A new video from Russ just dropped today.
In it, he discusses his current favorite handhelds. They don’t have to be made in 2023, but he is focusing more on the newer handhelds.
As usual, this won’t include everything in the video. If you’re interested at all, please watch the video and give Russ a like and subscribe!
Russ splits up the handhelds by price and gives a few recommendations for each.
“Budget” (around $50): RG35xx and Miyoo Mini Plus
Best Under $100: PowKiddy x55
“The Sweet Spot” (around $150, he mentions this is what he recommends you buy unless you have a certain use case):
RP3+, RG405m
If you don’t mind spending a little more: Metal RP3+, Pocket Flip
Best around $200: Odin Lite (his only recommendation in the $200-$400 price range, though he says the Odin Base/Pro are roughly equivalent)
Best over $400: Steam Deck, ROG Ally with honorable mentions of GPD Win4 and AYN Loki Max.
I personally was a little disappointed that we don’t have anything to replace the T618 devices for power and performance even after all this time.
Side Note: I mentioned to Russ a while ago on both YouTube and The Old Place that he might want to post on a federated platform. Nothing yet. He might not even move over. So, I (and others already have) will continue to post his videos here if that is ok.
What do you think about his picks?
Though I’m not a technical expert on these specifications, what you say sounds very similar to what I have also heard.
But, for some reason, I continuously hear that the Miyoo Mini (not the Plus) can be damaged by attempting to use a power adapter with too high voltage. I don’t have one (the original). The Plus also does come with a little flyer that says to never use any power adapter over 5v, even c to c. I’ve never broken that rule, just because I do not want to prove it to myself that they were correct and deal with all of that hassle.
I saw this initially on his YouTube channel, but then I also saw him post his video directly to The Old Place. Asked on his YouTube if he would consider posting to some other alternatives alongside The Old Place like kbin/lemmy and that I was doing light summaries of his videos with links to them on YouTube.
Brief Summary (please watch his video and like and subscribe if you like his content and want to see and hear everything):
— Very surprising, good quality device from PowKiddy. Would be great value from any company but doubly so from them. The new value king!
— Weak chip, but plays as expected (and sometimes better than expected). Most N64, NDS, PSP, and DC are playable, even upscaled!
— Face controls are good. Sticks are of the “better for portability, not as good for playing” switch variety.
— Lots of very clicky/loud buttons, and the split volume buttons are poorly positioned.
— Very smudgy finish.
— Amazing screen for the price. Trounces other similarly priced (and even doubly priced) competitors.
— Has more than expected ports (two usb-c; is safe to use with fast charging, though it will charge at same speed; hdmi out; great quality headphone port; 2 micro sd slots) and features (BT, Wifi)
— Must replace OS immediately due to oopsie from PowKiddy (but it is very easy and supported by the CFW community)
Please go watch another great video from Russ!
The image is not my own. It comes from a review from Retro Resolve.
There is also another article from Retro Dodo
I did not link the main post URL to either of them, as I feel they can be a bit...loose with the facts and assumptions. That's just my opinion though!
The new device specs are as follows. This is what is known right now. All of this could be wrong, or could change drastically before release. The device could also never release.
Most of these specs from from a Reddit post. You can find that post by goggling the name of the device.
CPU: Allwinner 133 Plus GPU: Imagination PowerVR GE8300 Display: 4.96 inches, 720x1280, 294 ppi Battery: 4000mAH Dimensions: 188 mm x 80 mm x 17 mm Connectivity (Bluetooth, Wifi), ports, Operating System are unknown at this time.
One could guess at ports and OS based on images and buttons, but they are just mockups so anything can change
Here is a comparison between the Allwinner 133 (not plus) and the Unisoc T618.
I chose to compare it to the T618 as that is the chip used in some of the most common devices today (such as the RP3+). You can compare it to other chips on that same site if you like.
I could not find a listing on that site (or any other chip comparing site) for the 133 plus. I see that the main differences between the 133 and the 133 plus is the clock speeds of both the cpu and the gpu. The cpu, though at a higher clock, does still use 4x A53s (these are pretty weak), which is the same as the 133.
The extra clock speeds make me think that this will just handle PS1 (and some SNES) better. I do not think it will allow it to include newer consoles that the original 133 could not handle. I think that this means still no NDS and no N64 and no Dreamcast.
Many might be shocked at the controls. I do agree with the obvious point: "Why include a right analog if it cannot run any systems that would use it?"
That doesn't bother me as much. You can still map all of those controls in RetroArch, and you can even come up with fancy ways of playing such as full right handed or full left handed. It should not increase the price drastically, but if it does, then I would agree it should be removed.
TrimUI generally has great budget price points, so I'm hopeful this will land around 90 USD.
What do you all think of the device? Also, how was this post? Too wordy? Too many/few links? Too many opinions?
Russ (RetroGameCorps) is one of my guilty pleasures. I eagerly await his videos.
Does anyone have any problems with me posting links to his videos here? I will also summarize some of his findings, unless, again, anyone has a problem with it.
Any suggestions? This seems ok? You’d prefer this was done in a different method?
I’m just trying to keep this community active. I haven’t yet found a good replacement for SBC Gaming from the Old Place. I’m on this magazine, and several others regarding retro handhelds, but I still don’t get as much info as before the Old Place went bad. I’m not saying to go back there now, as it already feels like a ghost town. There are so many odd posts there now, I don’t even know if it is from bots or what.
If people are ok with this idea, I can definitely post links to videos from some of my favorite retro people, like Russ, but also ETA Prime, The Phawx, maybe a few others.
What do you all think?
I don’t know how many people in this sub/magazine/community would consider themselves experts in the realm of retro handhelds, but I suspect the average knowledge here is a bit higher than “the old place”. But, as more and more users migrate (fingers crossed!), I thought it might be a good idea to have a space where users can post what device(s) they have. Other users can ask their opinions on their devices or other more technical questions.
Sure, there is a lot of information already out there, but there is frequently more to a handheld than just the specs. Comfort is a big issue, support is another, and these and other issues may be hard to quantify just off of a few popular YouTubers reviews.
I’m hopeful this, or some other post like this, could become a safe haven to just ask questions directly to people that own and have used their device for a good period of time.
First, I’d like to offer some great info that I refer to quite frequently!
Spreadsheet of all current/upcoming emulation handhelds
Secondly (and finally), my devices are: RG280v, RG351v, Retroid Pocket 2+, Retroid Flip, PlayDate, Miyoo Mini Plus, Logitech G Cloud, AYN Odin Base, and Steam Deck.
Would have been a perfect opportunity to change this to Retro Handhelds or Retro Handheld+Gaming. And give SBC back to its original purpose.
Also, was this ridiculously hard to make an account for for anyone else?
