anything that keeps me from scrolling social media, on train platforms or elsewhere, is a plus.

Overall: While the build quality of the RG35XX-H is a little better, and the stock software is arguably a little better, there’s a lot to be said for getting this at half the price to fit the same form-factor and run basically all the same things.

 

[Beowulf]

BATLEXP G350 Retro Handheld

This is a vertical Game Boy styled 3.5” screen device that we’ve seen plenty of before. It’s got USC-C charging and a headphone jack, two SD card slots (but you only need one), and a dedicated menu button. (And oddly, a downward-firing speaker. Not sure I’ve seen that before?) Side-by-side with a R36S, it’s a little bit heavier and feels a little sturdier, but has basically the same dimensions. It’s also running EmulationStation as the front-end, with a different default UI from an R36S, but similar results. (After tuning it to my preferences, I expect the experience to be very similar.)

I had seen this referred to as “the R36S killer!” because it was basically at the same price point but better. And you know what? It absolute is better. It’s got a better build quality that makes it feel less cheap. I’m not sure if it’s slightly better hardware or slightly better software, but the emulation is nominally better and the screen looks crisper. It’s also just more comfortable to hold.

I also saw a bunch of people wondering if it was secretly an Anbernic device because of the build quality and style…and yes, that’s apparently exactly what it is. Anbernic created this secondary brand, not officially affiliated with them, to use up excess pieces from older devices. All told, this G350 is not actually terribly different from anything in Anbernic’s RGXX line, which in turn really only differ in form-factor—I didn’t buy or review most of them because I knew exactly what they were going to be after trying the RG35XX, RG35XX-H and RG40XX.

Overall: The big selling point here is that it’s better than the R36S at the same price point as the R36S. This is probably the best Tier 2 device at the $30 price point, so then it’s just whether you want to pay up for higher-end system performance or a different form-factor.

 

[Becksworth]

I'm tempted to get a Retroid Pocket Classic before the price of retro handhelds start getting f'ed up by tariff nonsense...

 

[Sarge]

I'm tempted to get a Retroid Pocket Classic before the price of retro handhelds start getting f'ed up by tariff nonsense...

I must admit that I'm feeling the same. Or maybe I should finally upgrade my PC... ugh.

 

[Becksworth]

I'm tempted to get a Retroid Pocket Classic before the price of retro handhelds start getting f'ed up by tariff nonsense...

So I ended up getting one...

In summary, it's great for various retro and retro adjacent games. Got the Genesis style six button layout, but playing games meant for a cross shape four button layout is comfortable enough (honestly I get hung on the stacked select/start buttons more than anything, and that is in all variants of this one). Was able to get Pico-8 running through Winlator, so I got an OLED Pico-8 handheld now.

 

[jpfriction]

I need to look into winlator on my retroid.

 

[Patrick]

If anyone here has the Retroid Pocket Mini (I think Kazin said he had one?), Retroid is sending out replacement faceplates and screens. Weirdly, the RPM is sold as a 4:3 device, but the actual screen hardware is closer to 1:1. The top and bottom of the screen is just covered by the bezel. The device has had resolution scaling issues, and the new parts both fix that and allow you to use the full screen. So if you are emulating something that can make use of extra height (GB/C, GG, vertical shooters, DS), you can use that extra space. It's... ahem... free real estate.

 

[Kazin]

@Patrick Yeah, I've emailed them to get the replacement screen, they're going to get back to me sometime this week as they're on holiday right now. Apparently the screen replacement is free? Unfortunately only a black shell is available, which makes me sad, but I do like the look of the new screen.

I'll report back once I've done the install, it's apparently not too difficult, though I'll have to flash Android 13 to my device which I'm actually more worried about than the hardware swap lmao

 

[Patrick]

Good luck!

Yeah, the color limitation is odd. But, also, I think the device looks way nicer with the bigger screen. For some reason the bezels made it looks a bit smushed or like the screen didn't fit the device, and with the taller screen it just looks like the space is being used better. Even though, for most games, the display area will be the exact same size. It's like a weird optical illusion.

 

[jpfriction]

That was an interesting journey to follow on their discord (made the admin quit for a bit because assholes were threatening his family). Glad they made it right, although I’ll be honest and I don’t see much of a difference in the videos I’ve seen. Shaders apparently are a big deal.

 

[Kazin]

Just got an email, apparently the request window closed for these replacement screens on April 17th. Which sucks because I hadn't heard this was even an option until May 2nd. Fun! So, yeah, nevermind, I won't be posting an update here.

 

[Kazin]

Just got an email, apparently the request window closed for these replacement screens on April 17th. Which sucks because I hadn't heard this was even an option until May 2nd. Fun! So, yeah, nevermind, I won't be posting an update here.

Update on this - Retroid got back to me and said they'd send me a screen for just the cost of shipping, which is $15, which is absolutely fair to me, so I went for it. I'll let you all know how it goes whenever I get it and install it.