The D-Pad Open Handheld Thread

Thread: The D-Pad Open Handheld Thread
Bullet Club

Bullet Club

I'll probably just lurk for a while
 
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Excluding Steam Deck. That's big enough for it's own thread.

This is a thread for news & reviews about open handhelds, that are nearly always from China, that can be used to play emulators and homebrew games.

The occasional el cheapo Famiclone will be posted about as well.

There are lots of new Chinese handhelds coming out which are finally moving on to newer and more powerful SoCs after sticking with the same Rockchip SoCs for years and years.

For now I'll just post the latest news packed videos but I'll post some other things looking at older and cheaper ones later.




In this video we're going to talk about 6 upcoming retro handheld devices that will be releasing very soon. Odin Handheld, Retroid Pocket 3, GPD XP, Powkiddy X18S, Anbernic RG552, Miyoo P60.
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regawdless said:
I'm still spoiled by the high build quality of the PS Vita, do we know how these hold up in comparison?
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I've got a Vita but never modded it, so I don't know how emulators run on it.

Some of these new ones that are coming out over the next few months should be able to run up to Gamecube.

There also should be some coming out that have 4:3 screens.

Build quality wise, they can be hit or miss. Some can feel good and others feel cheap and plasticky.
 
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I have an Anbernic RG351 which can run games fluidly up to PS1 level. (advertized to run stronger system but here's the deal: Nintendo DS: single screen, PSP: massive slowdowns, Dreamcast: massive slowdowns)

It needs custom software, basically a frontend for retroarch, to run with correct screen ratios. I'm using 351ELEC. Installing is as easy as copying fles on a microSD card.

The hardware is solid, battery life is around 6 hours BUT the d-pad is apparently junk on some of them, and mine was part of a bad batch. So best launch a fighting game like Street Fighter 2 after purchasing. It's instantly recognizeable if it's a bad batch. You'll need to open the handheld and do some work with sandpaper in that case. It's probably not hard for professionals but for an amateur like me it was a lengthy experience. I don't know if I'm allowed to link to the fixing instructions so in case somebody reading this is looking for them: it's RG351M_DPAD_README.md on Github.
 
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JORMBO said:
I have the RG351. As @bunta0 already said, it plays nice up to Ps1 games. Like a lot of these things I spent a bunch of time setting it up and transferring all kinds of games to it...then rarely ever play it. :LOL:
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Pretty much the same here 💦
I just prefer playing them on a big screen.
 
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Avoid the Powkiddy X18S , while it's hardware is pretty capable it's stock firmware is absolutely garbage and has no Google Play store access which makes it almost unusable unless you flash a new firmware.
You shouldn't have to do this yourself to make games playable.
The ODIN looks great on paper but this the company's first product and still way to many question marks .
 
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Bullet Club said:







You shouldn't have to, but you need to with most of them. They are cheap, niche Chinese gadgets. Most people are OK with it because it's been happening for so long. The good old Dingoo A320 + Dingux made it acceptable.
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Yeah I have heard Black Seraph is almost done with the first firmware upgrade that should make the X18S substantially better in every way , it is a pretty good system but out of the box experience is pretty bad.
 
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Bullet Club said:







You shouldn't have to, but you need to with most of them. They are cheap, niche Chinese gadgets. Most people are OK with it because it's been happening for so long. The good old Dingoo A320 + Dingux made it acceptable.
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This makes me hope one with dual screens and at least a lower touch screen will come out eventually (it looks like that device has space for a lower screen on this design). I've got a couple extra N3DSXLs I found for cheap, but it'd be amazing to get a fully open handheld that can play almost anything up through 6th gen, especially one with easy video out and/or capture options.

Maybe there will even be a mature Vita emulator that can run on that dream device in a few years too. Hnnng.
 
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Steam Deck seems more and more appealing to me as it comes closer to launch

I'm going to hold off until I actually have a need to play something more technical on a handheld though. Until then my Vita and N3DS XL will serve me just fine
 
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teezzy said:
Steam Deck seems more and more appealing to me as it comes closer to launch

I'm going to hold off until I actually have a need to play something more technical on a handheld though. Until then my Vita and N3DS XL will serve me just fine
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Thing is reservations for the SD are crazy with order placed now are for Q2 of 2022 or after , so if you think you might want one it would be good to reserve one now so you won't be further pushed back inline. It's on $5 and you can cancel whenever you want .
 
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DESTROYA said:
Thing is reservations for the SD are crazy with order placed now are for Q2 of 2022 or after , so if you think you might want one it would be good to reserve one now so you won't be further pushed back inline. It's on $5 and you can cancel whenever you want .
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It's actually now after Q2 2022 for reservations. That could mean into 2023 at this point.

The Steam Deck has been getting a lot of attention from both tech and gaming enthusiasts, especially with how hard GPU and current gen console are to get a hold of.
 



Although this handheld seems like it is OK it sounds like it might be better to wait and see how some of the other upcoming releases are.
 
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The Retroid Pocket 2+ is the latest gaming handheld from Retroid and it is positioned to really shake up the budget segment of this market. In this video, we take a look at the all-new application launcher and emulation frontend on the RP2+, as well as the new improvements.
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These handhelds are so interesting. I always watch YouTube videos on them but have never bought one. Maybe sooner or later. I'll keep an eye out.
 
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The RGB10 Max 2 is the latest handheld from PowKiddy and it is a redesign of their original device from earlier this year. In this review, we take a look at the controls, build quality, screen, and software of the RGB10 Max 2.
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The A20 is an improved portrait-style handheld from PowKiddy based on the design of the Retroid Pocket 1. This new device comes with a more powerful processor, extra controls, and better specs.

Specs CPU: Amlogic S905D3
GPU: Mali G31 MP2
RAM: 2GB LPDDR4
Storage: 8GB
Battery: 3,000 mAh
Display: 3.5 inch IPS 640x480
Network: Wi-Fi 5 / BT 5.0
OS: Android 9
 
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Wife bought me an RG 351P that has a shitload of games on it (17,479 or so? No way it's legal. Lol), covering a surprisingly broad range of systems. Tried out Waverace for N64 and Crazy Taxi for Dreamcast, and both ran well in the brief time I played. Not sure how consistent it'll be across various games/systems, but seems pretty solid thus far.

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The all-new AYA Neo Pro Is an absolute Powerhouse, And we now finally have a proper RYZEN 7 4800U powered Handheld Gaming PC! In this video we take a look at the retro power version of the AYA neo-pro, With an eight-core 16 thread CPU back by 16 GB of LPDDR4X Ram this Handheld is Beast and can even handle Forza Horizon 5 and Halo Infinite, And when it comes to ruining emulators on the AYA Neo pro it will do PSP, WiiU, GameCube, PS2 and Even PS3 using RPCS3! Can it compete with the upcoming Steam Deck? We just have to wait for Valve to release to find out!
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Anbernic 552 looks great but that price is way to high for a older chipset like the RK3399.
Performance looks decent enough and build quality is always top notch but going back to that price, I don't know man.
The Powkiddy X18s is great on paper but in reality just junk out of the box experience , with tweaks can be decent but requires way to much work and probably too much technical skill unless your really into these handhelds hardcore.
 
Retroid Pocket 2+ is a pretty impressive little handheld that can play one of the hardest PSP games GOW much better than expected , for $99 its a great deal if your into handhelds.

 
DESTROYA said:
Retroid Pocket 2+ is a pretty impressive little handheld that can play one of the hardest PSP games GOW much better than expected , for $99 its a great deal if your into handhelds.

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Looks really cool. I kind of want one.
 
bonk said:
Looks really cool. I kind of want one.
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For those interested in ordering a RP2+

www.goretroid.com

Retroid Pocket 2+ Handheld Retro Gaming System

Retroid Pocket 2+ Features: Unisoc Quad-core Tiger T310 1 x A75 + 3 x A55 + PowerVR GE8300 2GB LPDDR4x + 32GB EMMC Android 9 WiFi 2.4G/5G + BT 5.0 Battery 4000mAh 3.5 inch 480p touch screen with aspect ratio of 4:3 Integrated rumble motor for better gaming experience Conductive rubber design...
www.goretroid.com

Just FYI they are releasing a RP3 sometime soon that has the same hardware but with bigger screen , it hasn't been officially announced yet but If I had to guess will be out relatively soon like Q1 or Q2 2022
 
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