The State of my Retro Handheld Ecosystem
Oct. 28th, 2022 04:34 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
chuckroIn vaguely chronological order of acquisition and review, my retro handheld collection as of October 2022:
9X-S Handheld - I got this, the X6 handheld and a cheap 99,999-in-one GBA knock-off around the same time. I gave away the latter two shortly thereafter. When there was nothing else on the market, the 9X-S was great, and I took it to Bali and on various short trips. Once there were better options it became the, “Well, I don’t care if it gets destroyed” handheld. Now I have enough better options that it’s mostly just a curiosity.
Hacked PSP - Again, the best thing that was available at the time but then quickly outclassed as the market and technology advanced. I played around 57 hours of games on it and sold it for the same price I paid.
Anbernic RG350 - My clear favorite of every one I’ve tried, with currently almost 250 hours of game time logged on it. It’s small enough to fit in a cargo pants pocket (even in a case with headphones and a charging cable included), powerful enough to run SNES and PS1 well, flexible enough that I could make cheats work in most cases I wanted them, but still comfortable to hold and see. The OpenDingux OS isn’t the best ever, but I learned my way around it and find it pretty easy to manage. I actually bought a case after I’d had it for over a year; before that I just kept it in an old 3DS case, but I kept using it enough that a proper case seemed appropriate. I’m still trying out SNES fan-translations and replaying GBA games on this.
PowKiddy Q80 - A similar handheld to the RG350 with the same OS, but slightly less powerful, heavier and with a worse button layout. I sold this on eBay and got back some of what I paid for it.
Powkiddy Q90 - My current winner for “throw it in my pocket when I’ll be sitting at a doctor’s office or on a subway,” I’ve logged around 10 hours of game time and I think most of that is in 10-minute bursts. It also runs the same OS as the RG350 and while the SNES emulation is a little choppy, it does great with GBA and Game Gear titles that the screen size and button layout are ideal for. I also found a cell phone belt holster it fits comfortably in, in lieu of a case. This will eventually die and I might even consider replacing it; you can still get them for $30 on AliExpress and they’re absolutely worth it.
Retro FC 500-in-1 - I bought this for $10, ran a big Talking Time thread where I tried and catalogued all 500 games, and then traded it for an Ixo-Box. (I recently saw an add on Facebook for a “Mini-Tendo,” which was a more expensive version of this. Don’t buy one.)
Anbernic RG351P - The upgrade to the RG350; I never liked the stock firmware and it didn’t offer substantial advantages over the 350 for me. I considered trying to install a new firmware but eventually just sold it on eBay.
Retroid Pocket 2+ - This has been a mixed bag, in that it has a great deal more power and flexibility than the RG350 and I had a fantastic time doing the upgrades to it; but at the end of the day the big advantage it offers is that it’s good at plugging into my portable monitor for two-player SNES emulation. The Android OS offers a lot of options and flexibility but you need to put the time and effort into setting up each individual piece and you end up using RetroArch (which I don’t love) for most emulation anyway. It’s been living on the shelf; as has the original Retroid Pocket PCB which I could plug into a TV as an emulator box but have never felt the need for.
Powkiddy A66 / Trim-UI Mini - Tiny, with shockingly good emulation; the selling point is really the extreme portability because it isn’t comfortable to play for long periods. If you kept it charged and in your pocket/backpack/purse, it would be an alternative to your phone while waiting for a train. I’m not on the go enough in my daily life that having it handy has been necessary, and I usually grab the Q90 when I know I’m going to need it.
Anbernic RG552 - My new vacation workhorse and the best way I’ve found to emulate DS games; I’ve logged about 60 hours on this so far. It’s too big for casually carrying but manages to do pretty much everything I want in terms of emulators and in a convenient way.
PowKiddy X350 - Cheap and low-quality. I tried it and then gave it as a prize to a trivia contest I ran at a con.
GamePlayer X40 Pro - Oversized and with some issues; this is outclassed by the X2 for what it specifically does. I’ll probably give this away at some point.
PowKiddy X39 Pro - I tried this, updated some of the contents, and gave it away. It’s a midsized, relatively low-cost handheld that is outdone by the RG350 on most fronts.
Powkiddy X2 - I did a Talking Time thread about all the hilariously-translated preloaded contents and I used this to play the Dragon Warrior 10x hack. I like the 7” screen and it came preloaded with a ton of NES hacks and random games I hadn’t heard of; but it’s not a “serious” gaming handheld that I’m ever going to play a 30 hour rpg on. I’ll probably take it out for short sessions of random hacks and arcade games a few more times.
Hyperkin Supaboy - This is a collectable piece that I put on the shelf for display. I tested it and made it work, but it’s giant and clunky and requires carrying around cartridges; I’m not going to play it.
I also have acquired a Retroid Pocket 3, which I haven’t reviewed yet. It seems to offer similar power to the RG552 with a slightly smaller screen and a better shape, and it has Steam Link and full access to the Play Store to offer. I’m probably more likely to use it to play Android games that I want a controller for (as opposed to touchscreen controls on my tablet) or remote Steam games (so I can lie on the couch or my bed). But we’ll see!
Overall: The RG350, Q90 and RG552 are the ones living at my charging station and seeing regular use in various capacities. Time will tell how things evolve from here.
9X-S Handheld - I got this, the X6 handheld and a cheap 99,999-in-one GBA knock-off around the same time. I gave away the latter two shortly thereafter. When there was nothing else on the market, the 9X-S was great, and I took it to Bali and on various short trips. Once there were better options it became the, “Well, I don’t care if it gets destroyed” handheld. Now I have enough better options that it’s mostly just a curiosity.
Hacked PSP - Again, the best thing that was available at the time but then quickly outclassed as the market and technology advanced. I played around 57 hours of games on it and sold it for the same price I paid.
Anbernic RG350 - My clear favorite of every one I’ve tried, with currently almost 250 hours of game time logged on it. It’s small enough to fit in a cargo pants pocket (even in a case with headphones and a charging cable included), powerful enough to run SNES and PS1 well, flexible enough that I could make cheats work in most cases I wanted them, but still comfortable to hold and see. The OpenDingux OS isn’t the best ever, but I learned my way around it and find it pretty easy to manage. I actually bought a case after I’d had it for over a year; before that I just kept it in an old 3DS case, but I kept using it enough that a proper case seemed appropriate. I’m still trying out SNES fan-translations and replaying GBA games on this.
PowKiddy Q80 - A similar handheld to the RG350 with the same OS, but slightly less powerful, heavier and with a worse button layout. I sold this on eBay and got back some of what I paid for it.
Powkiddy Q90 - My current winner for “throw it in my pocket when I’ll be sitting at a doctor’s office or on a subway,” I’ve logged around 10 hours of game time and I think most of that is in 10-minute bursts. It also runs the same OS as the RG350 and while the SNES emulation is a little choppy, it does great with GBA and Game Gear titles that the screen size and button layout are ideal for. I also found a cell phone belt holster it fits comfortably in, in lieu of a case. This will eventually die and I might even consider replacing it; you can still get them for $30 on AliExpress and they’re absolutely worth it.
Retro FC 500-in-1 - I bought this for $10, ran a big Talking Time thread where I tried and catalogued all 500 games, and then traded it for an Ixo-Box. (I recently saw an add on Facebook for a “Mini-Tendo,” which was a more expensive version of this. Don’t buy one.)
Anbernic RG351P - The upgrade to the RG350; I never liked the stock firmware and it didn’t offer substantial advantages over the 350 for me. I considered trying to install a new firmware but eventually just sold it on eBay.
Retroid Pocket 2+ - This has been a mixed bag, in that it has a great deal more power and flexibility than the RG350 and I had a fantastic time doing the upgrades to it; but at the end of the day the big advantage it offers is that it’s good at plugging into my portable monitor for two-player SNES emulation. The Android OS offers a lot of options and flexibility but you need to put the time and effort into setting up each individual piece and you end up using RetroArch (which I don’t love) for most emulation anyway. It’s been living on the shelf; as has the original Retroid Pocket PCB which I could plug into a TV as an emulator box but have never felt the need for.
Powkiddy A66 / Trim-UI Mini - Tiny, with shockingly good emulation; the selling point is really the extreme portability because it isn’t comfortable to play for long periods. If you kept it charged and in your pocket/backpack/purse, it would be an alternative to your phone while waiting for a train. I’m not on the go enough in my daily life that having it handy has been necessary, and I usually grab the Q90 when I know I’m going to need it.
Anbernic RG552 - My new vacation workhorse and the best way I’ve found to emulate DS games; I’ve logged about 60 hours on this so far. It’s too big for casually carrying but manages to do pretty much everything I want in terms of emulators and in a convenient way.
PowKiddy X350 - Cheap and low-quality. I tried it and then gave it as a prize to a trivia contest I ran at a con.
GamePlayer X40 Pro - Oversized and with some issues; this is outclassed by the X2 for what it specifically does. I’ll probably give this away at some point.
PowKiddy X39 Pro - I tried this, updated some of the contents, and gave it away. It’s a midsized, relatively low-cost handheld that is outdone by the RG350 on most fronts.
Powkiddy X2 - I did a Talking Time thread about all the hilariously-translated preloaded contents and I used this to play the Dragon Warrior 10x hack. I like the 7” screen and it came preloaded with a ton of NES hacks and random games I hadn’t heard of; but it’s not a “serious” gaming handheld that I’m ever going to play a 30 hour rpg on. I’ll probably take it out for short sessions of random hacks and arcade games a few more times.
Hyperkin Supaboy - This is a collectable piece that I put on the shelf for display. I tested it and made it work, but it’s giant and clunky and requires carrying around cartridges; I’m not going to play it.
I also have acquired a Retroid Pocket 3, which I haven’t reviewed yet. It seems to offer similar power to the RG552 with a slightly smaller screen and a better shape, and it has Steam Link and full access to the Play Store to offer. I’m probably more likely to use it to play Android games that I want a controller for (as opposed to touchscreen controls on my tablet) or remote Steam games (so I can lie on the couch or my bed). But we’ll see!
Overall: The RG350, Q90 and RG552 are the ones living at my charging station and seeing regular use in various capacities. Time will tell how things evolve from here.
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Date: 2022-10-29 04:13 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-10-29 03:01 pm (UTC)