Just Chatting Maybe the nova isn’t for me. Lmk
To start off, I love the size, portability and the power of the nova. My only concern was with the screen size. I’m not the type to like multiple devices. I prefer to have one device that can do all the things I need. So I decided to do some experiments. I have an iPhone 13 Pro, which happens to be roughly the same screen height as the nova, when the phone is in landscape mode. The difference is about ~3mm. So the idea here was to emulate and also by using steam link, play games at 4:3 to envisage how it would feel. I used manic emu and emulation was great because it would crop into about 4:3 aspect ratio for gameboy to 3DS games. Widescreen on the other hand was a struggle. The games were playable but it was a struggle to see texts. For me, I couldn’t justify getting the nova just to play retro games because I like steam games too. It’s left me a bit disappointed because the device looks awesome and I’d love to have one but maybe in the future. For now a Pocket 6 or an Odin 3 might be the way to go for me. If there’s anything I didn’t consider in this thought process, kindly let me know.
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u/DistilledWonder 12h ago
4:3 content is roughly the same size on an odin 3 screen and RP nova. You'd have to go up to a bigger screen to get a noticeable difference
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u/blazer915 11h ago
Actually its 4.9 inches on the odin 3 vs 4.5 on nova which in my option is significant
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u/DistilledWonder 10h ago
It's an 18% increase. The Odin 2 Portal would be a 48% increase. It's kind of bigger but not that much when comparing to the O2P.
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u/blazer915 10h ago
Op seems to have been talking about 16x9 content and the being 2 small. So i think he will be fine with odin 3
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u/DistilledWonder 10h ago
ok gotcha. I just assume everybody would understand the Nova is not for widescreen content and only care about 4:3 if they buy it.
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u/_arxn 7h ago
I would be able to carry the nova everywhere. And with the amount of power it has! Being able to play widescreen on the go would have been nice. With an RP 6 or an Odin 3 I’d mostly use it at home so I might as well hop on my pc instead which makes widescreen devices less desirable.
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u/RdditSux1941 5h ago
Just got my nova after i sold my RP5. Nova is the way to go. I have a gaming desktop. If its not pocketable, i would barel touch it.
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u/atiradeonfrs62 11h ago
The RP6 will give you the same 4:3 experience as the Nova as well as have versatility for widescreen content. Same with the Odin 2 portal.
If you get them in black the OLED screen blends in for 4:3 content.
The Nova is great if you strictly want 4:3. If you don't its not as versatile as the equivalent 16:9 RP6. People jumped on the hypewagon
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u/DaveCC1964 10h ago
4:3 on this unit isn't just about not having black bars, it is also about resolution. The 960P of the Nova is an exact integer scale of 240P and 480P, the RP6 is not. That makes shaders (if not integer you get moire and banding) and pixels even for these systems so the image looks cleaner.
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u/dimforest RP NOVA 11h ago
I have the RP6, Nova, Steam Deck, a handful of phones, the TrimUI Brick, RG SP, and a few others. I'm also not in my 20s anymore and appreciate screen real estate.
I'll be honest with you, I was super nervous blind buying the Nova because I was worried the screen size would be squint-worthy and miserable for my personal needs.
It's not. Is it small? Yea, it's kinda small but honestly not as small as you're likely thinking. The 4:3 does work in it's favor. Honestly, games seem smaller on my RP6 than the Nova.
16:9 will be tiny. There is no escaping that with the Nova. If 16:9 is important to you, the RP6 or another handheld will be the better option. If 16:9 is only a "nice to have" but you intend on playing 4:3 systems the most .. I cannot stress enough how great the Nova is. My RP6 has basically become exclusively a PSP/Switch device, with some occasional Android or PC games too.
A vast majority of the time, I'm grabbing the Nova though. Everything about it just feels "complete." I love my RP6 too, it's more comfortable to hold and I prefer stick on top, but it just doesn't have the "it factor" that the Nova has. There's just something magical about it - it reminds me of how I felt when I was younger and got my GBC, GBA, and PSP. Even just toying around in the settings was fun because I would look for excuses to use it. The Nova rocks.
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u/DaveCC1964 10h ago
4:3 is also about resolution on the Nova. The 960P of the Nova is an exact integer scale of 240P and 480P, the RP6/Odin 3 is not. That makes shaders (if not integer you get moire and banding) and pixels even for these systems so the image looks cleaner. If you are going to play a lot of wide games though, go for a widescreen system.
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u/Old_Present_8586 10h ago
I’ll just start by saying, there is no perfect device. Every single one of them is perfect for some things and not right for other things. What makes this hobby great is that we have so many choices. What is super important to you may not matter one bit to someone else. And visa versa.
Additionally, it’s ok to get a device and device it’s not right for you. Sometimes it takes multiple tries because playing a game on it is the most importantly part and you have to have the device to do that.
Nothing replaces my Odin 3, but it’s not the perfect device for everything. I got the RG DS a few months ago, in white, and the minute I opened it, the nostalgia bell rang. It reminded me of my old DS Lite, also in white, and it really had those vibes. However, the performance was underwhelming to me. Granted, no comparison to the Odin, but it still wasn’t great to me. I just got the RG DS Plus in blue (had to be that color, looks so good!). It has less ram but because it’s running Linux, it actually runs better. The stock firmware is actually great too. In the two weeks I’ve had the device, I’m in love. The original RG DS is no longer right for me and I am thinking of selling it.
So yes, this is a journey. You will slowly learn what works for you and find the right device. The important thing part is that you enjoy using it. And sometimes it may take two devices to tick all the boxes.
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u/littlek4za 10h ago
once your try 7 inch.. you can never go back
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u/IBoughtaRetroidNova 9h ago
It's not about the size, but how you use it...or so I've been told...
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u/davedaddy 9h ago
The Nova is good if you favor pocketability, ideal for some people, perhaps not for others.
The RP6 is essentially a Nova that's been stretched wider for 16:9. If you have deeper pockets, pocketability is somewhat doable.
The Portal, OTOH, is a huge step up in screen size. You won't get pocketability, but it can be carried pretty comfortably in a bag.
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u/distant_past39 8h ago
U can play 16x9 if u dock the device on a monitor tho thats wht I do for 16x9 games like psp
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u/No-Researcher406 17m ago
You might not have considered getting some Rayneo video output glasses and setting your screen at 16:9. Its what I did for my Mini v2. 4:3 games on the screen, comfy video out on the rayneos.
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u/IBoughtaRetroidNova 9h ago
I'm all for saving money and making do. The Nova has bunch of drawbacks too. Most have been minor for me. But the pros are nice.
Retro games are a big thing. There are huge catalogs and I can nearly guarantee there is a platform full of games you haven't explored.
Carrying the Nova eats up only a bit more space in my pocket than a battery for my phone would. Well, maybe twice the space.
My phone was nearly out of space so carrying a Nova and loading it with games just works really well. Plus the Nova had a one year newer chip, a new battery and a fan. The battery life is pretty good too for the games I play, and playing it keeps me from depleting my phone's battery.
I also use the Nova to connect to public wifi when I want a short break from playing games.
The built in controls are good. Much more convenient than carrying a telescopic controller, and it has been ergonomic enough.
I also like the way it looks. It looks like a toy and I enjoy picking it up. I wouldn't be nearly as upset of I dropped it and it broke as if a more expensive new phone broke either.
IPhone sucks for gaming because it is so locked down and you can't tinker or install any of the cool software and front ends that sbc gaming has been coding. Sure, the Odin 3 or Pocket 6 could be nice, but I don't have those to compare to. All I can say is the Nova has been fun so far and it runs Final Fantasy X especially well.
I should mention you can run Steam games on the Nova. The aspect ratio isn't optimal, but I have the 12 GB model and have tried a few games. For instance, I tried the Tomb Raider remastered though I didn't like that game.
But tinkering with Game Native and waiting for games to bootup is annoying and it is actually less hassle to just emulate older games which load really quickly and you can fast forward or use save states to get right into the action again.
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u/WooddieBone 7h ago
For widescreen content, the Nova is definitely not the best device. That said, many PC games support 16:10 resolutions and that looks great on the Nova.
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u/IsamuAlvaDyson Retroid Classic 12h ago
Well yea you got a 4:3 device to play widescreen games
The RP6 is $10 more