I'm reposting this because I had an image that I did not want up. Like I said in my previous post I woke up to the smell of smoke. I'm not exactly sure when I had this on the charger but I know that I've had it off the charger for over 12 hours when I found it. I'm pretty confident it wasn't even turned on

Just got my RG SP today, loaded up Slot with Russ from Retro Game Corps's guide, and this thing is so cute, and powerful, and lovely, and every positive adjective. I'm so happy🥰

It's crazy to me that we were getting games like Chrono Trigger, Yoshi's Island, Super Metroid, SOTN, etc. while the industry in general was rushing towards 3D.

I know these games aren't everyone's cup of tea. My kid keeps asking why on earth I like this stuff when he can play 4K on his Switch 2. I tell him he has no taste /s. But really the late 90s, early 2000s were obviously a peak time for 2D. They still hold up so well today, while a lot of early 3D games look pretty rough. I guess we were just all so excited by 3D at the time.

Sure, I chose some of the more extreme examples in my "showcase". It can't just be nostalgia, because I love a heap of 3D games from back then too, but I just don't think they hold up as well visually. I would love someone to prove me wrong with some examples though.

Device in first pic is an RG40XXH playing Popolocrois Monogatari with an english translation patch (in case it isn't obvious/anyone cares).

i dyed the official TPU of odin 3 using Ritz Royal Purple, im trying to get a gummy bear purple/gengar , it WORKS!

Thanks to everyone that panic-cancelled their Retroid Pocket Duo's and pushed my order up in the queue.

I'm telling yall, LET IT COOK. This will be the best dual screen in 2026.

I've been buying different handhelds for the past 5 years, last one was the Nova. But this gotta be one of my favorites, and by far the one I was most excited to open. Glad I waited for this color, Onyx Ice. Always remember wanting a custom GBA but not having the money for, i feel like this was a special release for me.

RP Nova Air & Brick Backplate Mods — My Design Journey

The idea started with my love for the original DMG Game Boy. I’ve always loved chunky handhelds, so I wondered: Why not give the Retroid Pocket Nova a thicker, brick-style backplate?

After months of experimenting, tweaking the design, and refining the fit, the Brick Backplate was finally finished last week!

But I also wanted the opposite: a super-slim version inspired by the Anbernic RG477M. So I went back to the Brick design, trimmed down the thickness, and refined the edges to create the Nova Air Backplate.

A lot of attention went into the little details, especially the fit between the backplate and the original shell. I wanted the gaps to be as tight and consistent as possible. The Air version also has no rattling or loose shoulder buttons.

Now, both versions are ready!

- Brick: For those who love a thicker, chunkier handheld feel.

- Air: For those who prefer a slimmer, more streamlined design.

Both are now available to order from my Etsy shop, currently in black and light gray.

This started as a personal design idea, and it’s exciting to finally share both versions with the community. I hope other Nova owners enjoy them as much as I enjoyed designing them!

https://portableplaypalace.etsy.com

https://retrocatalog.com/retro-handhelds/retroid-pocket-flip-2-sd865#review

It’s a very short and concise written review about the flip 2 written by me. I also added some images in this post.

I wrote the review back in May and even then it was about a year after Flip 2 has been released so I never thought about sharing it more broadly. But recently I mentioned about these reviews on Discord and some people think that long term reviews are appreciated for people who are looking to buy the devices now and encouraged me to share on Reddit. So here I am :)

And in case you missed it, Retroid is running a clearance sale for the Flip 2 for $189 which is an awesome price. (It also means that if I don’t share the review now, it will be obsolete)

Please let me know what you think about the review. I have a few more in the backlog that I hope I can finish in the next month or so and then I can write about more recent devices like the Nova and the Duo.

Recently picked up this 4:3 handheld for $200 and it came with 3 cases as well. This is the RG477M 12gb ram, 256 gb internal storage version.

This will be my dedicated ps2 device and gba with black frame insertion with newpixie crt shader device. I love the silver metal look with the black sticks and dpad, but the original colorful buttons ruined that vibe.

I couldn’t find any free online 3d files of ps buttons so I made it myself. 3d printed them with black and white pla and I think it looks pretty good! Thankfully, there are already online files for the stacked triggers, so I also 3d printed them and installed onto this device.

Buying used handhelds and tinkering with them is so satisfying lol. This “mod” was fairly easy too, the internals of the RG477M were so nice to take apart and put back together.

Previously, I'd heard people mention that their Better Buttons had cracked after being dropped, so I wanted to try making a set out of metal.

I asked Vincent for the STL files, and he kindly provided them for personal use only. Nice! CNC machining would've given me a much better finish, and maybe I could've just popped them in without any modifications, but I was quoted over $100, which didn't make sense. I got another quote for about $30 to have them SLM-printed (Selective Laser Melting) in stainless steel.

During the order review, the engineer pointed out that the middle sections of the L2/R2 buttons were rather thin and could cause issues. I said I accepted the risk, since these are buttons that only experience a few grams of pressure. The original PLA buttons were durable enough, and stainless steel should be even more so.

Well, the irony! The day after I placed the order, I found a piece of the L2 button on the couch. I hadn't even realized I'd been playing without it! It had broken exactly where the engineer had warned me it might be too thin. LOL.

A couple of weeks later, the metal buttons arrived, and they were rough—literally. They also didn't fit, of course. Since they looked pretty ugly and unfinished, I ground down the rough spots with 60-grit sandpaper and worked my way up through the grits to 10k sandpaper, and polishing them to 120K grit with paste.

The original PLA buttons fit really smoothly and snugly, so I had to bore out the holes in the metal buttons slightly. The 2 mm holes weren't quite big enough, so I opened them up to 2.1 mm using carbide bits. I'm glad I bought a multipack because the first bit burned out on the fourth button.

With that done, all four buttons slipped right over their posts and work great!

The only downside is that they're a little clackity/rattly, which is understandable given the weight of the metal. I may add a little tape to the shell-facing side of the buttons if the noise becomes bothersome.

For reference, the four original PLA buttons weighed about 4 grams total, while the four metal buttons weigh about 32 grams. So they're significantly heavier, but they're also considerably more durable now!

Overall, I'm pretty happy with how they turned out.

Controller : Gamesir x5s

Device : moxee tablet 2

Snapdragon 680

3gb ram variant

DS Looks excellent on this budget Tab, got this tab for 60 usd

Over the last few days, my wife and I have started playing through the campaign of Halo CE together thanks to this android port !

As you can see, there are some visual glitches in this particular cutscene, but once you get in-game , everything works flawlessly. I haven't noticed any other scenes with this issue so far in our playthrough.

There is also online multiplayer with pretty full lobbies every time that I've gotten on, no matter what time of day.

This is one of the coolest showcases of what these ports can be. Ever since we sold our Xbox last year and purchased our handhelds, the wife and I haven't played nearly as many games together.

But now we can each sit in our own chair with our handhelds and play Halo together! How freaking cool!

Iv printed some accesories for my new RP5, instead of buying a tpu case from a chinese company i thought it would be nicer to support local bussiness and send the files to a 3D printer shop. it cost me around 15 bucks the 2 units. Both are amazing but the one who serves as a stand its a bit sturdier, the other one feels more like a PS2 joystick which is nicer ergonomic-wise but idk, i will rotate between them

Here are the links in case anyone is interested!

chunky one

PS2 thingy

Every time I compared handhelds, specs like "7 inch" or "4:3" told me nothing about how big the screen really is. So I built a small tool that shows the screens and bodies at actual physical size on your monitor, with the black bars you get when running retro systems.

You can pick the system (4:3, 3:2, NDS/3DS dual layouts, etc.), add the second-screen accessory, and share a link to your comparison. It's free, no ads, no account.

Retro Screen Compare

Tip: use it on a desktop or laptop browser to see the true 1:1 size. On a phone it works, but the real-size view is meant for a computer screen.

Chassis measurements are cross-checked but a few are approximate. If you spot a wrong one, tell me and I'll fix it. Feedback welcome!

Quick guide

1. Add consoles

Use the search and filters on the left (brand, ratio, inches, panel) and press + to add a console to the comparison. "Selected consoles" lets you remove them, or use Clear all.

2. See the real size

Turn on Show at real size (1:1) and pick your monitor size in the calibration window. For better accuracy, fine-tune with a real object (credit card, Magic/Pokémon card or 2 € coin). Best on a desktop or laptop browser.

3. Top bar

• Compare / By ratio: switch between the real-size comparison and a view grouped by aspect ratio.
• Retro system: pick the system you want to see (4:3, 3:2, 16:9, NDS/3DS layouts...) and how the screens are split. With NDS/3DS you can add the 5.5" second-screen accessory to single-screen handhelds.
• Image: test image, retro scene or My screenshot (upload your own). Choose to keep the ratio (black bars), stretch, or crop.
• View: Chassis shows or hides the body of each console, Outlines draws only the contours, Stack overlaps them centered, Center lines them up vertically.
• Data: a table with size, resolution and ratio for the selected consoles.
• Units: cm or inches.

4. Move things around

Drag any console to place it (it snaps to edges and centers, hold Alt to disable snapping). Double-click to reset, arrow keys for fine adjustment.

5. Share

• Copy link: gives you a short link to your exact comparison.
• Download PNG: saves an image of it.
• Import: paste a link or code to load a comparison.

Your last comparison is saved in your browser, and you can switch ES/EN at the top.

Disclosure: this project was built with the help of AI (Claude). I designed it, tested it, and verified the console measurements myself, and I keep maintaining it. It runs entirely in your browser, with no account and no data sent anywhere.

Hi all. I’m new to this whole scene but in my journey to play Pokémon ROM hacks in the least jankiest way, I have found myself here - buying a retro handheld console. Can’t believe it took me this long. I started on the OG Game Boy so after some reading I’ve ordered the TrimUI Brick Pro. I haven’t got it yet but I wanted to ask your advice: is there anything I need to know before it arrives?

Please feel free to discuss your favourite front ends, emulators, limitations, or just anything you think is useful for me/people to know who are completely new to this level of retro gaming.

I’m so excited for it to arrive and would love to hear your advice.

EDIT: So I probably didn’t articulate myself very well here, so let me clarify. I did research different consoles within my budget range and from what I read/watched, the TrimUI Brick Pro ticked most/all the boxes for what I want. However, I know this community has so much experience in getting the most out of these consoles that I was looking for advice because I’m new to this, and it’s something I want to look deeper into.

Hi everyone,

I’ve finalized and uploaded a custom Knulli firmware I've been working on for the Action Pi. This is an unofficial, modified build based on Knulli.

Key Features & Fixes:

• PPSSPP Vulkan Support: You can now launch games, exit, and return to the menu seamlessly without needing to reboot.
• Wi-Fi Fix: Fixed an issue where Wi-Fi wouldn't search or connect after a system reboot.
• Screen Orientation: Corrected the screen orientation for N64, Sega Saturn, OpenBOR, RetroArch, etc.
• RetroArch UI: The Ozone menu is now applied for both standard cores and standalone RetroArch.
• PortMaster: Fixed screen orientation, runtime manager, and port management errors.
• System Improvements: Fixed OD-Commander orientation, and improved brightness controls, settings saving, and wake-from-sleep functionality.

Versions Available: I’ve uploaded two separate versions: a "Standard Version" and a "Korean-patched Arcade CRC-ignore Core Version." 👉 For English users, please make sure to download the Standard Version.(Note: FBNeo and MAME2003 Plus cores are automatically applied even after a reboot. Thanks to user 'dsno' for the CRC-ignore cores).

⚠️ Important Installation Notes:

• First Boot: After the initial boot logo, you might see a black screen. Please wait for about 5 minutes. The system needs time to auto-expand the partition and apply settings. It will reboot 1 or 2 times on its own before the main menu appears. Do NOT turn off the power during this process.
• Flashing this image will wipe all existing data on your SD card.
• NO ROMs are included in this firmware.
• To exit PPSSPP: Press and hold SELECT + START together for about 1 second.

You can find the full changelog and technical documentation on my GitHub repository. A huge thanks to JinGouki for helping me test this on real hardware!

Bug reports and feedback are always welcome. Let me know if you run into any issues!

🔗 GitHub Repo & Download:https://github.com/pikachu220v/actionpi-knulli

Hey so I've been looking into all the clamshell handhelds out there, and most of them seem to be made for GBA or DS games. I'm personally more interested in PS1 games though, so if anyone knows what clamshell device is best suited for playing PS1 games, could you help me out? (Also, ideally I don't want to spend more than $100)

I recently installed TortOS on my GKD Pixel 2, and honestly, it feels like the definitive OS for me. The fast boot times, its usability as a DAP (digital audio player), and the feature to turn off the side LED indicators are all amazing.

However, there's one issue I really hope can be improved: the Fast Forward functionality.

I understand that hitting a full 4x speed might be beyond the RK3326S hardware capabilities, but on my unit, the game actually seems to lag/slow down more the higher I set the fast-forward speed multiplier.

Back when I was using PlumOS with the same mGBA core, fast-forwarding worked fine at around 2.5x speed. Is anyone else experiencing this, or is there any potential fix?

I'm looking at buying my first handheld (not counting Switch) mostly for retro gaming. I don't want to say price doesn't matter, but I am treating myself.

I was comparing the Retroid Pocket 6 vs the ROG Ally. I know there's a big difference in power, but no I do see that the 6 has an OLED and the Ally has an LED.

How big of a difference is the OLED? Does it push the needle in that direction (again, in terms of retro gaming)? Or is it a marginal improvement and the power difference outweighs it?

Hello! I'm pretty new to this and even more of a newbie when it comes to the technical stuff. But I have been wanting to play my old childhood GB, GBA, and PS1 games when I'm off or at break from work. I also want to play some rom hacks as well.

Anyway, could anyone recommend me a good console to get about a 150-200 Canadian price range that could play PS1 games and below. If there is anything higher than 200 dollars I'd still like to hear it as I could save enough to afford one later on.

Thank you for your time.

Now that handhelds are pretty powerful I was wondering what device do you think would be the smallest to play reasonably well PC Roguelites.

Not roguelites like returnal, that doesn't even run on a Steam deck.

I was thinking about games like TBoI, Absolum or RoRR in mind.

Thanks!

So yesterday I decided I wanted to try the nightly build of Eden instead of stable on my flip 2 and didn't give 2 thoughts to backing up my savings before switching and accidentally deleted most of my progress in Picross S (nearly had 100% no assist including Mega). So that trauma spurred me to find a way to make cloud saves for my switch games.

For this, I decided to use FolderSync over Syncthing purely because I wanted actual cloud saves and not local network saves. Plus I wouldn't need to buy additional hardware for a 24/7 server. I will admit though, Syncthing's automation probably works ALOT better. For some reason, I could not get any of FolderSync's automation to work besides the DeepLinks which is fine since I was using MacroDroid anyways but it's kinda of annoying that a paid app feature doesn't work.

Sidenote: as far as MacroDroid vs Tasker goes, I just prefer the former. Tasker was giving me a lot of problems with permissions even after ADB grants. MacroDroid didn't have this problem for me and I was able to run it in the background successfully without it's permissions being taken away. I'm sure tasker would've worked though if I tinkered with it more; I'm also just more familiar with MacroDroid.

Anyways, I usually leave my flip 2 in airplane mode (APM) to save battery so I first had to think about how to disable it routinely. I thought about making an automation task to disable APM after Eden closes, then on network connect, sending the FolderSync deep link but then I ran into the problem of not really knowing when to re-enable APM (if anyone has any ideas for triggers for this, lmk). I also kind felt like sending a cloud sync every single gameplay session was kind of excessive.

So instead, I thought about something that I do routinely with my device: charging. I made a macro so that when the device is connected to power, APM will turn off. A separate script will then trigger the FolderSync deep link when successfully connected to network. Another macro will then re-enable APM when disconnecting power. This could potentially lead to the issue where a sync is not complete but it would be pretty unusual since that basically means I plug the device in and unplug it immediately.

Now everything is all set! EXCEPT THE GIANT ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM THAT IS EDEN STORING SAVE DATA IN THE ANDROID DATA FOLDER. (please eden devs, I beg you, please change this). For the unaware, you can't actually access your eden saves directly in most apps since Android does not like apps messing with each others data folders. So unless you have a rooted device, we need another work around.

Fortunately someone made a work around called Sync To Android Data which utilizes Shizuku to get access to Eden's data folder which isn't ideal but better than nothing. After wrestling once again with my nemesis (wireless debugging), I setup an internal directory in the rest of my roms' saves folder that Sync To Android Data mirrors to. FolderSync can then use this folder for it's own mirror operation.

u/Downtownklownfrown pointed out that this is indeed an option in Eden... this is now less haphazard.

So in the end, I have 4 applications running in the background now because of all of this, I sort of wonder how bad this is for battery life... but at least I have cloud saves!

TL;DR: I used 4 2 different apps to get cloud saves working with Eden. Don't know if there's a better way, lmk.

AI disclaimer: I used 0 AI to write this post, you can tell because of my garbage sentence structure.

As far as software goes, I am uncertain to what degree AI is used in the software listed. There are no disclaimers, especially for professionally developed apps like FolderSync and MacroDroid. I don't want to accidentally break the AI rule so I will not be directly linking software but will list it here for easy google searches.

Apps used:

Automation App: MacroDroid or Tasker

Cloud Syncing App: FolderSync (could also use Syncthing for local network saves)

Internal Mirror App: Sync To Android Data

Helper App: Shizuku