This little handheld console has been so great. My PC and Steam Deck must be so disappointed with me.
I had been following r/SBCgaming for a while and never felt the need to play very old console games. But now it seems that these consoles have really come a long way in what they can play. I saw reviews for the Retroid Pocket 5 and thought it looked amazing. Then I saw the prices of the Retroid Pocket 4 pro and it was a no brainer.
I bought the Retroid Pocket 4 Pro on eBay for £120 (probably could have gotten it cheaper, but I rushed to buy this). The fact that such a tiny and pocketable handheld can run Nintendo Switch games (less demanding ones) really blows my mind. I carry this with me everywhere. It fits in pretty snug trouser pockets and is only slightly bigger than my phone (although my phone is an S23 Ultra with a chunky case). I’ve had it for over 2 weeks and I’m still in the honeymoon phase and using this instead of my gaming PC or Steam Deck. I’m discovering consoles I never owned (3DS and Wii games). The fact that it plays Android games as well is such a great bonus (mainly Balatro with save game sync online) is such a great bonus. It has WiFi 6, hall effect analog sticks (much better than the Switch!), an IPS display, headphone port, analog triggers, bluetooth 5.2 and a decent battery. This this has no business being this good.
For anyone else interested:
· If you’re looking for an affordable, pocketable console with good performance then the Retroid Pocket 4 Pro is amazing and I would recommend it. Buy this on eBay as people are unloading these to upgrade to the new console.
· If you want better performance then the Retroid Pocket 5 has a better SOC and much better screen, but is twice the price and much less pocketable. Order on AliExpress when there’s a sale/coupons.
· Buying a console like this is a bit like adopting Linux… You’ve got to be willing to tinker and troubleshoot. It took me hours to set it up (use this guide) and I still haven’t sorted out Vita emulation.
This is a device I didn’t know much about and really didn’t expect to enjoy this much. If you haven’t come across these little consoles, definitely take a look! If you want to test the waters and see if this is for you, then starting with emulation on your phone will is a good way to start.
I have a RP3+ but after using it a while, Android is too much of a hassle.
Miyoo Mini or Anbernic equivalents running Linux are so much easier. There’s no setup- just put your roms in a folder and go. I spent hours on the Retroid just trying to to get launchers looking nice and emulators configured.
But the critical feature is Android will never have a fast boot. When you hit the power on the Miyoo it saves the game state and completely powers down. It doesn’t go to sleep like Android where the bat is dead a day later. The Miyoo will have power weeks later. And because it boots in 10 seconds right into the middle of the game exactly when you hit power off, it’s not a problem to wait for a full boot.
So I started looking at these two companies. It looks like only anbernic has a horizontal. A lot of those actually run Android, but it appears the best Linux one is the 40xx. Do you know if that’s correct, or any other input that would help me select one? Thanks in advance.
*Edit: Also, to anyone else interested. Anbernic is going to have a Easter sale on Sunday at 11am eastern.
I have/had ( bought for friends or myself) Anbernic 35xx, 35xx SP, rg cube x, 351 mp.
There are so many variations that it’s really personal preference. Like are you doing 16:9 games or 4:3? I wanted something for old arcades like pacman and space invaders so I got the cube. That screen ratio also happens to work well for Gameboy
Yeah Miyoo only makes a vertical and a flip. Retro game corps says the flip has some quality control problems.
I’ve been seriously considering getting the anbernic sp but I know nothing about Linux (interested in Linux, hence being here, but not a tech person so), and very little about emulation honestly. Do you have any recommendations or advice for beginners? I’ve tried reading guides that say they’re for beginners but then they talk about knulli and stuff and I get real confused
They run Linux but you don’t need to know anything. They work out of the box. Guides are for upgrading to different user interfaces. You do need to learn how to make a copy of a micro SD card because the ones that ship with the devices are extremely low quality and will quickly fail. I use the one from Raspberry Pi. It’s for installing pi OS but it does anything. https://www.raspberrypi.com/software/
Installing a different OS on a hand held is only picking a different image file like Knulli or GarlicOS when copying onto an SD card.
Thank you! This helps a lot bc I was worried I’d have to become a Linux master just to use one of these emulators
I recently got a Trimui Smart Pro, if you’re looking for horizontal devices, it’s also worth a look
I saw that on aliexpress, but was hesitant because you never really know with stuff from there unless you know the brand or have experience. I’ll definitely look at it more seriously now. Any idea what gen it can play up to? The 40xx can do ps1, but runs poorly with GameCube.
AliExpress is really good and reliable now. I get plenty of stuff off there. Linus Tech Tips even recommends it as one of the best places to pick up a bargain on a desktop CPU. They give you a refund if items are undelivered. I look for items with plenty of pictures and detailed descriptions and picture reviews, and I’ve never been disappointed.
The other thing is that lots of deals end up being discussed on HotUKDeals.com and forum users will report back (e.g. cuing a Crucial NVME drive for £30 and posting speed tests and that it’s the real thing).
These plans for tariffs are going to affect Americans badly though. eBay is recommended in that case.
Don’t get me wrong, I love Aliexpress, but it’s like the wild west. I personally never buy anything unless it has reviews that describe what I’m actually buying. I was looking at a back seat cover for my dogs to ride in my truck. The only review that had a description was clearly about a dress. I did get a laugh thinking about that guys wife wearing a seat protector out to the club though.
If you look for stores with good reviews and good sales numbers you’re 90% sure you’ll get what you paid for. There are some other sellers for these types of devices like LITNXT, and you can even find them on Amazon (usually more expensive).
If you want anything like PS2 or gamecube prepare to pay $150+ for a device, and most likely it will be an android based device like the retroid pocket devices
Most of these ambernic/Miyoo/powkiddy/Trimui Linux devices are aimed to play up to PSP, and some PSP games will run poorly, they’re using older cheaper chips, so they’re honestly weak devices.
IMO, best case is buying one of these devices for psp and below, and a steam deck or other handheld PC for PSP onwards… And PC gaming obviously.
I have an ROG Ally, and PS2, gamecube and WiiU runs great, but it feels like overkill for GBA and PS1 for example, so, for older emulation I just use this $60 device
That’s what I kinda expected. I’ll probably just get to 40xxh or the smart pro. Thanks.
No worries! If you have any questions on the smart pro just let me know, it’s the only one of those devices that I have
I’ve been eyeing the Retroid Pocket Flip 2 and thinking about buying one. How are you playing Repentance on this thing? Switch emulation?
Yes, Switch Emulation. The emulation app is called Sudachi (works better than Yuzu).
_
I’ve got over 1300 hours on that game. SMH… I love that game. I’m hoping for another dlc.
If you haven’t already, check out Fiend Folio in the steam workshop. It’s a fan-made DLC with new items and 500-so new enemies and it’s fantastic.
Why would you go for these devices over a steam deck + emudeck? My steam deck is my powerhouse that plays all my Indies, sreams more demanding games from my gaming PC, has a massive retro library and works as a Plex media streamer for travel. It’s my dream all-in-one device. The only reason I could see to add this as well would be the form factor?
Most download 1000s of retro games for you, because they aren’t allowed to ship them preinstalled. But they are usually part of the deal.
Pocketability is the biggest bonus for me. This doesn’t replace my Steam Deck, it supplements my gaming by making games available in situations where I can’t carry around a giant Deck.
The other issue is that my 4 yr old son has really gotten into gaming (Mario Odyssey) and takes the Deck off me a lot of the time 😄
Confort and battery life.
I love my ROG Ally, it’s amazing for a bunch of games, but I honestly don’t find it comfortable to play GBA or PS1 games for example, and the battery life is like 4 hours tops.
I recently got a Trimui Smart Pro and been playing GBA games on and off in between work meetings or when I go out. It fits on my pocket alongside my phone and the battery lasts like 6 hours depending on the system.
Different uses cases, and for $50 it’s honestly not a hard sell
Yeah pocketability.
I have a Deck, but unless I’m taking a backpack already for a longer trip, I’ll just pocket the Miyoo Mini or 6” Kobo ereader. Double if I’m heading somewhere shady
while i don’t have one of these handhelds, i do have a 2ds xl and i had a steam deck that i eventually sold. for me it’s mostly size. i took it to three countries and several states and it was mostly just a burden to carry the deck around, meanwhile the smaller device was easier to toss in a bag.
part of my choice was also that i don’t play a lot of modern games so i didn’t need the horsepower that the steam deck provided. it’s all nuance and preference, i think.
i got a Powkiddy rgb20sx and I LOVE IT. SO MUCH.
i agree with everything you said, they take some willingness to tinker but boy is the payoff worth it. now that i have the library set up i can swap it out with any device and play anything in the future. i was never a big fan of portable consoles, but having all the retro titles in one little machine is just such a perfect thing. i only paid 60 bucks for my powkiddy, worth every penny
BoI has to crash on that
Works perfectly
Cool emulators/ handheld!!!
How is it for game streaming? I’ve been loving Apollo and Artemis
I got the RP4 when it came out, and liked it a lot, but it was hurting my hands to play on it for a while.
You’re right, ergonomics aren’t great, but I’m fine with that because it prioritises portability. Better ergonomics can be added with the grip attachment. Although I have giant hands and I’m OK playing extended periods without grips.
That’s valid, and to each their own of course.
I like these, but they’ve been superseded by Windows handhelds for me. Granted, that’s because I have so many devices I use for retro stuff that being able to easily mount a shared folder instead of keeping a million SD cards with the same games is a big bonus and there is just no convenient way to do that on Android (and it strongly depends on your definition of “convenient” on Linux). If you just need the one thing to play a single bundle of old games I’d take the convenience, lower price, small size and long battery life of the 'droid devices.
